Police in Perth and Kinross have been focusing on serious and organised crime including clamping down on illegal activities such as prostitution, fraud and money laundering.
Figures released by Police Scotland’s D Division (Tayside) show that there were two attempted murders in the area from April to September this year, 14 serious assaults and 11 robberies. This compares to 24 serious assaults and six robberies last year.
The total number of crimes of violence has fallen from 76 in the equivalent period in 2013 to 38 this year.
There were 507 domestic abuse incidents and 116 crimes of indecency this year, compared to 515 domestic abuse incidents and 113 crimes of indecency in 2013.
Police in Perth and Kinross detected 45 cases of drugs supply, production and cultivation in the April to September period, down from 74 last year.
There were 388 cases of vandalism and malicious mischief over the same timeframe, compared to 417 last year.
In a report to be discussed at Wednesday’s meeting of Perth and Kinross Council’s community safety committee, Chief Superintendent Eddie Smith emphasises that tackling serious and organised crime remains a “key focus” in the area.
“Local officers, often supported by national resources, continue to target crime groups in Perth and Kinross,” he says.
“Such groups take every opportunity to gain profit from criminal activities ranging from dealing in controlled drugs, prostitution, fraud, crimes of dishonesty and money laundering.
“Our use of the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) legislation continues to deprive criminals of millions of pounds each year and results to date have increased to 172.6% against the set benchmark.
“Local officers are also involved in Project Jackal, which is a national Police Scotland initiative which aims to dismantle and disrupt criminal business structures and activity by capturing financial intelligence.
“We continue to explore all avenues to disrupt the activities of organised crime groups.”
Road traffic statistics revealed that eight people were killed on the roads in Perth and Kinross during this period, the same as last year, with 38 people seriously injured and 105 slightly injured.
This year 31 people were caught driving dangerously, down from 43 in the same period in 2013.
Mr Smith added: “We have listened to the needs of our communities and dangerous/careless driving has been highlighted as an area of concern, particularly in the vicinity of schools. As a direct result, we have supported several national roads policing campaigns and days of action in addition to carrying out checks and patrols to educate road users, enforcing the law where appropriate.
“A significant proportion of serious and fatal traffic collisions have occurred on the A9 and the division will show keen interest in the contribution of new average speed cameras towards accident reduction and greater road safety.”