Current status: Answered by Angela Constance on 10 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Recorded Crime in Scotland 2024-25 finding that only an estimated 21% of crime is reported to the police.
The finding that 21% of crime is reported to the police comes from the 2023-24 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) main findings report, which was published on 10 June 2025.
This figure is heavily influenced by the inclusion of fraud and computer misuse crimes, which were included for the first time in SCJS analysis in the most recent publication. Victims of these crimes only reported the matter to the police in 9% of cases, but were much more likely to report the incident to another body such as a bank. For example, in a significant majority (80%) of fraud crimes, the victim reported the incident to a bank, building society or credit card company in 2023-24.
More generally, the survey estimated that 31% of property and violent crimes combined were reported to police in 2023-24, which is a similar level to the prior survey in 2021-22. This included 24% of property crimes being reported, and 44% of violent crimes.
Where someone has been a victim of crime, we want them to tell the police so they can access the justice they deserve.