Rises in housebreakings and vehicle theft in Orkney down to same people say police

Spikes in housebreaking and motor vehicle theft are down to multiple offences by the same individuals says police chief.

Police in Orkney have recorded rises in the number of housebreaking and motor vehicle thefts, however, the service’s local area commander has said the spikes in the stats are down to multiple offences being carried out by individual people.

Police Statistics for Orkney were viewed by councillors on the council’s Police and Fire sub-committee on Tuesday.

The county typically records low numbers of many crimes and is regularly named as one of the best places to live in the country, with low crime levels often named as a contributing factor.

These low crime statistics can mean small increases in individual crimes can be very noticeable.

Within the statistics viewed by councillors today, it was shown that between 1 April 2023 and 31 March this year, the police recorded 11 housebreaking incidents – an increase of 6 compared to the year before and above the five-year average of 4.2.

As for the spike in crimes related to motor vehicles, Orkney’s police force recorded 16 incidents in their report up to March 31.

This is an increase of five incidents compared to the previous year and sits above the five-year average of 9.4.

Police Scotland’s area commander is Chief Inspector Scott Robertson.

While answering questions from the sub-committee members, he said the rise in those crimes was down to multiple offences involving one or more individuals.

He said: “Specifically, in regard to housebreaking and thefts of vehicles, you may remember there was a number of housebreakings on one of our islands, Hoy, which accounts for the spike there.

“In terms of motor vehicles, there was one person responsible for a number of those, who wasn’t from Orkney or hadn’t been staying in Orkney.

“Those incidents are responsible for the spikes and have been solved.”