Argyll and Bute has the lowest reconviction rates for criminals in the country, new figures have revealed.

The local authority area had a reconviction rate of just 14.4 per cent, or 201 offenders, in the most recent year for statistics.

Neighbouring West Dunbartonshire had a 20.9 per cent reconviction rate and South Ayrshire had the highest, at 33.3 per cent.

With most areas above 20 or 25 per cent, the national average was 26.9 per cent in 2020-21.

The figures for reconviction rates also cover the different levels of the country's court system, with only the High Court having a lower reconviction rate - though many of those convicted at the High Court are sentenced to lengthy prison terms stretching over many years.

The statistics are based on the place of residency of the offenders.

But more than 4,500 offenders are "missing" from the calculations because part of their post codes were not available, making them impossible to include.

READ MORE: Argyll and Bute crime figures show mixed picture last year

Figures last week revealed some crimes in the local authority are at their highest in a decade.

The more recent statistics, dating from 2023-24, detail that serious crimes were up, while less serious offences had been cut almost in half.

Helensburgh and Lomond's MSP Jackie Baillie told the Advertiser: “It is heartening to hear that Argyll and Bute has the lowest reconviction rates of Scotland’s local authorities.

"However, progress will not be long-lasting if difficulties with Scotland’s justice agencies are not remedied.

“Scotland’s criminal justice system is in crisis and the SNP has not come up with any credible plan to tackle the backlog in courts, the difficulties facing Police Scotland or the problems with Scotland’s jails.

“Until that is done, no real headway will be made in tackling reoffending.”

The overall crime rate in Argyll and Bute remains largely level over 10 years, at 394 per 10,000 people last year.

Shoplifting was the highest in a decade, with 199 last year, while fraud also hit a high with 201 compared with 68 in 2014-15.

Meanwhile vandalism was down nearly a third in a decade while housebreakings were down in that time.

Offences such as drunkenness and other disorderly conduct dropped significantly, from 284 10 years ago to 30 last year.

Driving offences account for nearly two thirds of all the statistics.

The reconviction rates for local authorities only count up figures for council areas as a whole, and do not drill down further into specific localities such as Helensburgh and Lomond.