SCOTLAND has notched up another historic decline in serious violence and another rise in sex crime.

Latest police statistics confirm long-standing trends for overall offending to fall despite rising levels of indecency.

The number of so-called "Group 1" offences, such as murder, serious assault and robbery, were down nearly six per cent in April-December of 2014 from the same period a year before.

The latest drop means such serious violence was 43 per cent lower than five years earlier, with the actual number of crimes falling from 8434 in April to Dec 2009 to 4788 in April to Dec 2014.

Crucially the detection rate for such crimes, where the offender was identified if not necessarily prosecuted and convicted, jumped from 66.2 per cent to 85.2 per cent.

Crimes of dishonesty fell seven per cent last year and crimes of

There are a range of reasons why sexual crime reporting continues to rise.

The overall figure for Group 2 crimes of indecency, which includes everything from kerb-crawling to rape, rose 4.9 per cent April-Dec 2013 to the same period of 2014.

The total toll of such offending was 6,926 in the nine months, up from barely 5000 five years earlier.

Advocates for victims of such crimes say such rises in reports to the police are reflected in the number of people they are supporting.

But much of the increase has been attributed to new policing methods introduced under Police Scotland chief constable Sir Stephen House.

Sandie Barton of Rape Crisis Scotland cited improved practice since the new national force was created in 2013.

She added: "Rape Crisis Centres across Scotland continue to see increased demand for support and advocacy and in some areas survivors are waiting for months.

"Where the criminal justice systems still needs to improve is on the process after reporting; in the long and sometimes protracted wait for an outcome and the challenging and often hostile court environment.

"Lord Carloway's recent review into securing best evidence from vulnerable witnesses starts a meaningful conversation on what is needed to ensure complainers too have the right to a fair trial."

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: "We focus our attention on protecting communities across Scotland, in order to keep people safe. "Increased confidence in policing has encouraged more people to come forward and report sexual crimes to Police Scotland."

Detection rates for sex crimes also continue to rise, from 65 per cent in 2009 to 77 per cent last year. This, however, is not reflected in a higher conviction rate.

Police Scotland, meanwhile, also filled out its report card on handling organised crime. It said it had carried out 2,273 arrests of gangland "nominals" - named or known figures. It said it had also seized or restrained £110m worth of "dirty money" and deprived gangs of another £84m using disruption tactics.