Domestic abuse: statistics recorded by the police in Scotland - 2018/19

Annex 5: Stakeholder Consultations & Users of the Statistics

5.43. These statistics are used by a range of stakeholders within central government, the police and other public bodies for a variety of purposes.

5.44. Domestic abuse statistics are also used by a variety of external stakeholders, including:

• Victim support groups
• National and local journalism;
• Academics; and
• Students and school pupils writing dissertations and carrying out projects.

5.45. Official statistics are a tool used in decision making both inside and outside government, and for this tool to be effective it must be designed to meet the needs of users. We always welcome feedback on the content and the uses made of our statistical bulletins and users are invited to submit their comments and any suggestions for improvement to: Justice_Analysts@gov.scot.

5.46. In 2019, the Scottish Crime Recording Board undertook a consultation on how the National Statistics on Recorded Crime are presented. This included inviting users views on some potential changes in approach to the seven group structure currently used to present statistics on recorded crime (including Table 2 in this bulletin). The consultation closed on 30th November 2019 and a report on the findings is due to be published in spring 2020.

Further information on this consultation can be found at the following link: https://consult.gov.scot/justice/statistics-on-police-recorded-crime-and-other/ 

5.47. If you would like to be kept informed about developments in crime statistics, we suggest registering with ScotStat: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/scotstat.