Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2005/06

2. Main points

• The total number of crimes recorded by the police decreased by 5 per cent between 2004/05 and 2005/06. In 2005/06, the Scottish police recorded 417,785 crimes.
• The number of non-sexual crimes of violence recorded by the police decreased by 7 per cent between 2004/05 and 2005/06, to a total of 13,726.
• The number of crimes of indecency decreased by 10 per cent, from 7,324 in 2004/05 to 6,558, the lowest total in 4 years.
• Within the indecency group, recorded cases of rape & attempted rape increased by 5 per cent to reach 1,161, the highest number ever recorded. This reflects continued pro-active efforts by police to encourage the reporting of such crimes, and the continued reporting of historical crimes.
• The number of crimes of dishonesty decreased for the seventh consecutive year to stand at 187,798 cases in 2005/06. Only one category of crimes of dishonesty showed an increase, theft by opening a lockfast place.
• Recorded cases of vandalism (including fire-raising and malicious mischief) decreased by 1 per cent to total 127,889 in 2005/06. There had been a significant increase in the numbers of cases of vandalism recorded in 2004/05, following the introduction of the SCRS.
• The clear-up rates in 2005/06 for all crime groups show little change to those for 2004/05, with the exception of that for vandalism, which has increased by one and a half percentage points.
• In 2005/06 the police recorded 593,816 offences, a decrease of 6 per cent from the number in 2004/05. This was largely due to a decrease in speeding offences.
• Seven of the 8 forces showed a decrease in the number of crimes recorded in 2005/06 compared to 2004/05, ranging from 2 per cent to 13 per cent. The number of crimes recorded in Grampian rose slightly, by under 2 per cent.