Scotland is in the grip of a housebreaking epidemic as one home is broken into every hour.
Police Scotland recorded 8,838 housebreakings in the year to the end of June, equivalent to more than 24 homes being targeted every day.
Nearly three-quarters of housebreakings went unsolved as the perpetrator was never caught by police.
It comes after Chief Constable Jo Farrell said earlier this year that tackling break-ins was a ‘priority’ for the force.
But there are concerns housebreaking crimes are not being taken seriously enough.
Victims often suffer significant trauma and studies have shown that as many as one in 10 move house as a result.
Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Russell Findlay MSP said: ‘People should have confidence in the justice system to deal effectively with this invasive crime which can even cause victims to move home.
‘Yet it’s clear that not only are house-breakings far too common, most of them go undetected and the perpetrators unpunished. This despicable crime must be taken seriously.’
Mr Findlay also accused the Scottish Government of ‘slashing police budgets and weakening Scotland’s criminal justice system’ after new recorded crime figures showed an ‘alarming’ three per cent increase in crime in 2023/24.
Police Scotland recorded 300,070 crimes compared to 292,702 in the year to June 2023.
He added: ‘This alarming rise in crime is unsurprising given the SNP’s relentless slashing of police budgets and weakening of Scotland’s criminal justice system.
‘With officer numbers at a 17-year low, our streets are less safe due entirely to decisions made by successive SNP justice ministers in Edinburgh.
‘While the SNP continue to fail the public, the Scottish Conservatives would get tough on crime and recruit 1,000 additional police officers.’
The clear-up rate for all crimes was 54.1 per cent – an improvement of less than one per cent on 2022/23 but still lower than it was a decade ago.
But only 27.6 per cent of housebreakings were cleared up by police, meaning thousands of householders did not have the reassurance of knowing a culprit had been identified.
Highlighting the extent of the crimewave, police yesterday issued an appeal for witnesses after two housebreakings a fortnight apart at the same property.
Both break-ins happened in the early hours at a house in Longniddry, East Lothian, and are believed to be linked. Two suspects were seen fleeing after the incidents, with the most recent being at around 1.45am yesterday (Tues).
The most recent housebreaking figures showed an increase on 2022/23, when police recorded 8,809 crimes.
Thefts from a lockfast place – which can include garages and sheds – rose by 16 per cent to 1,464 crimes, and thefts from motor vehicles were up by 13 per cent to 2,234.
Overall, there were 112,384 crimes of dishonesty marking an eight per cent increase on the previous year and a seven per cent increase compared to the pre-pandemic level in 2019/20.
Shoplifting accounted for 35 per cent of crimes of dishonesty, an increase of 34 per cent on last year and 50 per cent on 2019/20. Police recorded 40,554 crimes of shoplifting, up from 30
Retail chiefs have also warned that shoplifters are becoming ‘bolder and more aggressive’.
David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, called for ‘tackling crime against retailers to be made a greater priority by the authorities’, including the Scottish Government.
He said: ‘It’s appalling that shoplifting has soared by a third.
‘Despite record spending by retailers on crime prevention the rate of thefts continues to rise. In fact, these figures won’t even capture the full picture as many thefts aren’t reported by retailers who are sceptical that action will be taken.
‘Shoplifting isn’t a victimless crime. Shoplifting is the main factor behind abuse and threats towards shop workers and we know from member feedback that thieves are becoming bolder and more aggressive.
‘The financial costs too are enormous and are ultimately borne by shoppers themselves; in some cases through higher prices on shop shelves.’
Deputy Chief Constable Bex Smith said: ‘Scotland is a safe place to live and work with historically low levels of crime.
‘The onus is on policing to build and maintain public confidence and we encourage people to report crime as this helps us to keep communities safe.
‘The Chief Constable has been clear we must focus on strengthening and modernising our frontline so our people are best equipped to prevent crime and target offenders.
‘Our response to housebreaking is based on an enhanced assessment of threat, risk and harm to ensure the most vulnerable get the help they need and deserve.
‘We fully understand the impact that such an intrusive crime has on victims and we are committed to reducing the number of housebreakings and identifying offenders.’