The “savage” cuts from the SNP to police budgets means almost half of all crimes and offences in Scotland are not being solved, the Scottish Conservatives can reveal today.
The SNP government’s own Recorded Crime Statistics show that only 56 per cent of total crimes in Scotland were cleared up by the police in 2024-25.
Analysis by the party of the statistics confirms that there has been a shocking decline in relation to solving the most serious offences.
This includes the proportion of rape and attempted rape cases as well as sexual assault cases being solved falling by 21 per cent.
There was also an eight per cent fall last year in solving crimes involving indecent images of children.
Shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said the figures confirm the SNP’s “woeful record on tackling crime” and keeping communities safe.
He added that “criminals are reaping the rewards” of the SNP’s sustained neglect of frontline policing during their 18 years in power.
Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said: “Hardworking police officers are desperate to solve crimes, but under the SNP they are constantly being asked to do more with less.
“Numbers have consistently fallen during the SNP’s 18 years in power, with many experienced officers leaving the force.
“The fact clear-up rates are so poor should be a source of shame for the SNP. These figures expose their woeful record in tackling crime across Scotland and their failure to keep communities safe.
“That is a betrayal of victims who all too often see the SNP’s justice system put criminals first, rather than them.
“The Scottish Conservatives would tackle crime by making sure police are properly resourced, and that the wider criminal justice system is focused on putting victims first and supporting rehabilitation efforts, rather than letting dangerous criminals off the hook.”
Notes
Only about half of crimes are cleared up by the police. In 2024-25, only 56% of total crimes were cleared up by the police. This is a 3.3 percentage point decrease from 2020-21 and a 0.4 percentage point decrease from 2015-16. (Recorded Crime in Scotland 2023-24, 25 June 2024, Table 3, link; Recorded Crime in Scotland 2024-25, 24 June 2025, Table 3, link).
The percentage of sexual crimes of violence cleared up by the police has dropped by almost a fifth since 2014-15. In 2014-15, 76.5% of sexual crimes of violence were cleared up. However, in 2024-25, this dropped to 56.9% which is a decrease of 19.3 percentage points. This includes a decrease of 21.3 percentage points in the clearing up of ‘sexual assault’, 21 percentage points in ‘rape & attempted rape’, 19.8 percentage points in ‘crimes associated with prostitution’, 12.9 percentage points in ‘causing to view sexual activity or images’, and 7.8 percentage points in ‘indecent photos of children’. (Recorded Crime in Scotland 2023-24, 25 June 2024, Table 3, link; Recorded Crime in Scotland 2024-25, 24 June 2025, Table 3, link).
The percentage of non-sexual crimes of violence cleared up by the police has dropped by almost 10% since 2014-15. In 2014-15, 77% of non-sexual crimes of violence were cleared up. However, in 2024-25, this dropped to 68.4% which is a decrease of 8.6 percentage points. (Recorded Crime in Scotland 2023-24, 25 June 2024, Table 3, link; Recorded Crime in Scotland 2024-25, 24 June 2025, Table 3, link).
The percentage of antisocial offences cleared up by the police has dropped by 13% since 2014-15. In 2014-15, 92.9% of antisocial offences were cleared up. However, in 2024-25, this dropped to 79.5% which is a decrease of 13.4 percentage points. (Recorded Crime in Scotland 2023-24, 25 June 2024, Table 3, link; Recorded Crime in Scotland 2024-25, 24 June 2025, Table 3, link).
The term ‘clear-up’ refers to a situation where there has been a successful outcome in dealing with a crime. The definition came into force with effect from 1 April 1996. The Scottish Government defines it as ‘a crime or offence is regarded as cleared up where there exists a sufficiency of evidence under Scots law to justify consideration of criminal proceedings, notwithstanding that a report is not submitted to the procurator fiscal because either (i) by standing agreement with the procurator fiscal, the police warn the accused due to the minor nature of the offence, or (ii) reporting is inappropriate due to the non-age of the accused, death of the accused or other similar circumstances’. (User Guide to Recorded Crime Statistics in Scotland, 25 June 2024, link).