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Glasgow City's crime rate of *** crimes per 10,000 people was the highest of any region of Scotland in 2024/25. The rate for the whole of Scotland was *** per 10,000 people, which appears to be driven by low crime in places such as the Shetland Islands, with almost all Scottish cities reporting higher than average crime rates. In Dundee, the crime rate was ***crimes per 10,000 people, while in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, the crime rate was ***per 10,000 population. 

Comparisons with the rest of the UK

When compared with the rest of the United Kingdom, Scotland has experienced a noticeable decline in its overall crime rate. In 2008/09 for example, Scotland's crime rate was higher than that of England and Wales, as well as Northern Ireland, the other two jurisdictions in the UK. In 2022/23, however, Scotland's crime rate was the lowest in the UK, with the crime rate in England and Wales rising noticeably during the same period. Scotland's homicide rate has also fallen, from being the highest in the UK in 2002/03, to the lowest in 2022/23. 

What types of crime increased in recent years?

The overall number of crimes recorded by the Scottish police since the mid 2010s has remained broadly stable, with ** offences reported in 2024/25. Specific types of crime have, however, increased in recent times. In 2024/25, for example, there were *sexual crimes reported by the police, compared with ten years earlier. As in the rest of the UK, shoplifting has increased rapidly since the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching a peak of * offences in the 2024/25 reporting year.