Firearms offences drop by almost a third

The number of incidents recorded by police dropped by almost a third in the space of a year.

And that decrease signifies a 63 per cent fall since 2007.

The improvement, the lowest in almost a decade, has been welcomed by MSPs.

Statistics released by ISD Scotland showed there were 58 offences last year, compared with 84 in 2009 and 160 in 2007.

Edinburgh Western MSP Colin Keir said authorities should be praised for the drop in cases. He said: “While these figures are both welcome and reassuring we must not be complacent.

“The focus must continue to be on preventative action so that guns are removed from the hands of dangerous people in our communities.

“These statistics show that our communities are becoming safer but the Scottish Government and police must work to ensure that offences involving firearms continue to fall.”

Across Scotland the decrease from last year was around 25 per cent.