Lenient justice rules for under 25s mean Dundee police are “limited” in their ability to tackle a car crime wave – despite knowing 15 repeat offenders are responsible.
Chief Superintendent Phil Davison, of Police Scotland, made the “astonishing” admission amid new figures showing vehicle crimes, such as car thefts or break-ins, increased by 25% between January and March in the city.
A new report to councillors shows 219 crimes involving vehicles were recorded in that period – up from 174 the previous three months.
That included 60 vehicles being stolen and 151 thefts or attempted thefts from vehicles.
Chief Superintendent Davison said: “It remains the case that Police Scotland are limited in their ability to tackle repeat offending for acquisitive crime, particularly in respect of perpetrators under the age of 25 years.
“The remand of perpetrators within this age group in respect of crimes of dishonesty is not supported by national criminal justice strategy.”
He added that some of the repeat offenders are routinely reported for breach of court orders when arrested for new crimes.
Local MSPs demand answers
Local MSPs have called for the Scottish Government to provide answers.
Dundee-based Tory MSP Maurice Golden said: “The SNP-Green government has long been accused of being a soft touch on justice issues.
“These astonishing remarks prove that to be the case.
“The destruction and misery caused by criminals like these should be dealt with severely, and police officers should be fully supported in doing so.
“Instead, we have a Scottish Government undermining their work at every turn.”
Michael Marra, Labour MSP for North East Scotland, said: “A justice system that is unable to deal with repeat offenders who are known to police is a justice system that is not functioning.
“Law abiding citizens will be aghast at these comments from the police who feel powerless to put a stop to rampant criminality.
“The Scottish Government must urgently explain what will have to change in order to turn the system around so that it can protect local people.”
Dundee vehicle crime above average
Chief Superintendent Davison said that the 15 core offenders are all under 25 and mostly reside in the Dundee area, despite committing crimes on a Tayside-wide scale.
He added that it is not uncommon for up to eight premises to be targeted per night and that most taken vehicles are used to ‘joyride’ and assist in further crimes.
In the last quarter, the police have used forensics and CCTV to arrest and report ten of the group for these types of offences.
Dundee has a much higher rate of vehicle crime than the rest of Scotland.
In 2022/23, a total of 56.92 crimes were recorded per 10,000 of the population in Dundee – compared with a Scottish average of just 21.32.
The number was also well above those recorded in Perth and Kinross and Angus, at 13.43 and 19.88 respectively.
New sentencing guidelines for under 25s
While Chief Superintendent Davison’s comment related to the remand of under 25s, sentencing guidelines have also proved controversial in recent months.
The Sentencing Young People guideline was approved by the High Court and came into force in January.
It made rehabilitation rather than punishment a primary consideration when sentencing young offenders, following an “individualistic approach” recommended by the Scottish Sentencing Council.
The guidelines have proved controversial, with Hamilton man Sean Hogg being given a 270-hour community payback sentence for raping a 13-year-old girl in a park.
This sentence was widely condemned, including by the young victim and rape campaigners.
The judge, Lord Lake, said he took Hogg’s age into account when sentencing him and added that if the defendant had been over 25 when he committed the offence he would have imposed a four or five-year jail sentence.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “While Scottish Ministers have no role in approving sentencing guidelines, they clearly allow for punishment of young people where a court considers that necessary, including the use of custody as a sentence.
“More generally, recorded crime rates overall are at record low levels and policing continues to be an absolute priority for the Scottish Government, as evidenced by the £1.45 billion allocated to policing for 2023/24.”
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