Murder and rape among thousands of outstanding arrest warrants, figures show

Serious offences including suspected murder and rape are among the more than 10,000 arrest warrants in Scotland currently outstanding, figures show.

The statistics, published by Police Scotland, show there were 10,064 outstanding arrests warrants as of September.

Seven of these were for murder, five for attempted murder and 40 for rape.

Some 605 warrants were for the supply or use of drugs, 72 were for domestic abuse and 1,253 were for assault.

Police Scotland arrest warrants are issued by a court when there are grounds to believe a person must be brought before the court to answer a criminal complaint, or their address is unknown.

Scottish Labour said it came at the same time as police numbers in Scotland were falling, down from just over 17,400 full-time equivalent officers in 2020 to 16,427 this year.

Pauline McNeill, the party’s justice spokesperson at Holyrood, said: “It is deeply concerning that more than 10,000 arrest warrants remain outstanding, including for some of the most serious offences including murder and rape.

“Not maintaining police numbers results in failures like this.

“Officers are already under intense demands with an increasing workload, with this backlog heaping further pressure on an already overstretched service.

“The SNP have failed Scotland’s communities and police officers by allowing Police Scotland to shrink when the force is already at breaking point.

“Ministers must take urgent action to address the concerns of frontline officers and staff who have been sounding the alarm about the service being hollowed out.

“Scottish Labour would restore confidence in our policing and justice system, create safer communities, and prevent our young people from being drawn into crime in the first place.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “All arrest warrants are prioritised according to threat, risk and harm.

“We deploy local and national specialist resources and intelligence techniques to locate those who pose the greatest risk of harm and threat to communities and apprehend them.

“Some individuals will have committed multiple offences, and have more than one arrest warrant issued against them by the courts.

“Those facing arrest should be aware we’ll follow all lines of inquiry and use all resources to locate them as soon as possible.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Execution of warrants is a matter for Police Scotland, who remain focused on the investigation of crime and keeping our communities safe.

“Our police perform a vital role keeping Scotland’s communities safe, which is why we have invested a record £1.64 billion for policing in 2025-26.

“Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales and this continues to be a safe place to live, with recorded crime falling by more than half since 1991.”