Scottish Government

Pat MacLeod, Leon Page, Andrea Kinver and Aibek Iliasov, TNS- BMRB
Mandy Littlewood and Rachel Williams
A National Statistics Publication for Scotland
ISBN 978 0 7559 9131 0 (Web only publication)
This document is also available in pdf format (1.1mb)

REVISED December 2009. Please note that some figures in chapters 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 have been revised. Most revisions were caused by a correction to the definition of the victim and non-victim status of respondents. A footnote accompanies each revision in the report.

Contents

List of Figures
Acknowledgements
Forthcoming publications
Conventions used in figures and tables

Executive Summary

1 Introduction
1.1 Background to the survey and revisions to the survey design
1.2 Previous Scottish crime surveys and estimates of crime
1.3 Purpose and limitations of the SCJS
1.4 The structure of the survey
1.5 The structure of the report

2 The extent of crime in Scotland
2.1 Summary
2.2 Introduction
2.3 Estimates of crime
2.4 Comparing crime over time
2.5 Police recorded crime statistics
2.6 Comparison of total number of crimes in Scotland with England and Wales
2.7 The risk of crime

3 The nature and impact of victimisation
3.1 Summary
3.2 Introduction
3.3 Varying risk of crime
3.4 Characteristics of crime
3.5 Impact of crime
3.6 Perceptions of crime

4 Victimisation - property crime and violent crime
4.1 Summary
4.2 Introduction
4.3 Risk of Property Crime and Violent Crime
4.4 Characteristics of property crime and violent crime
4.5 Alcohol or drug related violent crime
4.6 The impact of property and violent crime
4.7 Perceptions of property crime and violent crime
4.8 Card and Identity fraud
4.9 Workplace abuse

5 Victims' Access to Services and Support
5.1 Summary
5.2 Introduction
5.3 Advice and Support for Victims
5.4 Reporting crime to the Police
5.5 Information or assistance about the investigation
5.6 Contact with the Procurator Fiscal service

6 Public Perceptions of Crime
6.1 Summary
6.2 Introduction
6.3 Crime as a problem
6.4 Public anxiety about crime
6.5 Trends in public perceptions of crime
6.6 Perception versus actual risk

7 The Public and the Police
7.1 Summary
7.2 Introduction
7.3 Confidence in the police
7.4 Attitudes to the job done by local police forces
7.5 Contact with the police (ever)
7.6 Police initiated contact

8 Scottish Justice Systems and Organisations
8.1 Summary
8.2 Introduction
8.3 The Scottish criminal justice system
8.4 Community Sentencing
8.5 Civil Justice

References

Annex 1: 2008/09 Data Tables

Annex 2: Methodology
A2.1 Sampling
A2.2 Questionnaire
A2.3 Fieldwork
A2.4 Response Rate

Annex 3: SCJS crime
A3.1 How the information was collected
A3.2 Offence coding
A3.3 Series of crimes
A3.4 Valid incidents
A3.5 Survey reference period
A3.6 Crime types covered by the survey
A3.7 Incidence, prevalence and repeat victimisation
A3.8 Crime groups

Annex 4: Confidence intervals, statistical significance and weighting
A4.1 Confidence intervals and statistical significance
A4.2 Weighting

Annex 5: Comparison between the SCJS and police recorded crime statistics
A5.1 SCJS comparable crime
A5.2 Police recorded crime

Annex 6: Comparing crime estimated by the SCJS with the BCS

A National Statistics Publication for Scotland