THE Scottish government has revealed that homicides in Scotland have hit an all time low, since records began in 1976.
The report revealed 53 people were murdered in the last year, a historic decrease continuing the trend of the last decade.
Victim numbers have halved over the last 15 years, in part thanks to growing financial aid.
Since 2008, the Government’s focus on violence prevention strategies has increased exponentially, with over £24m in funding.
This year alone, the cause received over £2m in funding, including a significant increase to the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit’s budget.
Funding has been particularly directed towards the younger demographics.
The No Knives, Better Lives programme received almost £5m as part of its aim to reduce knife crime amongst the youth.
This ongoing reduction is is in line with similar trends in other violent crime areas.
Justice Secretary Keith Brown said: “Scotland continues to be a safe place to live and this latest reduction in homicides is in line with the significant downward trend seen in other categories of violent crime over the past 15 years.
“However every death caused by homicide is a tragedy that leaves grieving families and friends in its wake, which is why tackling all forms of violent crime continues to be a top priority for this Government.
“We are continuing to make considerable investment in supporting prevention work with people of all ages and ensuring Scotland’s law enforcement agencies and courts have the resources to deal with those who harm others.”
The Justice Secretary also addressed concerns on domestic abuses related to homicide.
He added: “In recognition of the fact that more than half of female victims were killed by a partner or ex-partner, we are working on additional measures which will help prevent and reduce the number of homicides related to domestic abuse and give a voice to those who have been killed.
“We remain committed to working closely with both the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) and Police Scotland to support the delivery of the Joint Policing Strategy to ensure we continue to have a safe, protected and resilient Scotland.”
