East Renfrewshire: Police record hundreds of Covid-19 breaches

The latest annual Recorded Crime in Scotland report shows 11% of incidents in the local area were linked to coronavirus laws being flouted.

A total of 238 such crimes were recorded in East Renfrewshire during that 12-month period.

Overall, the number of recorded crimes in the local authority area was down by 2% during 2020/21 compared to the previous year.

Housebreakings in East Renfrewshire fell by more than half, while thefts from motor vehicles dropped by 43%.

The number of crimes involving rape and attempted rape dropped from 23 to 18 but fraud was up by 55%.

Shoplifting was down by 32%, while the number of attempted murders and serious assaults increased from 27 to 32.

No homicides were recorded in East Renfrewshire for the fourth year in a row.

Across Scotland, overall recorded crime remains at historically low levels, continuing a trend observed over the last decade.

However, 18 council areas did show an increase in total recorded crime between 2019/20 and 2020/21.

The largest number of crimes recorded were in Glasgow, which includes 12% of Scotland’s population but accounted for 18% of all recorded crime.

According to the report, published by the Scottish Government, national lockdowns and other measures to reduce social contact were very likely to have had an impact on the volume and nature of crimes during the year.

It also noted that changes in behaviour during the pandemic, such as increased online shopping, was reflected in the higher cyber crime figures.

The report states: “Between 2019/20 and 2020/21, crimes recorded by the police in Scotland remained almost unchanged, decreasing by just five crimes from 246,516 to 246,511.

“The 2020/21 figures include 20,976 crimes recorded under coronavirus-related legislation, compared to just 107 towards the end of 2019/20.

“All other crimes collectively decreased by 8%. The recording of crime remains at one of the lowest levels seen since 1974.”