The sectarian crime stats they forgot to destroy

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I’ve just caught Joe O’Rourke’s article on the Association site about the long-awaited released of statistics on sectarian crime in Scotland.  Joe suggests that the data from 2003 – 2010 was has been destroyed by the Crown Office.  I also hear that the Scottish Government will release entirely irrelevant ‘information’ today, specifically, where offences took place, not which groups were responsible or which groups were targeted by the offenders.

It takes a lot of effort to make sure you destroy data these days, you need to ensure not only that prosecutors permanently delete backups (which I really doubt they do) but also that the police similarly comply.

Fortunately all is not lost.  While it’s just about believable that regional police forces across Scotland and the Crown Office have acted in symmetry on this issue, I could have helped the First Minister, Alex Salmond’s, search for clarity by pointing him in the direction of British Transport Police (BTP).  The Transport Police are a separate force who operate across Britain and are run by the Home Office in London.  They are also a lot less proficient at destroying data.

They previously gave me detailed statistics on all incidents they record in connection with Scottish football for season 2007-08.  One of the most pleasing aspects of the information is the complete eradication of sectarian offences from all but one Scottish club, so the First Minister will be delighted to learn he has a smaller problem on his hands than he perhaps knew.  According to BTP, 11 arrests were made for sectarian offences in total, 10 Rangers fans and one Northern Ireland fan.

You can see the detail figures for all recorded incidents here (the majority of which are for non-sectarian issues).  From a total of 99 incidents (not all of which resulted in arrest), there were six involving Celtic fans, six for Dundee United, seven for Motherwell, four for Hibernian and five each for Aberdeen and Hearts.  Rangers fans were involved in a total of 48 incidents.

The BPT figures also make it clear that most incidents occur when fans travel to away venues.  The Force also confirmed that incidents surrounding the 2008 Uefa Cup final in Manchester were not included in these statistics.

To further aid Mr Salmond in his search for clarity on this issue, he can contact British Transport Police with a Freedom of Information request here, where they will be able to provide him (or you) with up to date stats.

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  1. Thomthethim/Bankiebhoy

     

     

    Agreed his performances have been exceptional but keep him as a force for good without making him an official CFC target for the media.

  2. Goodbye Scott Brown.

     

     

    Thanks for the good things you brought, but, I’m afraid, your best Celtic days are behind you.

     

     

     

    See below

     

     

     

    soukous says:

     

    18 November, 2011 at 18:53

     

     

    You hire an agent to get the best possible deal in negotiations with your employer then you ask your employer to pay your bill! This coming from our club captain is beyond belief perhaps we should be telling him were to go and try and get as much for him in the next transfer windo

  3. It always surprises me that the media don’t seem keen or indeed able to seek out any Non-Catholic clerics or their representatives when discussing issues of religous bigotry in the Protestant country of Scotland.

     

     

    I think it would help to see and hear some of the Very Revs giving us the benefit of their paticular Christian perspective.

  4. hamiltontim says:

     

    18 November, 2011 at 18:54

     

     

    Yep. That way his opinions can be seen as independent, even though they are, hopefully, Celtic positive.

     

     

    It will also stop him being included in the anti-Board rants from our own people!!

     

     

    Incidentally, well done Celtic, for choosing your moment.

     

     

    A well timed shot across the bows.

     

     

    I dearly hope that the various supporter’s groups are meeting with Celtic and coordinating strategies.

     

     

    We don’t need anyone working outside the loop.

     

     

    Divided, we are conquered,

     

    United, we are invincible.

  5. thomthethim says:

     

    18 November, 2011 at 18:38

     

     

    Had a quick look next to where i’m working in Callander, there’s The Myrtle they have a website and the Roslin 3 star B&B next door both on the main road coming from the Doune/Dunblane side. I also noticed a couple of others just half a mile outside the town on my way home but i was driving so i didn’t catch their names. More research could be done as i’m there next week, like asking the local wifey in the bakers for her opinion on the best B&B in town.

     

    Hope this is helpful.

     

     

    HH

  6. Just watched STV’s report on the stats released today. Peter Kearney and Benrard Ponsonby spoke more sense in a minute or two than most politicians have so far. SNP please take note.

  7. blantyretim says:

     

    18 November, 2011 at 19:06

     

     

    Jeez it’s a small world, Thomthethim’s goin there too ;)

     

     

    Mibbe it’s got a CSC ;)

     

     

    HH

  8. EDB

     

     

    looks like it…

     

     

    stay away from those ageist doormen or you will be home sober…

  9. In the Persil/comfort advert at the bottom of each page, just who is that Margaret Mcgill is powdering, nappy changing and wrapping in their wee swaddling blanket? Is that timbhoy2? Although the weanhas got a tan so it may be TET, South of Tunis, Estadio National or even KOJO!!!!

     

     

    Own up!

     

     

    Hail Hail

     

     

    Estadio

  10. bankiebhoy1 says:

     

     

    18 November, 2011 at 18:37

     

     

    Re Michael, I agree. I’d guess the media first revisited Mr Kelly in the hope of unearthing another spiteful, bitter former Celtic man but his performances to date have confounded them

     

    ________________________________________

     

    That’s what I thought too. He’s a better Celt than Charlie Nicholas ever was.

  11. Burnside Harp says:

     

    18 November, 2011 at 19:21

     

     

    How you doing, was asking wdh about you last week.

     

    He says you are a lazy bassa.

     

     

     

    Ok, didny say that ,glad to see you back.

  12. Estadio says:

     

    18 November, 2011 at 19:25

     

     

    Tea????????????………………You’ve let me down.

  13. Paul67 et al

     

     

    It is my understanding that where a conviction has been obtained in Scotland it is simply not possible to destroy the records of the crimes committed. Centralised collated statistics related to said crimes could, in theory be deleted, but this in itself would not remove the records in situ, although it would make it temporarily more difficult to analyse them. Any half decent academic or criminologist however, using original sources would be able to carry out either a representative sample or full study of any recent trends. So what do today’s release of overall figures for religiously motivated offences actually tell us. Well, in 2010-2011 there were 693 recorded offences in Scotland, an increase of 10% on the previous year, so bad news on that front. Around a third are attributed directly to Football, of which only around 90 or so were within stadiums. One thing I personally find unusual is the fact that over 40% of all of the victims were in fact Police Officers, in that either they were the original target, or more often, were a subsequent target after an arrest had already been made. Regardless of the religion, if any, of the Police Officer, an offence could be recorded as against Catholics, due to the nature of the offence even when no Catholic may have been involved. We would do well to be wary of interpreting said statistics. Bad as they are, these statistics do not portray Scotland as the sectarian hell hole that many on here believe it to be. (One conviction, in Falkirk for example involved a drug addict shouting “fenian ……..” at a Police Officer from his bedroom window. Indeed these offences pale when set against other crimes, many far more serious than those under S74 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2010. My main point is that, bad as these figures are, they do not provide evidence which would support the current SNP football related legislation.

  14. Bankiebhoy

     

     

    Plenty of other, noisier rascals on here than me. But I’ll try…

     

     

    vogue

     

     

    He would say that wouldn’t he?

  15. Fritzsong…..

     

     

    He sure is, not least because he has mastered the art of persuasive, articulate speech………..all Charlie Bhoy can do recently is score O.Gs!

     

     

     

    HH

  16. MurdochauldandHay says:

     

     

    18 November, 2011 at 18:08

     

     

    Well said Bernard Ponsonby made more sense in 2 minutes than a whole week of ridiculous and misinformed tripe

     

     

    I don’t know if he still has but Bernard Ponsonby used to have a season ticket in the North Stand, may be why he is honest in his reporting.

  17. Burnside Harp says:

     

    18 November, 2011 at 19:30

     

     

    Wdh said you were knocking yir pan in,spoke well of you.

  18. Big Bernie P is a top Tim (is that an offensive phrase these days, it’s hard to keep up?)

     

     

    He is a former FoC (Father of the Chapel) of the NUJ Chapel at STV – Shop steward of the branch, but with terms that date back to the early days of printing.

     

     

    Usd to greet Jim White at union meetings with the words: ‘Welcome to Chapel, Brother Jim…’

     

     

    uselessfactscsc

  19. VougeP

     

     

    Think how I feel! But deadlines are deadlines and empty wallets are empty wallets.

     

     

    That’s not quite right, what I meant was that Deadlines are missed deadlines and constantly ringing phones now put on silent. Empty wallets just remain empty wallets sadly. But tomorrow is another opportunity provided by the god of the Three Brass Balls (modern idiom – Cash converter or Vladimir Romanov) who may take my genuine Van Gogh self portrait – the one when he had two ears- standing outside Celtic park with his hoops on. It’s unique.

     

     

    Somebody once said that – it may have been on Inspector Frost, a positive mine of existential modern philosophy – that if you asked a crowd along to watch Van Gogh painting his ‘Sunflowers’ you would expect a few hundred. However if you asked them along to watch him cut off his ear, you would need to double the size of the old Hampden park.

     

     

    may not have been Inspector Frost, may have been Miss marple or Taggart or QI or something else.

     

     

    Anyway, chop chop (ha ha) on with chapter 2!

     

     

    hail hail

     

     

    Estadio

  20. Breaking news: Vladimir Romanov to relocate Hearts to Belarussia and rename them Partizan Mince.

  21. saltires en sevilla on

    I just got a text to say someone on CQN suggested it may be time for a role for Michael Kelly back at CP … argument along the lines of he was ‘badly misunderstood, back in the day..poor press etc.

     

     

    whit!?

     

     

    is anyone taking this seriously?

     

     

    in case anyone has forgotten …this guy along with another bunch of self-serving, leeching, parasites almost led Celts to destruction.

     

     

    This same guy who referred to Celtic fans with contempt, as living in their “peripheral homes” when, allegedly, his home in the leafy suburbs, his privately funded education and all the trappings of life were paid for by the very same Celtic fans that were not counted as they filed thro’ turnstiles that didn’t exist and were denied a ‘voice’ for decades.

     

     

    Someone has a very short memory …

     

     

    totally beelin’ btw

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