CRIME: Zero tolerance pays dividend

An American-style "zero tolerance" anti crime initiative in Scotland was yesterday hailed a success by police chiefs who said it had helped cut offences in the force region to their lowest level in 15 years.

For the past three months Strathclyde Police has been clamping down on minor crimes in the belief that this will reduce the number of more serious offences and reduce public fear. During the first stage of the "Spotlight" initiative more than 200,000 extra police hours were spent on the streets.

During the offensive, 12 offences were spotlighted. Since the start of the scheme crimes of violence, indecency, dishonesty, car theft, and vandalism were down but crime covering drugs, obstructing police and overall nuisance rose.