'Staggering' increase in reports of rape and attempted rape

Rape Crisis has described a "staggering" 15% rise in the number of rapes and attempted rapes recorded in Scotland last year as "alarming".

Official statistics published on Tuesday, show sexual crimes increased by 3% overall to the second highest level since 1971.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said she was concerned about the rise, but said the overall number of violent crime had gone down significantly in the past 20 years, with serious assaults and homicide levels at record lows.

Sandy Brindley, chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, said much more needed to be done "to tackle the attitudes that underpin sexual violence".

She told BBC Scotland News the figures should be a wake-up call and added that she was particularly concerned about online pornography "and the depiction of sex that young people, particularly young boys, are being exposed to".

She said this included videos that normalised violence, normalised non-fatal strangulation and depicted women as enjoying violence.

"I think we need to do much more to counter that and to be really clear that this behaviour is criminal and there are serious consequences," she said.

She called on the government to invest "much more heavily" in prevention work with young people.

The figures show the number of sexual crimes reported last year was 14,892, up from 14,484 in 2023-24 - a 45% increase in the last decade.

Rape and attempted rape reports increased from 2,522 in 2023-24 to 2,897 in 2024-25, up 60% for the same figures 10 years ago.

The recording of overall crime remains below pre-pandemic levels.

Cyber crime has doubled since 2019-20, according to the data, but damage and reckless behaviour crimes decreased to their lowest level since 1976, down from 41,129 to 38,738.

There was little change in overall crimes recorded by Police Scotland, decreasing by less than 1% from 299,790 to 299,111.

Common assault (down less than 1%) makes up the clear majority (83%) of all non-sexual crimes of violence recorded in 2024-25.

Constance said: "These figures show that Scotland continues to be safe place to live with reported crime falling by more than half since 1991."

She said violent crime was down significantly and serious assaults and homicide levels were at record lows.

However, she added that she was concerned about the rise in sexual crimes.

"Multiple factors will lie behind this and our action to tackle sexual offending includes increasing confidence in the justice system so more victims come forward, improving support for victims and modernising the law on sexual offences," she said.

Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr MSP said: "Whether it's sexual crimes, other violent offences, shoplifting or domestic abuse, the trend is up, and Scotland's streets are becoming less safe."

Scottish Labour Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: "Violence against women and girls is a scourge on our society but these shocking figures suggest things are getting worse instead of better.

"We need to use every lever of government to tackle the epidemic of violence against women and keep our communities safe."

The Liberal Democrats' justice spokesperson, Liam McArthur added: "The police need the right skills and resources to tackle these crimes but it's clear that a lack of resources and the loss of valuable civilian expertise has had a significant impact.

"The Scottish government must ensure that officers have the tools, time and expertise to ensure these crimes are properly pursued."