The number of violent crimes across Glasgow has continued to rise, according to a Police Scotland report. 

The city of Glasgow saw more recorded crimes than any other area in Scotland.

Between April 2018 and March 2019, nearly 20,000 offences were committed in Glasgow, more than 8,000 more than any other council area.

In terms of non-sexual violent offences, the city again had the highest number of any local authority in Scotland. 

More than 300 of such offences were recorded by Police Scotland in their latest statistics as taking place in the city centre, more than double any other ward in Glasgow.

This can be partly attributed to the volume of foot traffic travelling to and from this area of the city, but this number is still up by half over the past five years.

Outside of the centre, the Calton, Govan and Southside Central wards had the highest numbers of violent crimes.

But it was Pollokshields which saw the largest relative increase in such crimes, up by around 90 per cent on the previous five year average.

READ MORE: Every area of Glasgow ranked by reported crimes

Of the 23 Glasgow council wards, just seven saw violent crime numbers drop compared to the area’s five year average. These included Greater Pollok, Newlands/Auldburn and Baillieston.

Police across Glasgow say they will now work to tackle any specific problem areas in the city.

Superintendent Craig Smith said: “The increase in crime in these areas is disappointing however, we continue to work with our partners in these areas to tackle any spikes in criminality.

“Greater Glasgow Division is able to call upon a number of specialist resources to deal with any increase in crime in specific areas such as additional resources from our Licensing and Violence Reduction unit.

“We rely on information from our local communities so that we can tackle crime effectively.”
Across the city as a whole, the number of sexual and violent crimes has risen for a fifth consecutive year, with around 4,000 recorded in 2018/2019.

READ MORE: Parts of Glasgow see sexual crimes DOUBLE in five years

Since 2013, violent crime in Glasgow is up by more 10 per cent, while sexual crime numbers have risen by around half.

Other offences also saw dramatic changes in the number of detections across the city.

Last year there were 880 detections for the supply of drugs in Glasgow, a rise of more than 20 per cent since 2013.

Police officers also detected more than 500 instances of possession of controlled drugs, a 15 per cent rise over the past five years.

Breach of the peace offences, meanwhile, have almost halved over the same time period, with housebreakings down by around a third.

Police Scotland’s Superintendent Smith added: “Drugs offences remain a high priority for Greater Glasgow Division and we continually carry out intelligence led operations to target those involved in this type of criminality.

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“The increase can also be attributed to increased awareness of both police and partners of the prevalence of controlled drugs such as etizolam and valium.

“Housebreaking is a key priority for Greater Glasgow Division and we have a dedicated unit which tackles this type of crime.

“We can provide members of the public with information and advice on how to keep your home and belongings safe from thieves. Similarly, we would urge anyone who has been a victim of housebreaking to contact police.”