The overall level of crime in Scotland and the likelihood of being a victim in 2016/17 have both fallen compared to 2008/09, according to newly published figures from Scotland’s Chief Statistician.
The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) 2016-17 gives an in-depth insight into the extent and prevalence of crime in Scotland over the year. It shows that:
- There were an estimated 712,000 crimes in 2016/17, down by around a third (32%) since the 1,045,000 crimes estimated in 2008/09.
- Just over two-thirds of crime (68%) was property-related. As in previous years, incidents of vandalism accounted for the largest proportion of property crime incidents (34%), followed by other household theft (including bicycle theft) (27%) and personal theft (26%). The remainder were incidents of motor vehicle related theft (8%) and housebreaking (5%).
- Around a third of all crime was violent crime. Consistent with previous findings, the majority of violent crime incidents in 2016/17 were cases of minor assault resulting in no or negligible injury (72%). Other violent crimes comprised minor assault with injury (13%), serious assault (7%), attempted assault (4%) and robbery (3%).
The survey also revealed that most adults (86.6%) experienced no crime in 2016/17. The SCJS estimates that the proportion of adults experiencing crime has fallen from around one in five in 2008/09 (20.4%), to fewer than one in seven in 2016/17 (13.4%). In 2016/17, 11.5% of adults were estimated to have been a victim of property crime and 2.9% of adults a victim of violent crime.
The likelihood of being a victim of any crime in 2016/17 was apparently higher amongst younger adults (aged 16-24), those living in the most deprived areas and adults living in urban areas. This pattern was also found across both property and violent crime categories.
Contact our Leading Criminal Defence Lawyers
Our Leading Criminal Defence Lawyers in Paisley and Greenock have over 100 years combined experience in successfully defending our clients in every kind of criminal case in Scotland. We cover Glasgow, Greenock, Port Glasgow, Kilmacolm, Gourock, Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, Barrhead, Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire and every police station and court in Scotland. Contact us today for free, initial legal advice 24 hours per day.