Less than half of violent assaults passed to Procurator Fiscal

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has today called for the SNP government to protect the justice budget and enhance community policing after new research by his party found that less than half of violent assaults resulted in a criminal charge being reported to the Procurator Fiscal last year.  

Scottish Liberal Democrat research found that of the 57,708 cases of common assault recorded by police in 2022/23:  

• Just 45% (26,236) resulted in a criminal charge being reported to the Procurator Fiscal.  
• Just 33% (19,041) were prosecuted.  

In September, it was reported that some crimes will no longer be investigated in the North East of Scotland in an attempt to prioritise emergencies. The chair of the Scottish Police Federation warned that the pilot project is a “a dangerous precedent” which risks public mistrust of the police service.  

Mr McArthur said:  

“The public will be understandably worried that so few violent crimes resulted in a criminal charge being brought to the Procurator Fiscal, and that even fewer led to prosecution.

“Scotland’s justice system is under a mountain of pressure, a situation made no easier by successive SNP governments failing to give it the necessary support.  

“The SNP’s repeated squeeze on the justice budget is forcing Police Scotland to make tough decisions that will impact on community safety, with police chiefs warning about the harsh realities of falling officer numbers.  

“Ministers must do everything they can to cut crime and ensure that cases progress effectively through the system. To achieve this, the Scottish Government must protect the justice budget and enhance community policing, enabling officers to be both trusted and visible, and equipped with the resources they need to do their jobs.”