Police stats: Number of assaults up on last year

Assaults in the Hamilton area have increased over the last two years according to statistics obtained by the Advertiser.

The figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, show that serious assaults increased from 36 in the July 2012 to June 2013 period to 41 in July 2013 to June 2014 period.

Minor assaults increased by 7.4 per cent per cent – 445 from July 2012 to June 2013, to 478 from July 2013 to June 2014.

All the crime figures obtained cover the 12-month periods July 2012 to June 2013 and July 2013 to June 2014 and are for crime detections prior to court prosecutions.

There was one murder in Division Q in the July 2013 to June 2014 period compared to none the previous year. There were six attempted murders in the July 2012 to June 2013 period and none in the July 2013 to June 2014 period.

Twelve robberies were recorded in the Hamilton area from July 2012 to June 2013, compared with 11 from July 2013 to June 2014.

Responding to the statistics, Hamilton area commander chief inspector Sandy Blair pointed out that over a five-year period, serious and minor assaults were down.

He commented: “As always our priority is keeping people safe and, so far for 2014, we have seen a reduction in the number of serious assaults for the Hamilton area, with a small increase in minor assaults.

“However, it is worth noting that against the five-year average, there is a marked reduction in both types of crime, which overall means fewer victims and significant reductions in people attending hospital, or whose lives have been affected by crime.

“There is always room for improvement and we have a number of upcoming initiatives planned which aim to target violence, disorder, anti-social behaviour and other issues that affect our communities in our continued efforts to tackle crime.

“We also put a significant amount of work into reducing anti-social behaviour and disorder, both of which are often precursors to violence. None of this can be done without our commitment to partnership working.

“Our colleagues in the Community Safety Partnership including South Lanarkshire Council, Children’s Reporter, NHS Lanarkshire and the voluntary sector, help us plan and co-ordinate action plans to address many of the issues we face.

“Similarly, the response we get from the public, who help us to identify criminals and tell us what their priorities are, is vital to our ongoing success.”