Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Ryan Thom

Prestwick Airport crime levels double as threats and abuse top shameful chart

Forty-two crimes have been reported in and around Prestwick Airport in the space of two years.

The Ayrshire travel hub has seen crime rates double in the space of a year as passenger numbers increased after the coronavius pandemic.

A Freedom of Information Request obtained from Police Scotland shows that 28 crimes were recorded in 2022 compared to just 14 in 2021.

The data gathered by 1919 magazine also gives a breakdown on the most common offences.

Threatening and abusive behaviour tops the charts with five reports made in 2022 up from three the previous year.

Two assaults were reported in 2022 with just one recorded the previous year.

Prestwick also has crimes recorded in 2022 of which there were no reports of in 2021.

Common theft (one), driving whilst disqualified (one), driving without a licence (one), failure to insure against third party risks (two), fraud (one), mobile phone offences (one), other drugs offences (incl. Importation) (one) and speeding offences (two) were all recorded last year.

There were two reports of drink/ drug driving offences (incl. Failure to provide a specimen) in 2022, with just one offence committed in 2021.

Two careless drivers were stopped in 2021, with just one in 2022. And three law-breaking holidaymakers were caught breaching Group 7 offences, which include offences relating to motor vehicles in 2022, with one caught in 2021.

The figures have painted a stark picture of overall crime across Scottish airports with almost 1,000 crimes committed in the last two years.

Glasgow Airport leads the way in with 719 committed at the travel hub, whilst Edinburgh – Scotland’s busiest airport has only 51 offences recorded. Aberdeen has had 136 crimes logged.

Airport chiefs say they have saw a 70 per cent increase in passenger numbers between 2021 and 2022 as they outlined their zero-tolerance policy.

A Glasgow Prestwick Airport spokesperson said: "Glasgow Prestwick Airport has a zero-tolerance policy with regards to threatening or abusive behaviour towards staff and passengers.

"These occurrences are very rare however when they do arise, we work with our partners at Police Scotland to manage them accordingly."

Read next:

Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.