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New official statistics show that the number of crimes reported to the police in Scotland increased by 3% during the previous year.

The offenses that saw the greatest riseinclude cases of domestic violence (which increased by 25% between 2024-25), inappropriate messages (21%), explicit images of minors (20%), and retail theft (15%).

Accounts of sexual assault and near-rape incidents, arson, drug distribution, and reckless and dangerous driving have also risen.

Types of crime that have seen a reduction include burglary (a decrease of 14%) and vehicle theft (a drop of 24%).

The police documented a total of 308,532 offenses in Scotland during the year that concluded in December 2025 — an increase of 10,226 incidents compared to the previous year and almost 300,000 more than in 2021.

The count of murders or culpable homicides recorded was 47, a decrease from 49 in 2024. Serious assault and attempted murder also saw a decline.

There were 3,009 cases of domestic violence — representing a 24% rise compared to 2024 and, more notably, a 75% jump from 2021.

Nevertheless, the report highlighted that the Covid-19 pandemic affected both the nature and quantity of crimes documented from March 2020 until the removal of all legal restrictions in April 2022.

In a broader sense, incidents of sexual crime saw a significant rise, increasing by 10% to reach 16,029 cases, which is also 10% higher than the figures from 2021.

Fraudulent acts rose by 2% to a total of 113,729.

Damage and careless actions violations decreased by 3%, mainly due to a 5% reduction in acts of vandalism, although incidents of arson increased by 12%.

Offenses against the public rose by 6% to 66,428, with a 13% increase in cases involving illegal weapon possession and a 10% rise in drug-related supply violations.

Law enforcement officials also documented 191,153 incidents — a rise of 8% — including a 9% increase in traffic-related violations and a 7% surge in anti-social behavior.

Of Scotland’s 32 regional councils, 27 reported increasing crime rates during the year.

• Increase of 11% in domestic violence cases, according to police data
• Hate crimes recorded in Scotland increase by 63% following the implementation of a new law
• Police arrive at scenes of domestic abuse every eight minutes