Still just 38 upskirting cases a year being passed to Crown Office

Scottish Liberal Democrat deputy leader and former police officer Wendy Chamberlain has today said that there must be no obstacles to prosecuting upskirting offenders, as she revealed that an average of just 38 charges per year are being passed to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), despite a huge rise in voyeurism over the past decade.

A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request revealed that:

• Between July 2018 and October 2025, 302 charges of upskirting were reported to the Crown Office - an average of about 38 a year.
• Just 32 charges of upskirting were passed to the Crown Office between January and October 2025.
• Only 53 upskirting charges were passed in 2024.

Annual recorded crime statistics published earlier this year showed that there has been a 208% surge in voyeurism crime recorded by the police over the last decade.

In April 2025 a Stirling man was sentenced for installing cameras under the desk of a female colleague. In May 2025, a doctor was jailed for hiding recording devices in staff accommodation at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.

Independent expert analysis has suggested there are loopholes in the law, which at present only covers images obtained for motives of sexual gratification or causing distress.

Wendy Chamberlain MP said:

“Given the sharp increase in voyeurism over the last decade, it’s very likely that the number of charges being passed to the Crown Office do not reflect the number of actual incidents.

“There are still many obstacles to successfully investigating and prosecuting cases of upskirting. These range from victims struggling to come forward, to evidential challenges and a lack of proper police resources.  

“As a particularly insidious form of sexual assault that can have long lasting effects on victims, upskirting offences should be taken seriously. We need to have a robust system that will create a deterrent for perpetrators and give victims the confidence that their cases will be dealt with.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see change with fairness at its heart, which is why we will continue to press the Scottish Government to review the law in this area, allowing more cases to be reported to the Crown Office. We have a realistic plan to give police and prosecutors the resources they need to do their jobs and ensure people are protected from these crimes.”