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Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09
29/09/2009
Scotland's Chief Statistician today published Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09. The publication presents statistics on crimes and offences recorded and cleared up by the eight Scottish police forces in 2008-09.
The figures show that the total number of crimes recorded by the police decreased by 2 per cent between 2007-08 and 2008-09. In 2008-09, the Scottish police recorded 377,433 crimes.
The main findings are:
- The number of violent crimes (non-sexual crimes of violence) recorded by the police decreased by 2 per cent between 2007-08 and 2008-09, to a total of 12,612.
- The number of sexual crimes (crimes of indecency) decreased by 3 per cent, from 6,552 in 2007-08 to 6,331 in 2008-09.
- Within the indecency group, recorded cases of rape & attempted rape decreased by 9 per cent to 963.
- The number of crimes of dishonesty increased slightly for the first time in ten years to stand at 167,812 cases in 2008-09.
- Recorded cases of vandalism (including fire-raising and malicious mischief) decreased by 7 per cent to total 109,430 in 2008-09.
- Other recorded crimes (including drug offences, crimes against public justice and offensive weapons offences) decreased marginally to total 81,248 in 2008-09.
- The clear-up rate for all recorded crimes in 2008-09 was 49 per cent. The corresponding figure for 2007-08 was 48 per cent.
- The clear-up rate in 2008-09 for non-sexual crimes of violence is higher than in 2007-08, increasing from 62 per cent to 64 per cent. The rate for crimes of indecency has decreased by 4 percentage points to 68 per cent, the rate for crimes of dishonesty has increased by 1 percentage point and the rate for miscellaneous offences has fallen by 1 percentage point. The other two crime groups are unchanged from the previous year.
- In 2008-09 the police recorded 560,291 offences, a decrease of 2 per cent from the number in 2007-08. This was largely due to a substantial decrease in the number of speeding offences recorded.