This Scottish Government publication presents statistics on crimes and offences recorded and cleared up by the eight Scottish police forces, disaggregated by crime/offence group, police force area and council area.
“The total number of crimes recorded by the police in 2007/08 was 385,509, which was 8 per cent lower than in 2006/07. The total remains well below the 2004/05 figure of 438,121, and is the lowest number recorded since 1980.”
Lowest since 1980? Not bad at all. It is, of course, ‘recorded crime’ and not actual crimes committed, many of which go unrecorded. Still, why rain on their parade? Well done lads and lassies in blue!
There really is only one story in town this weekend: financial meltdown! A plan to stabilise the US economy with 700 billion bucks was rejected by Congress, and the global knock-on was considerable: banks in the US, UK, Belgium and Iceland needed bailed-out. As Sir Alex Ferguson once said, it’s squeaky-bum time.
When I say there is only one story in town, there is always, of course, room for the campus-town fitba news: everyone got beat except Queen of the South. Hamilton, St Mirren and Ayr should all hang their heids in shame.
The Department for Transport published this statistical bulletin today on road casualties in GB. This report provides detailed information about accident circumstances, vehicle involvement and the consequent casualties in 2007, along with some of the key trends in accidents and casualties. There are also seven articles containing further analysis on specific topics.
Any comments linking “casualties” and Transport Minister Ruth Kelly’s resignation would be beastly. Or maybe it’s Gordon ‘Et tu, Ruthie’ Broon who is the real casualty in all this. Politically speaking of course.
Enough!
I’m on leave for the next 4 days, so the world’s parliaments will need to stop producing documentation until I’m back. Normal service will be resumed on Tuesday the 30th of September.
The SCDEA issued their annual report this week. The SCDEA exists to prevent and detect serious organised crime as it affects Scotland at a national and international level.
“There is no such thing as ‘victimless crime’ in Scotland. The reality is that the purchase of a counterfeit DVD for a Friday night film directly correlates to the availability of drugs in our communities. The targeting of crime against business results in higher taxes and insurance premiums to cover the costs of responding to this. We all pay the price.”
The Scottish Government issued this statistics notice today which presents national and education authority level information on the cumulative attainment of National Qualifications by all pupils in publicly funded secondary schools in Scotland.
To summarize: exams aren’t getting easier (contrary to reports in the press) and girls are better than boys.
World news: Thabo Mbeki, the president of South Africa, resigned after allegedly interfering in a corruption case against rival Jacob Zuma; many were killed in a bomb blast in Pakistan; and experts fear that Michelangelo’s David could collapse due to its exposure to mass tourism.
At home, the LloydsTSB/HBOS takeover has created a seismic shift in the Scottish economic landscape; Gordon Brown promised to “do better”, whatever that means; and singer George Michael was arrested for possessing drugs in a public toilet. Very, very naughty.
Football news: it was a weekend of stalemate for most of the campus-town teams: Hamilton bucked the trend by getting beat but St Mirren, Queens and Ayr all drew. Ayr remain top of their league though, so it’s not all doom and gloom. In other sport news, Europe relinquished possession of the Ryder Cup, losing 16 1/2 – 11 1/2 to the USA. That’s a bit of a trouncing, if truth be told. Still, home advantage in Wales in 2010 may see it back on European hands before long. Failing that, we’ll swap it for Alaska. Or Hawaii. I’m not too fussed.
The Scottish Parliament Information Centre issued this briefing this week. It discusses the new Scottish Parliamentary Bill which aims to provide a statutory framework for sexual offences.
“At present, sexual offending is prosecuted under a wide range of common law and statutory offences. The Bill seeks to provide a statutory framework for sexual offences, so that most offending of a sexual nature would in future be prosecuted under one of the offences in the Bill. In light of this, the Bill would abolish or repeal a number of existing common law and statutory offences. As well as consolidating much of the existing law on sexual offences in a single statute, the Bill seeks to reform and clarify the law in a number of important areas.”
The Scottish Government issued this consultation document today which covers a number of issues relating to criminal juries in Scotland. These include: age limit; eligibility and excusal; exemption periods; compensation for jury service; jury size and trial without a jury.
“Jury service lies at the core of the Scottish criminal justice system. The principle that the guilt or innocence of the accused is determined by fellow citizens, drawn from across classes, cultures and occupations, is fundamental to our sense of justice. This Government seeks to uphold this principle: it is deeply entrenched in our tradition and values. At the same time, the jury system – the demands we place on jurors, the way we support and recompense them, and the way we administer the service – can and should be open to review.”
Apparently there has been some kind of economic blip recently. Has anyone heard anything about it? Well, have no fear: those tireless lads and lassies down at the House of Commons Treasury Committee have grafted day and night to come up with ways of stopping those irresponsible banks from ever again destroying Western civilisation as we know it.
“The overall case for legislative action in the field of banking regulation is compelling. The authorities must be able to deal with failing banks effectively and with an adequate range of options. The responsible authorities require access to the information which must drive their actions. An effective statutory depositor protection scheme which commands the confidence of consumers is needed in order to reduce the likelihood of disorderly bank failure following a retail run and thus to reduce in turn the requirement for extra-statutory guarantees by the Government.”
Excellent. We can all rest easy tonight.
The Scottish Government published their draft budget for 2009-10 yesterday. Have a squizz to see what our tax money is spent on.
“Our aim is to achieve a sustainable economic growth that will build on a strong and stable Scottish economy, provide prosperity and opportunities for all and ensure that future generations can enjoy a better quality of life. The benefits from delivering this single Purpose will be shared by all of Scotland’s people, helping us to realise the considerable potential of our nation and our people”
Who would have thought that columns of figures could be so exciting?
