User Guide to Recorded Crime Statistics in Scotland

17. Definitions

This chapter provides information on some of the definitions used within the Recorded Crime in Scotland publications.

17.1 Assault

In Scotland, assault is a common law offence. In order to distinguish between Serious and Common assaults, Police Scotland use a common definition for Serious assault:

“An assault or attack in which the victim sustains injury resulting in detention in hospital as an inpatient, for the treatment of that injury, or any of the following injuries whether or not detained in hospital:

• Fractures (the breaking or cracking of a bone. Note – nose is cartilage not bone, so a ‘broken nose’ should not be classified unless it meets one of the other criteria)
• Internal injuries
• Severe concussion
• Lacerations requiring sutures which may lead to impairment or disfigurement
• Any other injury which may lead to impairment or disfigurement.

When HMICS published an earlier audit of crime recording in 2013, they recommended that the definition used for serious assault within the Scottish Crime Recording Standard (SCRS) be reviewed and clarified, as some police officers sought greater clarity from the existing guidance. In response to this, enhanced guidelines as to the interpretation of serious assault were introduced in January 2015.

When publishing their Management Information report for Quarter 4 2015-16 in June 2016, Police Scotland advised that this action may have resulted in some crimes that would have been seen previously as common assaults now falling into the category of serious assault.

17.2 Housebreaking

Housebreaking can be broken down into different building types: dwelling, non-dwelling and other property. Where ‘domestic dwelling’ is presented in the statistics, this refers to dwellings and non‑dwellings only.

Dwelling is defined as a house which is being used for (or fit to be used for) residential purposes. Non-dwelling is defined as all roofed buildings used for domestic purposes other than dwellings (for example garages, garden huts, outhouses, etc.). Other property is defined as all roofed buildings not used for residential or domestic purposes (for example commercial premises). Further information on the different types of building included under each of these headings is available in the Scottish Crime Recording Standard (the manual that details rules and guidance for how crimes should be recorded).

17.3 Sexual crimes with victim aged under 18

Sexual crimes with victim aged under 18 is a subset of all Sexual crimes and includes a wide range of sexual crimes where the age of the victim could be identified.

The table below gives a list of the crimes included in this calculation. It should be noted that this is most likely an under count of sexual crimes with a victim under 18, as some of these crimes may be classified as a crime which does not specify the age of the victim. This will include where the perpetrator targets someone they believed to be a child (for example, through cyber-enabled sexual crime).

Crime

• Rape of older male child (13-15 years)¹
• Rape of older female child (13-15 years)¹
• Rape of young male child (Under 13)¹
• Rape of young female child (Under 13)¹
• Attempted rape older male child (13-15)¹
• Attempted rape older female child (13-15)¹
• Attempted rape young male child (under 13)¹
• Attempted rape young female child (under 13)¹
• Sexual assault by penetration of male (13-15 years)¹
• Sexual assault by penetration of female (13-15 years)¹
• Sexual assault of older male child (13-15 years)¹
• Sexual assault of older female child (13-15 years)¹
• Sexual coercion of older male child (13-15 years)¹
• Sexual coercion of older female child (13-15 years)¹
• Assault by penetration of young male child (under 13)¹
• Assault by penetration of young female child (under 13)¹
• Sexual assault of young male child (under 13)¹
• Sexual assault of young female child (under 13)¹
• Cause young male child (under 13) to participate in sexual activity¹
• Cause young female child (under 13) to participate in sexual activity¹
• Cause young child to be present/ look at sexual activity (under 13)¹
• Communicating indecently with young child (under 13)¹
• Sexual exposure to a young child (under 13)¹
• Voyeurism young child (under 13)¹
• Intercourse with older male child (13-15)¹
• Intercourse with older female child (13-15)¹
• Penetrative sexual activity with older male child (13-15)¹
• Penetrative sexual activity with older female child (13-15)¹
• Sexual activity with older male child (13-15)¹
• Sexual activity with older female child (13-15)¹
• Cause older male child (13-15) to participate in sexual activity¹
• Cause older female child (13-15) to participate in sexual activity¹
• Older male child (13-15) engaging in sexual conduct with another older child¹
• Older female child (13-15) engaging in sexual conduct with another older child¹
• Causing an older child (13-15) to be present/ look at sexual activity¹
• Communicate indecently older child (13-15)¹
• Sexual exposure older child (13-15)¹
• Voyeurism older child (13-15)¹
• Sexual intercourse with girl under 13 (offences prior to 1 December 2010)
• Sexual intercourse with child under 16 (offences prior to 1 December 2010)
• Abducting girl under 18 woman mental disordered
• Person with custody & care of girl or other causing her seduction
• Grooming of children for purposes of sexual offences
• Procuration of sexual services from child under 18
• Procuration of child under 18 for pornography
• Taking, distribution etc indecent photos of children
• Sexual abuse of trust of person under 18
• Lewd and libidinous practices²

Notes

1. These offences were not separately identifiable until the implementation of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 on 1 December 2010. The 2010-11 figures for these offences relate only to the period 1 December 2010 to 31 March 2011.

2. Lewd and libidinous practices are sexual crimes against children committed prior to 1 December 2010.