The clear-up rate for all recorded crimes was 49%, which matched the previous two years' figures, while the clear-up rate for non-sexual crimes of violence rose from 67% to 72%.
This improved clear-up rate, he says, but effectively created crime, where the behaviour - such as someone riding a bike on the pavement - might previously have been dealt with by a slap on the wrist.
Mr MacAskill retorted that crime in Scotland was now at its lowest level in 35 years, the clear-up rate for all recorded crimes was at its highest level for over 30 years and that the risk of being a victim of crime in Scotland is lower than in England and Wales.