Domestic abuse: statistics recorded by the police in Scotland - 2017/18

1. Structure of Bulletin

1.1. This bulletin presents Official Statistics on the number of incidents of domestic abuse recorded by the police in Scotland.

1.2. Key Points on incidents of domestic abuse in Scotland are here.

1.3. Chapter 2 provides a summary of the background to incidents of domestic abuse recorded by the police in Scotland. This includes details of how the data was collected.

1.4. Chapter 3 presents statistics on domestic abuse and includes details on incidents, the victims and those accused, by change over time and analysis at local authority level.

1.5. Chapter 4 presents information on ‘Putting Domestic Abuse in Context’. It highlights some of the other data sources available on domestic abuse in Scotland.

1.6. Chapter 5 presents information on incidents of domestic abuse in Scotland through a series of tables. Further tables are available at www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/PubDomesticAbuse.

1.7. Annexes provide further information on the process of collecting these statistics on incidents of domestic abuse in Scotland. These include:

• Data sources and definitions;
• Quality of the statistics;
• Auditing of data by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS);
• Comparisons with England & Wales and Northern Ireland;
• Stakeholder consultations & users of the statistics;
• Future considerations; and
• Other Notes (including contact details for further analysis).