High Level Summary of Statistics: Key Trends for Scotland 2006

10. Crime and Justice

Crime and Disorder

Re-offending

Among the cohort of offenders who were discharged from custody or given a non-custodial sentence in 2001, the overall two-year reconviction rate was 44%. This rate was highest for offenders who were discharged from custody (62%), male (45%), aged under 21 (54%) or who had over 10 previous convictions (75%).

Source: Scottish Executive Justice Department Scottish Offenders Index

Publication
Reconvictions of offenders discharged from custody or given non-custodial sentences in 1999, Scotland (Published 2005)

Police Strength

As at 31 December 2005 there were 16,164 whole time equivalents ( WTE) officers serving with the eight police forces in Scotland, an increase of 256 (2%) since December 2004, and up 1,443 (10%) from an estimated wte of 14,721 in June 1999. There was also a record level of civilian support staff, at 7,030 wte, up 36% since June 1999 (estimated wte of 5,160).

Source: Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary

Publication
Annual Report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland 2004/05 (Published 2005)

Serious Violent Crime

Given the rising trend in the numbers of serious violent crime observed since 1997/98, the baseline for a target of 5% reduction by 2005/06 is higher than in the previous Spending Round, at 16,177.

However, if the level of reduction achieved in 2004/05 is maintained, it is likely the target for 2005/06 will be met.

Source: Scottish Police Statistical Returns

Publication
Recorded Crime in Scotland 2004/05 (Published 2005)

Drugs Justice

Although the quantity of Class A drugs seized (excluding LSD and Ecstasy) can vary from year to year, the chart demonstrates clearly that there has been a general increase in the quantities of drugs being seized. The average quantity seized each year from 2001 to 2003 was nearly 7 times the average quantity seized each year from 1995 to 1997. The chart also demonstrates the impact of the Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency, which was set up in 2000.

Source: Scottish Police Statistics

Drunkenness Offences

Despite media reports of an increase in "binge drinking", the actual numbers of offences of drunkenness recorded by the police have been generally decreasing since 1995/96 and in 2004/05 stood at around 75% of the level in 1995/96.

Although the numbers show some signs of flattening out there was a 4% decrease in the numbers recorded between 2003/04 and 2004/05. However, incidents of "binge drinking" may be accompanied by offending behaviour more serious than the drunkenness itself and the police would record the more serious of the offences, such as assault or breach of the peace.

Source: Scottish Police Statistics

Publication
Recorded Crime in Scotland 2004/05 (Published 2005)

Domestic Abuse

The numbers of refuge places provided by Women's Aid have generally increased since 1995/96. In 2004/05 there were 425 places available, over one-third more than in 1995/96.

The Scottish Executive is committed to implementing the National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse. As part of this strategy, £10 million was made available for three years from April 2001 for a Refuge Development Programme. The figures show there was an increase of 28% in refuge place numbers between 2000/01 and 2004/05.

Source: Women's Aid Refuges
⁽¹⁾ Excluding places provided by six groups unaffiliated to Women's Aid

Prison

Prison population

In 2004/05, the average daily population in Scottish prisons totalled 6,779, an increase of 2% when compared with the 2003/04 figure of 6,621, and the highest annual level ever recorded. Over the nine year period, 1996/97 - 2004/05, the average daily prison population has increased by 13%. In the same nine year period the female prison population has increased by 75%; over six times the growth experienced in the male prison population (11%). The average daily female prison population increased from 314 in 2003/04 to 332 in 2004/05, an increase of 6%. The graph below illustrates the change in the average daily prison population from 1900 to 2004.

Source: Prison Statistics Scotland

Fine Default

The number of fine default receptions has decreased from 10,720 in 1997 to 6,098 in 2004/05; a decrease of 43%. Although the numbers still seem substantial they have little effect on the overall size of the prison population. A reception is counted whenever a warrant is received from court (although multiple warrants from the same court on the same day will be counted as one reception), this means that the prisoner may already be in prison for a different crime. The graph below illustrates this as the figures on 'entries purely for fine default' count only those cases were the prisoner was not already in prison. So, in 2004/05 there were only 3,478 entries to prison for fine default, compared to 6,098 fine default receptions.

Source: Prison Statistics Scotland

Fine Default Custody

People imprisoned for defaulting on a fine, spend only very short periods of time in custody. The chart below illustrates the sentences imposed for people entering prison for fine default in 2004/05. This shows that 88% of fine defaulters have a sentence imposed of 14 days or less. Fine defaulters only serve half of the sentence imposed and may leave earlier if they pay some or all of the fine amount outstanding. This combined with the fact that most sentences for fine default are served concurrently with any other sentences, means that the average daily population of fine defaulters was 61 in 2004/05.

Source: Prison Statistics Scotland

Publication
Prison Statistics Scotland 2004/05 (Published 2005)

Safer Communities

Housebreaking

Crimes of housebreaking recorded by the police have been decreasing since their peak in 1991. The number of housebreakings fell by 4% during 2004/05 and, at 34,959, is less than one third of the level recorded in the early 1990's. The current police target is to reduce housebreakings by 5% compared to a baseline calculated as the average for the three financial years 2000/01 to 2002/03.

Source: Scottish Police Statistical Return

Publication
Recorded Crime in Scotland 2004/05 (Published 2005)

Knife Crimes

For homicides recorded between 1995/96 and 2004/04, sharp instruments were the most common method of killing, accounting for 48% of all victims. This proportion ranged from a low of 40% in 1997/98 to 54% in 1999/00.

Source: SEJD Scottish Homicide Statistics

Publication
Homicide in Scotland, 2004/05 (Published 2005)

Youth Crime

Nationally, both the number of children referred to SCRA on offence grounds, and the number of offence-based referrals received by SCRA, rose by 6% in 2004/05 from the previous year. The average number of offence based referrals per child remained constant at 2.08.

Persistent offenders were responsible for 31% of offence-based referrals, a reduction of 2% from the previous year. The number of persistent offenders rose by 5%.

Source: SCRA: Scottish Youth Justice: Performance Update Report 2004-05.

Sentences Imposed

The total number of persons convicted in Scottish courts fell steadily from 155,000 in 1995/96 to 113,000 in 2000/01, since when there has been a modest recovery in numbers to 134,000 in 2004/05. During this period the proportion of convictions resulting in a custodial sentence increased slowly from 10% in 1995/96 to 14% in 2002/03 before falling back to 12% in 2004/05. The proportion of convictions resulting in some form of community sentence increased steadily over the last 10 years, from 7% in 1995/96 to 13% in 2004/05.

Much of the overall rise in the number of convictions in the last few years reflects increases for certain types of crime and offence, in particular non-sexual crimes of violence, shoplifting, handling offensive weapons, drug offences, common assault and breach of the peace. Convictions for other categories of crime or offence have either generally remained stable or shown a decrease.

New types of community sentence have accounted for an increasing number of convictions in recent years following national rollouts of pilot schemes. In 2004/05, the number of convictions resulting in a restriction of liberty order was 1,300 while the number resulting in a drug treatment and testing order was 800. Together these types of sentence accounted for 12% of all convictions resulting in a community sentence in 2004/05.

Source: Scottish Executive Justice Department court proceedings database

Summary Justice Review

The McInnes Review of summary justice took place against the background a general decline in the volume of district court business over the last decade. The number of convictions recorded in the district (including stipendiary magistrates) courts in 2003 was over a third (37%) lower than the number recorded in 1994. After a period of decline, the number of convictions recorded for Sheriff summary courts has increased steadily since 2000. The number of convictions in Sheriff solemn courts has also shown a marked rise since 2000.

Source: Scottish Executive Justice Department court proceedings database

Publication
Criminal proceedings in Scottish courts, 2004/05 (Published 2005)