These figures are a 95% increase from the previous year, which recorded a total of 7,240 cybercrimes. 

Figures released on Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics show a year-on-year rise of 149% for online fraud, with an estimated 8,580 frauds committed in the last year.

Digital threats and extortion are also on the rise, with a 152% rise and a total of 730 crimes of this nature reported. 

It has also been revealed that in Scotland there were a record number of assaults on emergency workers, such as police and paramedics. Last year, 8,118 assaults were recorded, rising from 7,519 in 2019-2020. 

The rise in cybercrime is likely due to the ‘significant impact’ of the pandemic, according to the report. Lockdowns and limited person-to-person contact being contributing factors. 

Behavioral changes in society during this time, such as an increase in online shopping and browsing, is also likely to have contributed to the rise in crimes, and the ways in which criminals chose to operate. 

Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham of Police Scotland, said, “The nature of crime is changing with the online space becoming a bigger part of the frontline of policing every day. 

“As well as keeping people safe on the streets, our officers and staff are keeping people safe on their computers and smartphones in every community in Scotland.

“As part of our ambitious Cyber Strategy, we are adapting the way we work to enable us to better respond to the increase in online crime and ensure we are properly equipped to meet modern challenges.” 

While this data indicates increases in online crime rates, overall crime in Scotland has fallen by more than half since 1991, a year in which 572,000 crimes were recorded. Last year’s total figure was just over 246,000. 

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Justice Secretary Keith Brown said, “By all main measures crime, including violent crime, is now considerably lower than it was a decade ago, with fewer victims.

“There is still work to be done as the figures on cybercrime show, which is why we have this year published a prevention, awareness and enforcement strategy to make Scotland an inhospitable place for scammers. 

“Through the measures we recently announced in our Programme for Government we will continue to make Scotland a safe place to live.”

The increase in cybercrimes can partially be attributed to the last year being the first time Police Scotland recorded reports of cybercrimes thought to have been committed by perpetrators from outside of the UK, targeting Scottish residents. 

This means crimes such as ransomware, which are most often committed by criminals in Eastern Europe or Russia, are seen in the new data. 

The report also made the distinction between cyber-dependent crime, which is a computer being used to attack another device including the spreading of viruses, and cyber-enabled crime, where the internet is a tool used to carry out a crime. This would include online fraud or sexual exploitation. 

Police Scotland continue to work in partnership with national and international forces to tackle the growing number of cyber threats.