The number of crimes recorded by police has increased one per cent since 2017/18; from 244,504 offences to 246,480 in 2018/19. Despite this annual rise, the recording of crime throughout Scotland remains at one of the lowest levels seen since 1974. According to the latest bulletin released on Tuesday, the majority of crimes have continued to fall in Scotland over the last 10 years, with the total recorded crime dropping 27 per cent since 2009/10.

86 police officers have been investigated in relation to criminal allegations of sexual offences between April 2016 and March 2019, according to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request made by the Daily Record newspaper.

New legislation changes will encourage judges to consider community-based alternatives rather than a prison sentence of a year or less for vulnerable women.

In an effort to curb a dramatic increase in crime, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced plans to adopt Glasgow’s highly successful strategies to decrease gang-related knife and gun crime.

Scotland’s ministers are set to hold a consultation on tackling misogynistic behaviour through strengthening criminal hate laws.