Rape and attempted rape reports increase 9%, figures show

Reports of rape and attempted rape have increased by 9% in the past year, figures show.

Statistics released by the Scottish Government on Tuesday show a jump in the number of reports from 2,545 to 2,785 between 2023 and 2024.

The figure also increased by 25% between 2020 and 2024, the figures show, though Scotland was in the depths of lockdown for the majority of 2020.

The head of Rape Crisis Scotland said more should be done to help young people understand consent.

The increase comes as the total number of sexual crimes recorded in 2024 decreased by 2%.

Sandy Brindley, chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, said: “This is a significant increase in the number of rapes reported to the police.

“While some of it may be due to increased confidence, we absolutely can’t rule out that more rapes are taking place.

“We urgently need to step up our efforts to ensure all young people in Scotland have access to interventions exploring consent and healthy relationships.

“Unless we are serious about investing in efforts to prevent rape, we are going to keep seeing reports of rape increasing every year.”

The number of non-sexual violent crimes recorded increased by 10% in the most recent year, spurred by a 50% spike in the number of reports of domestic abuse offences, which rose from 1,963 to 2,409.

Reports of death by dangerous driving offences also increased from 50 to 59, while total murder and culpable homicide reports dropped by 17% compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, instances of shoplifting jumped by 18% from 36,815 and 43,556, which was described by the Scottish Retail Consortium’s deputy head Ewan MacDonald-Russell as “appalling”.

He said: “Despite record investment by retailers in crime prevention, the seemingly endless rise in shop thefts continues.

“There were over 43,000 incidents of shoplifting last year, a spike of 18%, which is more than 100 thefts a day.

“It’s worth noting even this appalling picture is merely the tip of the iceberg. As outlined in our recent crime survey, retailers often don’t report low-level shoplifting as they don’t believe there is any likelihood of the criminals facing justice.

“Shoplifting isn’t a victimless crime.

“Thefts are often the main factor behind abuse and threats towards shop workers.

“Our members are clear the lack of deterrence means thieves are becoming bolder and more aggressive.

“The financial cost is significant and is ultimately paid by customers through higher prices and less convenient shopping.”