Scotland's historically low homicide rate is no small achievement
All 57 homicide cases in 2023-24 were solved, according to new Police Scotland figures
These are troubled times for Scotland with the country beset by an array of problems from widespread child poverty to disgracefully long NHS waiting lists. Hopeful signs can be hard to find and today’s UK Budget may deliver yet more bad news.
However, new figures on the number of murders and culpable homicides in Scotland show that they remain close to a record low after a sustained and significant fall in recent years. Police Scotland revealed that they had recorded 57 victims of homicide in 2023-24, the third lowest figure since comparable records began in 1976. Admittedly, this was up from 52 the year before but it still means there has been a 58 per cent decline since 2004.
Each death was a tragedy but historic progress has clearly been made. Therefore, Justice Secretary Angela Constance was quite right to say that “Scotland continues to be a safe place to live”. That is no small achievement by all concerned.
The shameful number of drug deaths in Scotland – a total of 1,172 people died from drug misuse in 2023 – remains a stain on this country’s moral character, but it helps to put homicide deaths into context. Predictably, drugs also played a part in the number of killings. A majority of the year’s victims – 58 per cent – were killed in drug-related cases. Scotland’s homicide rate would be truly remarkable if not for those involved in this evil trade, their greed and propensity for violence.
Another positive that can be drawn from the new figures is a message that drug dealers and anyone else thinking of committing murder should know: it is extremely unlikely that they will get away with it. All 57 homicide cases in 2023-24 were solved, continuing a remarkable trend since the formation of Police Scotland.
Scotland can be proud that it has relatively few homicides and relatively few killers. This is not something that has happened by chance alone. However, one murder is one too many. It will always remain the most heinous crime of all, an unforgivable act that marks the perpetrator until their dying day, and beyond.