User Guide to Recorded Crime Statistics in Scotland

27. Potential future considerations

27.1 Individual level data

Currently the Scottish Government collects aggregated numbers of crimes and offences from Police Scotland, meaning that no information about victims, perpetrators or the individual crimes or offences and incidents are available.

We note that some of our users have an interest in more analysis of individual level crime data, which would allow, for example, new information on the age and gender of victims and perpetrators.  Police Scotland have recently introduced a new system to record crime. The introduction of this new system may provide opportunities to provide details on individual crimes (rather than aggregate information). We are beginning a scoping exercise looking at the potential of the new system and will keep users informed of any developments via ScotStat.

It should be noted that the Scottish Government does publish companion Official Statistics bulletins that are based on individual level crime and offence data on a number of topics:

• Domestic Abuse Recorded by the Police in Scotland
• Homicide in Scotland
• Hate Crime Incidents Recorded by the Police in Scotland
• Recorded Crimes and Offences Involving Firearms, Scotland

27.2 Cyber-crime

Where reported to the police, Cyber-Enabled crime will be recorded under the specific offence code for the registered crime (for example fraud, including online banking fraud and mass marketing fraud, and thefts such as using technology to steal personal data).

The Recorded Crime in Scotland bulletin’s (from 2020/21 onwards) contains a chapter relating to cyber-crime. This topical section presents findings of a study into police recorded cyber-crime in Scotland, based on a random sample of police recorded crimes. This includes an estimate of the impact of a recent procedural change to the recording of international crime and details on the characteristics of cyber-crime.

With the new crime recording system referred to above, provision has been made for the inclusion of a ‘cyber-crime’ marker that will be able to provide a more accurate understanding of where there has been a Cyber element to a crime. As data becomes available from the new IT system, we will keep under review how we can best collect data on cyber-enabled crime.

HMICS is acutely aware of the increase in cyber-enabled crime and anticipates this trend will only continue.  Understanding the true nature and extent of cyber-enabled crime through use of cyber-crime markers is an area HMICS will continue to scrutinise in any relevant inspection work, as this is necessary to assess the scope of such activity to meet demand.