Recorded Crimes and Offences Involving Firearms, Scotland, 2020-21 and 2021-22

Victim Characteristics

Tables 11, 11a

Details on the way that victims are counted within this bulletin are provided in Annex 7.

Of the 45 main victims who were either fatally or non-fatally injured during an offence involving a firearm in 2021-22, 23 were male (51%), 21 were female (47%) and 1 victim’s sex was unknown (2%).

The number of offences that included a male main victim increased by one between 2020-21 and 2021-22, and the number of offences that included a female victim increased by 12.

In 2021-22, the median age of all victims was 31. 48% of all offences where someone was either fatally or non-fatally injured involved a victim under the age of 16. There were 13 offences that had a main victim aged 31 or older, accounting for 28% of offences with a main victim.

When air weapons and unidentified weapons are excluded, there were 16 offences with a main victim in 2021-22, remaining unchanged from 2020-21.

For data that specifically relates to the number of homicide fatalities involving the use of a firearm, please refer to the Homicide in Scotland Accredited Official Statistics.