Crime stats show a drop, but a former officer suggests many calls go unanswered. Could this skew the real numbers?
Martin Gallagher thinks crime isn’t fully reported. He says many calls weren’t answered in seven months. Over 215,000 calls were “discontinued.” Gallagher thinks the SNP’s crime reduction claims are wrong.
He says underreporting may be the cause. He cited the “discontinued” calls from January to July last year. Figures show nearly 300,000 crimes in 2024. This is 1% less than 2023’s number.
Rape, violence, shoplifting, and abuse all rose. Gallagher stated that 20% of calls report crimes. He calculated about 43,000 crimes were missed. This occurred during the reporting period.
He thinks a quarter of crimes went unreported. This is based on 2023/24’s recorded crimes. People may have tried other reporting methods. Some callers likely used the web or police stations.
Still, many couldn’t report crimes by phone. No one answered their call, he says. Sharon Dowey says the justice system is broken. Victims can’t report crimes, she added.
Officers lack the resources to do their work. Police Scotland said calls aren’t left unanswered. They clarified calls are not missed or disconnected. Callers may be told to dial 999 instead.
Some callers pick another option, they said. Others realize they should call another agency. Many 999 and 101 calls are misdialed. Callers then hang up, they stated. The Scottish Government says they prioritize urgent calls.
They manage all contacts effectively, they insist.