CRIME has fallen by almost a third but less than half of Scots are confident offenders are being punished appropriately, according to a new survey.

The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2016/17 revealed adults experienced around 712,000 crimes over the period, down 32 per cent from 2008/09, but unchanged since 2014/15. More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of this was property crime such as vandalism or theft with the remainder violent crime such as assault or robbery. Violent crime was also down 27 per cent since 2008/09, but has remained the same since 2014/15.

Just 13 per cent of the population experienced crime in 2016/17, down seven percentage points since 2008/09. The survey, based on interviews with almost 5600 adults, found the public was fairly confident about the operation of the justice system, with 78 per cent sure it allows for a fair trial. However, less than half (47 per cent) were confident about its efficiency and just 39 per cent thought appropriate punishments were given to offenders.

A majority (58 per cent) said the police were doing a good or excellent job in their local area, a percentage which has remained unchanged since 2014/15 but has fallen from 61 per cent in 2012/13. Almost a quarter (23 per cent) thought community relations with the police in their area were poor, and a fifth (21 per cent) believed officers were not dealing with the important issues in their local area.

Victims of crime and those living in the most deprived areas were less likely to have confidence in the justice system and to say the police were doing a good or excellent job.

Justice Secretary Michael Matheson pledged continued investment in crime prevention measures and research.

He said: “Scotland’s firm focus on prevention, responsive policing and local partnerships to help individuals and communities keep themselves safe has had a positive impact on ... crime trends and people’s feeling of safety, with recorded crime at a 43-year low.”