Chief police yesterday revealed their strategic priorities to the public for the first time.

Chief police yesterday revealed their strategic priorities to the public for the first time.

In an unprecedented departure from the usual confidential nature of the list, senior officers set out their priorities for fighting crime based on the six most serious issues that affect communities across Scotland.

The list, published by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos), will influence decisions by individual forces on how they deploy their resources.

Human trafficking is a priority for the first time, within the category of serious and organised crime. Another is "public protection", which includes domestic and child abuse and sex offenders.

Terrorism is considered a priority on its own, while antisocial behaviour - from gangs to drink-related disorder and vandalism - is another, as are drugs and violence.

Pat Shearer, president of Acpos, said he hopes the document will encourage the public to engage more with officers in reporting crime and helping to set priorities.

Justice Secretary Kenny Macaskill said: "By publishing this document, Acpos is making the public more aware of these problems and its determination to tackle them."

Anne Lavery, principal analyst with Acpos, said: "This picture is formed principally from information received from the public, businesses and other agencies about what is happening in their area, combined with data about trends which may impact on current and future levels of crime and disorder, and risk assessed, to determine the six very high priority issues."