Domestic abuse: statistics recorded by the Police in Scotland - 2020/21

Key points

• The police recorded 65,251 incidents of domestic abuse in 2020-21, an increase of 4% compared to the previous year. This is the fifth year in a row this figure has shown an increase.
• In 2020-21, 40% of incidents of domestic abuse recorded by the police in Scotland included the recording of at least one crime or offence.
• The type of crime or offence that was most frequently recorded as part of a domestic abuse incident in 2020-21 was Common assault, accounting for 32% of all crimes and offences recorded. This was followed by Breach of the peace etc. accounting for 23% of crimes and offences.
• Following its enactment on the 1 April 2019, crimes recorded under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 accounted for 4% of crimes and offences recorded as part of a domestic abuse incident in 2020-21.
• There were 119 incidents of domestic abuse recorded by the police in Scotland per 10,000 population in 2020-21. At a local authority level, Dundee City (177), West Dunbartonshire (168) and Clackmannanshire (158) recorded the highest incident rates per 10,000 population.
• Where gender information was recorded, four-in-five (80%) incidents of domestic abuse in 2020-21 involved a female victim and a male accused. This decreased slightly from 82% in 2019-20.
• In 2020-21, 16% of domestic abuse incidents involved a male victim and a female accused (where gender information was recorded). This increased slightly from 15% in 2019-20.
• In 2020-21, the 31 to 35 years old age group had the highest incident rate for both victims (282 incidents recorded per 10,000 population) and for the accused (260 incidents recorded per 10,000 population).
• Three-in-ten incidents (31%) occurred at the weekend in 2020-21. This is a slight decrease from 34% in 2019-20.
• In 2020-21, just over nine-in-ten (91%) of all domestic abuse incidents occurred in a home or dwelling.

Domestic abuse recorded by the police in Scotland, 2020-21

• 65,251 incidents of domestic abuse were recorded by the police in 2020-21
• 119 incidents of domestic abuse were recorded by the police in Scotland per 10,000 population in 2020-21. Dundee City, West Dunbartonshire, Clackmannanshire, Glasgow City, West Lothian, North Lanarkshire, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian, North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire had rates above the Scottish average
• Who were the victims? In 2020-21, more than 4 out of 5 (82%) victims of domestic abuse were female
• What was the gender of the victims and accused? 80% of incidents involved a female victim and a male accused. 16% of incidents involved a male victim and a female accused. In the remaining 3% of cases, the victim and accused were the same gender
• Where did the incident occur? 91% of domestic abuse incidents occurred in a home or dwelling. 39% of domestic abuse incidents occurred in the victim’s home
• When did incidents occur? 31% of domestic abuse incidents occurred at the weekend.
• 14% on Mondays and Thursdays, 13% on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 15% on Fridays and Sundays, 16% on Saturdays.