Policy, Planning & Development Officer, Community Justice Glasgow
Glasgow consistently has a higher self-reported crime victimisation rate – as reported in the Scottish Crime & Justice Survey – compared to the average across Scotland (Figure 1). However Glasgow City also constitutes the largest proportion of Scotland’s overall population at 11.6% (2020), so when comparing Glasgow to other local authorities this has to be acknowledged along with the comparative higher rates of deprivation and the links between this and offending rates – you can ready our article SEVERE AND MULTIPLE DEPRIVATION – AT THE ROOT OF OFFENDING BEHAVIOUR for a better understanding of these links. There is an improving picture with 2018-20 rates 5.6% lower than in 2008-09, however, comparatively with the whole of Scotland picture that gap is widening.
Figure 1 – Crime Victimisation Rates – Glasgow/Average Across Scotland Comparison
On a more positive note, for violent crimes, there is much more of an improving picture (Figure 2), with Glasgow showing generally downward trends at a faster rate than the rest of Scotland. The reasons and attribution for this decline are complex, in Glasgow we have a Whole Systems Approach led by the One Glasgow Partnership to reducing offending which targets violent crime as a priority, the work of the Violence Reduction Unit in Scotland is also looked to across the world as good practice, so these are likely contributing factors. You can read about these approaches in previous articles in our digital versions of our Annual Reports (under the priority theme of prevention) – CLICK ON THE ANNUAL REPORTER ICONS AT THE FOOT OF THIS ARTICLE FOR EXAMPLES.
Figure 2 – Violent Crime – Victimisation Rates – Glasgow /Scotland Comparison
Victimisation can potentially lead to further issues such as mental health issues, trauma issues and substance abuse. Support is essential to help victims cope with the experience they have suffered and ways in which to deal/live with it. Community Justice Glasgow in partnership working have supported trauma training to victim support staff as a way of enabling staff to help service users whom may have complex needs so that they can help these service users feel comfortable in receiving the help which is being offered.
There are various victim focussed/orientated organisations in Glasgow such as Victim Support Scotland (Glasgow). In their 2019/20 Annual Report (Figure 3) Victim Support reported that they had provided support to 159,000 victims and witnesses across Scotland (Figure 4) – Glasgow breakdown not available – with:
- emotional & practical support (accessing information, feeling safer, navigating the justice system);
- support in Courts to vulnerable witnesses (children, victims of sexual assault, domestic abuse, stalking etc.); and
- bereavement support to families impacted by murder and culpable homicide.
Figure 3 – Link to Victim Support Scotland Annual Report 2019/20
Figure 4 – Victim Support in Numbers 2019/20
Victims are one the nine priority themes for Community Justice Glasgow, set out in out Community Justice Outcome Improvement Plan 2018-2023 (Figure 5):
“We will listen to and act on victims’ voices and ensure that victims of crime receive the support they need.”
Victim Support Scotland are among out statutory partners as set out in the Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016. You can read about all of our Partners by CLICKING HERE.
Partnership is key to our approach in reducing re-offending in Glasgow, higher crime rates = more victims and vulnerable witnesses of crime. As noted above you can click on the links for any of our previous Annual Reports to read articles about that partnership with Victim Support Glasgow in practice or click on the Themes & Priorities Tab/Victims in this report. In their own Annual Report 2019-20, Victim Support Scotland highlighted an example of that good practice in Glasgow (Figure 6). We will continue to work together with engagement and increasing knowledge and understanding at the core of that work.
Figure 5 – Community Justice Outcomes Improvement Plan (2018-2023)
Figure 6 – VSS Highlighting Partnership Working Within The Community Justice Glasgow Partnership
