Justice Analytical Services (JAS): Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: March 2023 edition

Summary statistics on community safety

Improved public perception of local crime rate since 2008-09. The public feel safer in their local communities. The SCJS found that, in 2019-20, 73% of adults thought that the local crime rate had stayed the same or reduced in the past two years. This shows an improvement from 69% in 2008-09 and no change since 2018-19 (73%).

Most adults feel safe walking alone after dark. The SCJS found that over three-quarters (77%) of adults said that they felt very or fairly safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark in 2019-20, unchanged from 2018-19 (78%) but an increase from 66% in 2008-09.

Most adults say police are doing a good or excellent job. The SCJS reported that, in 2019-20, 55% of adults said that the police in their local area were doing a good or excellent job, unchanged from 2018-19 (56%) but down from 61% in 2012-13.

Number of fires rose 10% in the last year. In 2021-22, there were 27,771 fires in Scotland, up 10% on 2020-21 and the second highest number in the last decade. There were 40 fire fatalities in 2021-22, the third lowest in the last decade.

Sharp fall in emergency hospital admissions due to assault since 2012-13. In 2021-22, there were 1,819 emergency hospital admissions due to assault, including 399 due to assault with a sharp object. These were, respectively, 47% and 38% lower than in 2012-13.

Further detail on fire statistics

There were 324 deliberate building fires in quarter 2 of 2022-23, up from 273 in the same quarter of 2021-22. Over the same period, the number of deliberate road vehicle fires fell from 211 to 197. There has been a long-term downward trend in deliberate building and deliberate road vehicle fires since this series began.

Unwanted fire alarm signals (UFAS) describe avoidable false alarm signals from a workplace, either from an automatic fire alarm or from a person. There were 8,288 UFAS incidents in quarter 2 of 2022-23, which made up 30% of all incidents attended in that quarter. This was down from 32% of all incidents attended in the equivalent quarter of 2021-22. The Covid-19 pandemic could have influenced the previous year's figures as home working was encouraged and less people were working in offices at that time. Less people in workplace buildings meant there was less likelihood of an unwanted signal being triggered.