Cops criticised for holding back details of crimes

Nov 6 2008 by Gary Fanning, Hamilton Advertiser

POLICE failed to disclose details of more than 200 crimes – six of them serious – committed in a week in Hamilton, Blantyre and Larkhall.

No fewer than 216 incidents were reported to police in seven days in that area between Thursday, September 25 and Wednesday, October 1.

But police declined to pass on information about any of the crimes.

Six crimes of violence and indecency took place during the seven days.

But police this week still denied the public the right to know further details about the nature of these crimes.

All they would say is that they were classified as Group 1 and Group 2 crimes.

Group 1 crimes include murder, attempted murder, serious assault and robbery, and Group 2 crimes includes rape, indecent assault and lewd and libidinous practices.

The figures were released after the Advertiser made a Freedom of Information request to police.

Staff at the time had claimed that ‘nothing of press interest’ had happened during the two dates.

Central Scotland MSP Alex Neil (SNP) has called for much more openness from the police.

“It worries me that police are not being up-front and transparent,” he said.

“It may be that they are trying to camouflage the level of crime in the area.

“The police have a problem in that the public have the perception that there is more crime occurring in their communities than official crime statistics suggest.

“I don’t think the level of secrecy and lack of disclosure is acceptable.”

The MSP added: “The police have a big job to gain the confidence of the public.

“One way to do that is through the local press and informing the public of what is going on in an area.

“The police are shooting themselves in the foot by not doing so.

“They are not being informative, transparent or helpful.”

Superintendent Ian Callander, of Hamilton Police Office, said: “I don’t hide facts. I make a judgement call on what crimes to make public and what ones not to.

“Sometimes we get it right and sometimes we get it wrong.

“We have one of the busiest sub divisions in Scotland and people don’t realise how many incidents we have to deal with.

“About 50,000 incidents are reported to us per year and there are about 18,000 crimes and offences.

“We aren’t going to release press information on all of them.

“Some Group 1 crimes include neglect to children and that isn’t something we would be looking to publicise.

“Also, some sexual crimes are reported to us years after they have occurred.

“If we have detected a serious assault, for example, then there is no need for a witness appeal.”

Superintendent Callander said that his officers arrested two people in connection with serious assaults over the weekend.

“We don’t have to make witness appeals for these assaults as we have detected the people concerned.

“If we are following a definite line of enquiry, we may decide that we don’t need to make a public appeal.

“We issue witness appeals when they are appropriate. For example, recently we made witness appeals for a bank robbery in Bothwell and a shop robbery in Stonehouse.”

Superintendent Callander continued: “There were 309 crimes of violence last year out of 18,000 crimes and that suggests that the police have to deal with other types of crime.

“We have also issued a number of community safety warnings to the public through the Advertiser.”