As at 5th July, 4,173 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, an increase of 17 deaths from the previous week, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland.
From 29th June to 5th July, 40 fewer deaths from all causes were registered compared with the average number for this time of year. This is the second week in a row the total number of deaths registered has been lower than the average.
New analysis of deaths registered up to 14th June shows that deaths among people from the South Asian ethnic group were almost twice as likely to involve COVID-19 than deaths in the White ethnic group, after accounting for age group, sex, area deprivation and urban/rural classification.
Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: “For the first time, we have produced additional analysis on deaths involving COVID-19 by ethnic group and the findings show that over the course of the pandemic to date, COVID-19 was a more common cause of death for people in the South Asian ethnic group, compared to people in the White ethnic group.
“Every death from this virus is a tragedy and these statistics represent the heartbreak of many families across the country who have lost loved ones.
“Understanding the impact of how the virus differs by ethnic group is vitally important; however, due to the low number of completed records for deaths involving COVID-19 in other minority ethnic groups, it is not possible to produce statistics for these groups.
NRS will continue to play our part and work alongside Public Health Scotland and the Scottish Government to provide robust information to help us understand the progression and impact of the virus.”
More than 150,000 motor vehicles were stolen in Great Britain in the year 2018-19, 10,000 more than the year before and a 56% (54,932) increase compared to four years earlier, according to data analysed by RAC Insurance.
All but three of the police forces that responded to a Freedom of Information request recorded an increase in the numbers of vehicles stolen in their force areas from 2014-15 and 2018-19, with some stark differences across the country.
The largest increases in terms of vehicle numbers were in the Kent Police (up 12,550 to 40,726 thefts in 2018-19, a 45% increase), Metropolitan Police (up 9,635 to 30,773 thefts, a 46% increase) and West Midlands (up 5,677 to 10,372 thefts, a 121% increase) force areas.
Six forces recorded a more than doubling in the number of vehicles stolen between 2014-15 and 2018-19, with the biggest jumps in Suffolk (up 172% from 347 to 945 thefts), Surrey (up 133% from 661 to 1,543 thefts) and the West Midlands.
Only Lincolnshire, the City of London and Police Scotland recorded a reduction in thefts over this period however, with reductions of 28, 29 and 473 thefts respectively.
Year-on-year comparisons (2017-18 to 2018-19)
Most police forces (32) also recorded a rise in vehicle thefts year-on-year, between 2017-18 and 2018-19. Kent again saw the largest rise as well as the largest number of overall vehicles stolen in 2018-19 (up 2,575 to 40,726 thefts, 7% more than in 2017-18), followed by Essex (up 1,056 to 5,409 thefts, 24% more than in 2017-18) and the West Midlands (up 836 to 10,372 thefts, 9% more than 2017-18).
When looking at the biggest percentage increases over this 12 month period, Suffolk witnessed the highest jump with 44% more thefts (945 in 2018-19 compared to 655 a year earlier), followed by Bedfordshire (37% increase, from 1,056 to 1,445 thefts) and North Wales (32% increase, from 464 to 612 thefts).
RAC Insurance spokesperson Simon Williams said:“These figures paint a rather disturbing picture – vehicle thefts are on the rise almost everywhere, and in some parts of the country numbers are rocketing.
“It’s also not the case that the rises in crime are confined to a few larger urban areas, with many police forces covering more rural areas also seeing big increases.
“While vehicle crime is at far lower levels today than it was in the early 1990s, thanks to improvements in vehicle security, and the number of vehicles licensed to be driven on the UK’s roads is higher than at any point in the past, it’s still concerning that so many more vehicles are being stolen than just a few years ago.
“One crumb of comfort from the data however is that the increases might be starting to plateau, and it will be interesting to discover just what effect the coronavirus lockdown has on vehicle thefts when the data becomes available.
“Some of the increases in recent years can be put down to a rise in thefts of vehicles that are easier to steal, such as motorbikes and mopeds that are less likely to have immobilisers.
“Government data also shows that thieves generally use keys to access vehicles in around half of crimes, which suggests perhaps some drivers could do more to keep their keys safe. And in an estimated fifth of cases (18% in 2018), thieves were able to access cars because one or more cars weren’t locked in the first place.
“Based on these figures, it’s vital drivers take steps to protect themselves and avoid being an easy target. Three of the biggest factors that determine whether a car is stolen or not come down to how it’s secured, where it’s kept and the time of day.
Criminals appear to prefer stealing vehicles at night, with those parked at owners’ homes, presumably where there is easier access to a key, also being favoured.
“While organised criminal gangs are responsible for a large proportion of crime, thieves will also be opportunistic in nature so the more a driver can do to make their car a less likely target the better.
“It’s also critical motorists buy quality motor insurance policies that will cover them in case the worst happens. A strong, comprehensive policy can go a long way towards giving peace of mind in the event a vehicle is stolen.”
Lessen the chances of your car being stolen
RAC Insurance offers drivers this advice:
Don’t make your car an easy target. Always lock your car securely when you leave it, even for a short time. Ensure all doors, windows and any roof opening (sunroof or hood) are locked, and keep your keys with you. Consider buying a steering wheel lock for extra (visible) security. This can make it easier for a would-be thief to pass over your vehicle. It’s also a good idea to keep the car’s logbook secure at home, rather than in the car
Find the right place to park. Most vehicle-related theft takes place at night. When away from home, park in locations that are well-lit and open to public view – car parks that have security patrols and are covered by CCTV can be safer, and it’s also a good idea to look for the ParkMark logo at car parks that have met that certain security standards
Double-check your car is locked when you leave it. Make sure you see and hear your car locking before you leave it – look for the tell-tale flashing indicators and click of the locks engaging
Does your car use a keyless entry/start fob? Avoid being a ‘relay attack’ victim. Thieves can use a technique to copy the key signal to another device that’s placed close to a vehicle. This can fool the car into thinking the genuine key is present and can mean a thief can drive away in the car. If you have a keyless car fob, always keep it well away from doors and windows in your house. Keeping it in a metal (Faraday) box or signal blocking wallet can stop thieves copying the signal
Consider security when you next change your vehicle. If you are buying a car on the second-hand market make sure it has an immobiliser and, ideally, a Thatcham-certified alarm. You can also use Thatcham Research’s Consumer Security Ratings to help work out how secure certain models are
In winter: Icy morning? Don’t leave your car while it’s defrosting. The majority of vehicle thefts take place at vehicle owner’s home. Always stay in your vehicle while the car is warming up and demisting the windscreen – if you leave it, there’s a risk someone could get behind the wheel before you do!
As at 26th April, 2,272 deaths have been registered in Scotland where COVID-19 was mentioned in the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today.
Between 20th April to 26th April, 656 deaths relating to COVID-19 have been registered, an increase of four from the previous week, 13th April to 19th April.
To place these statistics in context, the total number of deaths registered in Scotland from 20th April to 26th April was 1,830 – 68% more than the average number of deaths registered in the same week over the last five years, 1,087.
Of these 743 excess deaths, 85% were deaths where COVID-19 was the underlying cause of death.
Over a third of all registered deaths involving COVID-19 occurred in care homes, 39%. 52% of registered deaths were in hospitals and 9% were at home or non-institutional settings.
Almost three quarters of registered deaths involving COVID-19 to date were people aged 75 or over. Of all deaths to date involving COVID-19, 53% were male and 47% were female.
Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: “Every death from this virus is a tragedy. These statistics, alongside the other important evidence being made available by the Scottish Government and Health Protection Scotland (HPS), are valuable to the understanding of the progress and impact of the COVID-19 virus across Scotland.
“Our aim is to ensure that our statistical publication provides information that is as useful as possible and adds value to the understanding of how the virus is spreading throughout the country. We will continue to review and develop these statistics as new information is made available.”
Conservative health spokesman Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “My condolences are with family and friends of everyone who has tragically died from Covid-19.
“It is extremely concerning that in Edinburgh and the Lothians we are now in a position where there are more deaths in care homes than there are in hospitals.
“Care home residents are highly at risk to Covid-19 and every measure must be taken to protect care home residents, including full PPE being available, regular testing for Covid-19 and full training for staff on infection prevention.”
Further information will help inform ongoing response to outbreak
The Scottish Government is publishing additional data daily in order to provide a clearer picture of how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is progressing in Scotland.
Additional data published from Wednesday 8 April includes:
• total number tested positive and being treated in intensive care
• confirmed or suspected cases being treated in intensive care (in total and by health board)
• confirmed or suspected cases being treated in hospital (in total and by health board)
• Scottish Ambulance Service attendances for total and suspected cases (including suspected cases taken to hospital)
• NHS Staff COVID-19 related absences by day for the last week
• number of calls to the COVID-19 Helpline
• number of calls to 111 (all patients not COVID-19-related)
• number of people delayed in hospital (all patients not COVID-19-related)
This is in addition to the information currently provided:
• number of people in Scotland tested for COVID-19
• number tested negative/positive
• number tested positive and died
• number tested positive by health board
Separate to the daily published data above, including those deaths with a laboratory positive result for COVID-19, Wednesday 8 April also sees the first publication by a weekly report by National Records of Scotland on all deaths where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate by the doctor who certified the death.
This includes cases where the doctor noted that there was suspected or probable coronavirus infection involved in the death. These weekly statistics will provide valuable information on the spread and impact of COVID-19 across Scotland, will complement the daily statistics produced by HPS and provide a useful comparison with the weekly ONS death statistics.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “It is important to understand why this information matters. It is not just that we want to count how many people are affected by this virus, although that is of course very important.
“This information is also essential to helping us to understand who is most severely impacted by the virus, how it has spread and is spreading across the country, and whether there are any hot spots where there are more cases than we would expect to see.
“It also helps us plan for how many beds we will need in our hospitals, and it will help to tell us when the peak of this virus has passed, and when we might be able to make decisions about lifting some of these restrictions.
“I know, and have reflected on this previously, that it can be really hard hearing accounts of numbers of deaths. I understand that it can make us feel powerless – that something we cannot see or feel is taking so many lives.
“But we all do have power as individual citizens and I want again to stress that, by following the rules, by staying at home and by self-isolating when we have symptoms, all of us can help to reduce the number of deaths.
“Finally, I have said this on several recent occasions but I think it appropriate to say it again. I focus on the statistics in these updates because they are really important to give us some overall sense of how the virus is spreading. But I am acutely aware that deaths are much more than statistics.
“Each and every one of these deaths represents an individual whose loss is a cause of deep grief. So I want once again to express my condolences to everyone who has lost friends, family or loved-ones.”
National Records of Scotland yesterday released figures on the number of total deaths in Scotland related to Covid-19. The total number of deaths up to 5th April 2020 is 354, with 41 deaths in NHS Lothian.
16.2% of the total deaths in Scotland between 30th March to 5th of April (week 14) mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate.
The National Record of Scotland figures are higher than the number published daily on the Scottish Government website because NRS figures include all cases were Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, including suspected cases.
The 41 deaths in NHS Lothian account for 1.7% of deaths in the health board since the start of 2020 (weeks 1 to 14).
Scottish Conservatives health Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “My condolences are with the families and friends of people who have died from Coronavirus.
“These figures give a clearer picture of how Covid-19 cases are escalating and the number of people were Covid-19 has been a contributing factor in their death.
“We must all continue to follow official guidelines and do everything we can to protect the people most vulnerable to Coronavirus.”
The latest update of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 2020 has been published by Scotland’s Chief Statistician.
Stockbridge is oficially Scotland’s least deprived area and it’s joined in the top ten by Blackhall, marchmont and Morningside.
SIMD is a tool for identifying the places in Scotland where people are experiencing disadvantage across different aspects of their lives. SIMD gives a ranking for each small area, or data zone, which shows how deprived that area is compared to other areas. Changes in the rank for one area may be due to other areas becoming more or less deprived.
The latest figures show:
the least deprived area is in Stockbridge in Edinburgh. This represents a change since SIMD 2016, when the least deprived area was in Giffnock
the most deprived area is in Greenock town centre. This represents a change since SIMD 2016 and 2012, when the most deprived area was identified as Ferguslie Park, Paisley
the area with the largest local share of deprived areas was Inverclyde, with 45% of data zones among the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland
Glasgow City has similar deprivation levels at 44%
other local authorities with relatively high levels of deprivation include North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire at 40% and Dundee City at 38%
Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Shetland and Orkney have no areas among the 20% most deprived in Scotland, however, this does not mean there are no people experiencing deprivation living there
over half of people on low income do not live in the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland
levels of deprivation have fallen in Glasgow City, Renfrewshire and City of Edinburgh compared to SIMD 2016. Glasgow City showed the biggest fall, from 48% of data zones in the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland, to 44%
levels of deprivation have increased in Aberdeen City, North Lanarkshire, Moray, East Lothian, Highland and North Ayrshire. None of these increases are greater than 2 percentage points
Scotland’s Chief Statistician, Roger Halliday, said: “I welcome these statistics and the work done to make this complex information more easily accessible.
“I know how widely the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation is used as a vital resource for local planning, by third sector organisations bringing together resources needed to do their great work, and by many others.
“However, we must also focus on the strengths and assets of communities if we are to work together to make Scotland a fair and inclusive place to live.”
New statistics released by the Chief Statistician show rising household wealth in recent years, while wealth inequality remained high.
According to the latest data, households in Scotland had just over one trillion pounds in personal wealth in 2016-2018. Recent wealth growth since 2010-2012 was caused mainly by rising pension wealth.
Wealth inequality was more severe than income inequality: the 2% of households with the highest incomes had 9% of all income, while the wealthiest 2% of households had 15% of all wealth. After a previous decline, wealth inequality has been largely stable since 2010-2012.
A typical household in the wealthiest 10% of households had £1.6 million in total wealth, whereas a typical household in the least wealthy 10% of households had £7,500.
The least wealthy households rarely own property or have any private pension savings. Their wealth is mainly made up of the value of their possessions such as clothing or furniture.
Households that tend to be wealthier than others are pensioner couples, married couples, home owners or households with higher formal qualifications. On the other hand, households that often have below average wealth are lone parent households, those in social rented housing, or where the head of the household is unemployed or economically inactive but not retired.
One third of households had insufficient savings to cover basic living costs for three months in the event of an emergency. Three per cent of households were in unmanageable debt. A third of households had no property wealth, and almost a fifth of households had no private pension wealth.
The released figures were produced in accordance with professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
BUT ALMOST ONE IN THREE PUPILS NOW HAS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT NEEDS
Primary school teacher numbers are at their highest level since 1980 and total teacher numbers have risen by 288, new statistics have shown. The overall number of teachers rose to 52,247, an increase of 1,530 since 2015 and the highest level since 2009.
However a campaign group has expressed concern over support for record numbers of pupils with Additional Support Needs.Continue reading Teacher numbers rise …
New figures showing there were almost 1200 drug-related deaths in Scotland last year have been described as shocking by Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick.
