Police

Brickbat: No Right To Know

Charles Oliver | 3.20.2026 4:00 AM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google

Media Contact & Reprint Requests

(Cameron Scott/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom)

Police Scotland refused to release crime data requested by the Scottish Daily Express through a Freedom of Information request. The newspaper asked for the number of incidents, police call-outs, arrests, and recorded crimes connected to several hotels in Scotland that have been used to house asylum seekers. Police officials said they would not provide the information because releasing it could increase tensions in local communities and might lead to protests or violence around the hotels. Critics, including some politicians, argued that the public has a right to know the scale of crime and accused the police of hiding important information.

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

Δ

Email

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Email(Required)

Subscribe

NEXT: Man Successfully Designs mRNA Vaccine To Treat His Dog's Cancer

Charles Oliver is a contributing editor at Reason.

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google

Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Show Comments (0)

© Reason.com