Falkirk West MSP Michael Matheson welcomed official statistics which show that recorded crime fell again last year to its lowest level since 1975.

Today’s Recorded Crime statistics show that the number of crimes recorded by Central Scotland Police in 2011/12 fell by four per cent compared to the previous year.

Mr Matheson said:
“These figures are further good news for Central Scotland Police and they should be congratulated on the hard work that the officers are doing to achieve this. This underlines that our communities are becoming increasingly safer and stronger.

“This is the fifth year in a row where recorded crime has fallen – to a 37-year low – and with police numbers remaining well above the Scottish Governments pledge to put 1,000 extra officers on our streets.

“I congratulate every one of the more than 17,000 police officers, including those who work across Central Scotland for their excellent work to prevent and detect crime and catch criminals. What we are seeing is that recorded crime continues to fall at a time when police officer numbers are strong.