Crime up but still 'safest place'

Northern Constabulary on duty at Inverness Airport

Crime has risen by 12% in the Highlands and Islands, according to Northern Constabulary's chief constable.

Ian Latimer said the figures were due in part to increased detections of incidents involving illegal drugs.

He was presenting the force's public performance report to the Northern Joint Police Board.

Mr Latimer added that two thirds of all crimes reported ended in a prosecution and said the area was still the safest place to live and work in the UK.

He said: "Our detection rate for the past year stands at 65.4%, which will be the envy of force's across the UK.

"Northern Constabulary has again achieved excellent results in delivering a range of modern and progressive police services that contribute to making the Highlands and Islands a safe place to live, work and visit."

The chief constable flagged up Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles for coming top for crime detection rates in the force area.

Tackling drug and drink-related crimes were highlighted as priorities within the report.

It also revealed that there had been an increase in assaults on police but these had been of a "relatively minor nature".

RESCUES, FIXED PENALTIES AND THANK YOU LETTERS Between May and July this year, 299 police hours and 1,664 volunteer hours were spent on mountain rescues More than £75,000 was received for the policing of the Rock Ness music festival (pictured above). The funding is given to area commands to provide local services As a result of Northern Safety Camera Partnership activity - 1,860 notices of intended prosecution were issued and 1,613 conditional offers of fixed penalty 53 complaints making 71 allegations were received between May and July Over the same period the force got 62 letters of appreciation

Breaches of the peace and drunkenness were "problematic" in the Inverness area command.

The report said: "A large proportion of assaults are alcohol related and several recent assaults have involved individuals being assaulted with glasses or bottles."

Replacing drinks glasses with plastic at pubs in the city centre is under consideration.

Police are also encouraging security companies to ensure that door staff wear high visibility clothing on duty, which assists in identifying door staff on CCTV images.

To combat underage drinking, a bottle-marking scheme was introduced in the Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey command area.

This was an attempt to identify the source of alcohol abused by young people.

The report said the scheme was still in its infancy but police hoped it would reduce the levels of underage drinking.

Lochaber Pubwatch continued to meet and deal with incidents of anti-social behaviour within licensed premises, according to the report.

There are now more than 45 people banned from premises.

Bottle-marking and the activities of uniformed and plain clothes officers had attributed to a reduction in calls relating to anti-social behaviour by youths in Caithness and Sutherland.

Letters were also being sent to parents and guardians informing them that their child had contact with the police.