THE number of drug dealers detected in the Wee County more than doubled in the first half of the 2019 financial year.

Figures presented by local police chiefs at Clackmannanshire Council last week, relating to the April to September 2019 time period, showed a massive increase in the number of detections for drugs supply, productions and cultivations.

The numbers went from 20 in the same time period in 2018 to 46 last year.

The report tabled for the Partnership and Performance Committee last Thursday, March 12, said that local community policing officers "are very proactive" when it comes to tackling the drugs supply in the Wee County "to positively assist in negating drug deaths".

And added: "As drugs continue to blight the lives of families and communities in Clackmannanshire, we focused on targeting drug dealers who profit from this trade.

"Our communities worked with us to provide valuable information which we acted upon."

Meanwhile, there has been a 3.1 per cent increase in the number of domestic abuse incidents reported.

Clackmannanshire's area commander, Chief Inspector Audrey Marsh, told the Kilncraigs chamber this was due to increased reporting locally, which was positive as it showed increased confidence from the public.

The detection rate for rapes also dropped, although this stood at "140 per cent" in 2018, due to historical crimes that are recorded at the tome of the report and not when the crime occurred.

Giving more detail, the report explained: "Victims now have more confidence to report rape and other sexual crimes and we actively encourage them to do so and due to this around 70 per cent of reports generally are historical, with some dating as far back as the 1970s.

"Given the narrow window of opportunity for capturing forensic evidence, this means that around 3.5 per cent of reports fall outside this window which makes investigations more protracted and can impact on detection rates."