Domestic abuse: statistics recorded by the police in Scotland - 2019/20

Key points

• The police recorded 62,907 incidents of domestic abuse in 2019-20, an increase of 4% compared to the previous year. This is the fourth year in a row this figure has shown an increase.
• In 2019-20, 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 2019-20 was Common assault, accounting for 34% of all crimes and offences recorded. This was followed by Breach of the peace etc. accounting for 26% 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 2019-20.
• There were 115 incidents of domestic abuse recorded by the police in Scotland per 10,000 population in 2019-20. At a local authority level, Dundee City (166), Clackmannanshire (152) and Glasgow City (151) recorded the highest incident rates per 10,000 population.
• Where gender information was recorded, around four-in-five (82%) incidents of domestic abuse in 2019-20 involved a female victim and a male accused. This was the same as in 2018-19.
• In 2019-20, 15% of domestic abuse incidents involved a male victim and a female accused (where gender information was recorded). This decreased slightly from 16% in 2018-19.
• In 2019-20, the 26 to 30 years old age group had the highest incident rate for victims (272 incidents recorded per 10,000 population). The 31 to 35 years old age group had the highest incident rate for the accused (257 incidents recorded per 10,000 population).
• Recorded incidents of domestic abuse were higher on a Saturday or Sunday than on any other day of the week, with these two days together accounting for 34% of incidents in 2019-20.
• In 2019-20, around nine-in-ten (88%) of all domestic abuse incidents occurred in a home or dwelling.

Infographic text below

Domestic abuse recorded by the police in Scotland, 2019-20

• 62,907 incidents of domestic abuse were recorded by the police in 2019-20
• 115 incidents of domestic abuse were recorded by the police in Scotland per 10,000 population in 2019-20. Dundee City, Clackmannanshire, Glasgow City, West Dunbartonshire, North Lanarkshire, Falkirk, Midlothian, North Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, West Lothian, East Ayrshire, Fife, Inverclyde, East Lothian, South Ayrshire had rates above the Scottish average
• Who were the victims? In 2019-20, more than 4 out of 5 (83%) victims of domestic abuse were female
• What was the gender of the victims and accused? 82% of incidents involved a female victim and a male accused. 15% 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? 88% 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? 34% of domestic abuse incidents occurred at the weekend
• 14% on Mondays and Fridays, 13% on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 17% on Saturdays and Sundays