The Tayside region’s leading public protection officer has directly confronted allegations surrounding an increased threat to community safety, particularly concerning women, linked to asylum seekers residing in Perth’s various hotel accommodations. Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Templar affirmed that existing intelligence offers no evidence to indicate a surge in attacks by unknown individuals across the Fair City.
Furthermore, DCI Templar clarified that official crime statistics do not reflect any demonstrable rise in reported criminal activities directly attributable to the asylum seeker population housed in Perth’s temporary lodging facilities. However, he acknowledged that a notable adjustment in police investigative practices and data scrutiny has been initiated in response to the prevalent ‘public dialogue’ surrounding these matters. Community Discussions Prompt Police Focus Shift
These official statements from the police leadership emerge following a series of public gatherings and demonstrations held throughout Perth. Gatherings outside key locations such as the Radisson Hotel and the Station Hotel have seen local residents and various community groups express their apprehensions. A primary concern frequently voiced by organisers of these demonstrations, both in Perthshire and across the nation, has been the safeguarding of women.
During a recent session of the Perth and Kinross Council’s housing and social wellbeing committee, Councillor Carol Mair, representing Perth city north, engaged DCI Templar in a detailed line of questioning. Her inquiry stemmed from his earlier remarks highlighting the generally infrequent nature of stranger-on-stranger assaults in public spaces across the region.
Councillor Mair specifically asked whether, despite their rarity, any factual evidence existed to support claims made by protestors that such incidents had increased in cases where asylum seekers were identified as perpetrators throughout Tayside. DCI Templar described the issue as an ‘extremely sensitive area’ for the Tayside police force. He informed the committee that, in light of shifting public sentiment, officers are now undertaking a more thorough examination of an offender’s ethnic background and immigration status—a level of detail not consistently prioritised in previous years.
He reflected that such an intense focus on an offender’s ethnicity or how they arrived in the country might not have been a primary concern a few years prior, when the inherent gravity of the offence itself would have taken precedence. He lamented that the general public conversation has ‘shifted notably,’ and that these specific aspects now often appear to be central to many public discussions. No Indication of Rising Stranger Attacks
Despite this altered investigative emphasis, DCI Templar underscored that, as of the current assessment, there is ‘no current information pointing to a significant problem in this specific area, beyond the inherent gravity of such heinous crimes, which demand thorough investigation and comprehensive support for victims.’ He elaborated that while police are ‘being compelled to be much more conscious of these factors and to pose these questions,’ whether this new emphasis is ‘justified or not remains to be seen.’
He added that it is ‘premature to draw definitive conclusions’ based on available data. However, he reiterated that nothing suggests ‘a substantial rise in stranger attacks where an individual’s immigration status is a pivotal element in the perpetration of the crime.’ He acknowledged that, inevitably, ‘there will be asylum seekers, and indeed illegal migrants, that commit sexual offending in this country,’ just as ‘there will be also born and bred Scottish, national, British, whatever individuals committing these offences.’ DCI Templar suggested that it is ‘probably too early to say whether proportionately there is an increase in one area as opposed to another,’ noting, ‘That’s not something I have yet seen.’ Reported Crime vs. Actual Crime: A Crucial Distinction
In a related line of inquiry, Councillor Sheila McCole, representing Perth city south, directly questioned whether there had been any quantifiable increase in reported criminal activity or general incidents within Perth’s local neighbourhoods attributable to asylum seekers residing in the city’s hotels. DCI Templar responded by stating, ‘Specific data to confirm a substantial increase in crime is not currently available to me.’ He added that the situation has not escalated to a point requiring ‘special attention or a specific operational directive.’
However, he drew on extensive policing experience, noting that increased public awareness of certain issues, akin to past public health campaigns on domestic abuse, often leads to a rise in reported incidents as victims and witnesses feel more confident coming forward. This, he explained, does not necessarily correlate with an actual surge in criminal activity but rather an improved willingness to report.
He concluded that as ‘public vigilance surrounding this specific category of crime intensifies, it is reasonable to anticipate a greater volume of reports.’ He emphasized that ‘equating an increase in reports with an actual increase in crime is a distinct and separate analytical challenge.’ These pivotal exchanges took place during a recent session of the Perth and Kinross Council’s housing and social wellbeing committee, highlighting the ongoing dialogue and scrutiny regarding public safety in local communities across Perthshire.
Furthermore, DCI Templar clarified that official crime statistics do not reflect any demonstrable rise in reported criminal activities directly attributable to the asylum seeker population housed in Perth’s temporary lodging facilities. However, he acknowledged that a notable adjustment in police investigative practices and data scrutiny has been initiated in response to the prevalent ‘public dialogue’ surrounding these matters. Community Discussions Prompt Police Focus Shift
These official statements from the police leadership emerge following a series of public gatherings and demonstrations held throughout Perth. Gatherings outside key locations such as the Radisson Hotel and the Station Hotel have seen local residents and various community groups express their apprehensions. A primary concern frequently voiced by organisers of these demonstrations, both in Perthshire and across the nation, has been the safeguarding of women.
During a recent session of the Perth and Kinross Council’s housing and social wellbeing committee, Councillor Carol Mair, representing Perth city north, engaged DCI Templar in a detailed line of questioning. Her inquiry stemmed from his earlier remarks highlighting the generally infrequent nature of stranger-on-stranger assaults in public spaces across the region.
Councillor Mair specifically asked whether, despite their rarity, any factual evidence existed to support claims made by protestors that such incidents had increased in cases where asylum seekers were identified as perpetrators throughout Tayside. DCI Templar described the issue as an ‘extremely sensitive area’ for the Tayside police force. He informed the committee that, in light of shifting public sentiment, officers are now undertaking a more thorough examination of an offender’s ethnic background and immigration status—a level of detail not consistently prioritised in previous years.
He reflected that such an intense focus on an offender’s ethnicity or how they arrived in the country might not have been a primary concern a few years prior, when the inherent gravity of the offence itself would have taken precedence. He lamented that the general public conversation has ‘shifted notably,’ and that these specific aspects now often appear to be central to many public discussions. No Indication of Rising Stranger Attacks
Despite this altered investigative emphasis, DCI Templar underscored that, as of the current assessment, there is ‘no current information pointing to a significant problem in this specific area, beyond the inherent gravity of such heinous crimes, which demand thorough investigation and comprehensive support for victims.’ He elaborated that while police are ‘being compelled to be much more conscious of these factors and to pose these questions,’ whether this new emphasis is ‘justified or not remains to be seen.’
He added that it is ‘premature to draw definitive conclusions’ based on available data. However, he reiterated that nothing suggests ‘a substantial rise in stranger attacks where an individual’s immigration status is a pivotal element in the perpetration of the crime.’ He acknowledged that, inevitably, ‘there will be asylum seekers, and indeed illegal migrants, that commit sexual offending in this country,’ just as ‘there will be also born and bred Scottish, national, British, whatever individuals committing these offences.’ DCI Templar suggested that it is ‘probably too early to say whether proportionately there is an increase in one area as opposed to another,’ noting, ‘That’s not something I have yet seen.’ Reported Crime vs. Actual Crime: A Crucial Distinction
In a related line of inquiry, Councillor Sheila McCole, representing Perth city south, directly questioned whether there had been any quantifiable increase in reported criminal activity or general incidents within Perth’s local neighbourhoods attributable to asylum seekers residing in the city’s hotels. DCI Templar responded by stating, ‘Specific data to confirm a substantial increase in crime is not currently available to me.’ He added that the situation has not escalated to a point requiring ‘special attention or a specific operational directive.’
However, he drew on extensive policing experience, noting that increased public awareness of certain issues, akin to past public health campaigns on domestic abuse, often leads to a rise in reported incidents as victims and witnesses feel more confident coming forward. This, he explained, does not necessarily correlate with an actual surge in criminal activity but rather an improved willingness to report.
He concluded that as ‘public vigilance surrounding this specific category of crime intensifies, it is reasonable to anticipate a greater volume of reports.’ He emphasized that ‘equating an increase in reports with an actual increase in crime is a distinct and separate analytical challenge.’ These pivotal exchanges took place during a recent session of the Perth and Kinross Council’s housing and social wellbeing committee, highlighting the ongoing dialogue and scrutiny regarding public safety in local communities across Perthshire.