Recorded Crimes and Offences involving Firearms, Scotland, 2014-15 & 2015-16

Scotland’s Chief Statistician today published Recorded Crimes and Offences involving Firearms, Scotland, 2014-15 & 2015-16. The publication provides information on crimes and offences recorded by the police in which a firearm was alleged to have been involved.

The main findings are:

In 2014-15 the police in Scotland recorded 358 offences in which a firearm was alleged to have been involved, a decrease of 5% from 2013-14. In 2015-16 the police recorded 332 offences, a 7% decrease from 2014-15. This is the lowest recorded total since comparable records began, and a decrease of 74% since 2006-07.

The overall decrease in offences involving firearms between 2014-15 and 2015-16 was driven by decreases in robbery offences (-17 or -40%), reckless conduct with firearms offences (-23, or -28%), and common assault offences (-13, or -18%).

The use of firearms in criminal activity continues to constitute a small proportion of all offences recorded by the police in 2015-16; 1.8% of homicides (one offence), 1.4% of attempted murders (four offences) and 1.9% of robberies (25 offences). Only 0.1% of all serious assaults, all common assaults and all vandalism offences involved the alleged use of a firearm.

An air weapon was the main firearm in 48% (158) of all offences involving the alleged involvement of a firearm in 2015-16, compared to 52% (185) in 2014-15.

The number of offences in which a firearm was discharged and caused fatal or non-fatal injury decreased by 27% from 48 in 2014-15 to 35 in 2015-16. 

Background

1. The full statistical publication can be accessed at: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/11/6389