POLICE Scotland is under fire for the information it releases about ongoing crime in Scotland, in an apparent breach of a joint protocol signed with the Crown Office last year pledging "openness in dealing with the media".
A total of 16 calls were made by journalists in a single day to eight control rooms across the country, with responses only given about a small number of minor incidents such as road accidents and minor offences at a music festival.
But a Freedom of Information request later revealed a different picture: There were 1921 reported crimes that day, including two attempted murders, four rapes, 12 other sexual assaults, 16 serious assaults, 13 incidents of fire raising, three robberies and weapons and drug crimes.
Chief Superintendent Val Thomson, who is in charge of Police Scotland control rooms, defended their right to give out information only when it was "of operational benefit or where there is a requirement for an appeal".
"We adhere to guidelines agreed with the Crown Office which clearly sets out what is and is not appropriate information to provide to the media," Chief Superintendent Thomson added.
The guidance, drawn up less than a year ago, commits the police and Crown Office to "openness in dealing with the media, in a spirit of mutual trust and respect".
It also pledges to "provide information to assist the media to accurately report criminal cases and criminal justice issues, whenever it is in the public interest to do so and does not prejudice active criminal proceedings or jeopardise public order."
A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Information on crime in Scotland is regularly published."
Professor Alan Miller, chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission, said: "Police Scotland should clarify what their policy is on making these facts public. They have to ensure that their governance processes are sufficient to ensure they are held publicly to account."
Scottish Conservative chief whip John Lamont said: "We know the SNP likes to paint a picture of a crime-free Scotland, but that's far from the case."
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