Recorded Crime in Scotland: May 2021

Official Statistics on crimes and offences recorded by the police in Scotland for May 2021.


Tables

Table 1: Crimes recorded by the police, Scotland, May 2019, 2020 and 2021 12

Table 2: Offences recorded by the police, Scotland, May 2019, 2020 and 2021 13

Table 3: Crimes recorded by the police by local authority, Scotland, May 2019, 2020 and 2021 14

Table 4: Crimes recorded by the police, Scotland, April 2019 to May 2019, April 2020 to May 2020 and April 2021 to May 2021 15

Table 5: Offences recorded by the police, Scotland, April 2019 to May 2019, April 2020 to May 2020 and April 2021 to May 2021 16

Notes for these tables

  • The symbol ‘n/r’ is used to denote where a percentage change figure is not reported. This is done if the denominator is less than ten as any resulting figure may be misleading.
  • Please note that tables 1, 2, 4 and 5 can be accessed at local authority level online via the following link: Recorded Crime in Scotland: May 2021
Table 1: Crimes recorded by the police, Scotland, May 2019, 2020 and 2021
Crime group May 2019 May 2020 May 2021 % change since May 2020 % change since May 2019
Total crimes1 21,722 20,587 19,376 -6% -11%
Non-sexual crimes of violence 787 744 805 8% 2%
Homicide etc. 12 8 7 n/r -42%
Attempted murder & serious assault 363 310 304 -2% -16%
Robbery 120 139 148 6% 23%
Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 157 138 132 -4% -16%
Other violence 135 149 214 44% 59%
Sexual crimes 1,280 942 1,259 34% -2%
Rape & attempted rape 229 153 206 35% -10%
Sexual assault 478 265 411 55% -14%
Crimes associated with prostitution 4 2 6 n/r n/r
Other sexual crimes 569 522 636 22% 12%
Crimes of dishonesty 9,508 8,436 7,800 -8% -18%
Housebreaking 1,041 947 663 -30% -36%
Theft by opening a lockfast place (OLP) 125 95 117 23% -6%
Theft from a motor vehicle by OLP 231 231 151 -35% -35%
Theft of a motor vehicle 436 397 379 -5% -13%
Shoplifting 2,745 1,788 1,859 4% -32%
Other theft 3,672 2,998 2,673 -11% -27%
Fraud 837 1,441 1,549 7% 85%
Other dishonesty 421 539 409 -24% -3%
Fire-raising, vandalism etc. 4,286 3,324 3,757 13% -12%
Fire-raising 299 237 207 -13% -31%
Vandalism etc. 3,987 3,087 3,550 15% -11%
Other crimes 5,861 7,141 5,755 -19% -2%
Crimes against public justice 1,610 2,445 2,015 -18% 25%
Handling offensive weapons 853 898 955 6% 12%
Not used in other criminal activity 392 414 413 0% 5%
Used in other criminal activity 461 484 542 12% 18%
Drugs 3,373 3,788 2,774 -27% -18%
Other 25 10 11 10% -56%

1. The total figure for recorded crime excludes the new crimes being recorded under the recently enacted coronavirus legislation. Please see the Crimes recorded under coronavirus legislation section for more information.

Table 2: Offences recorded by the police, Scotland, May 2019, 2020 and 2021
Crime group May 2019 May 2020 May 2021 % change since May 2020 % change since May 2019
Total offences 22,121 21,069 21,047 0% -5%
Miscellaneous offences 11,507 11,458 11,344 -1% -1%
Common assault 5,083 4,435 5,007 13% -1%
Breach of the peace etc. 4,485 4,811 4,428 -8% -1%
Drunkenness and other disorderly conduct 553 694 505 -27% -9%
Urinating etc. 190 68 86 26% -55%
Other miscellaneous offences 1,196 1,450 1,318 -9% 10%
Motor vehicle offences 10,614 9,611 9,703 1% -9%
Dangerous and careless driving 966 935 1,040 11% 8%
Driving under the influence 509 774 693 -10% 36%
Speeding 2,758 1,890 2,068 9% -25%
Unlawful use of vehicle 3,208 3,759 3,254 -13% 1%
Vehicle defect offences 681 497 472 -5% -31%
Seat belt offences 312 130 133 2% -57%
Mobile phone offences 255 161 134 -17% -47%
Other motor vehicle offences 1,925 1,465 1,909 30% -1%
Table 3: Crimes recorded by the police by local authority, Scotland, May 2019, 2020 and 2021
May 2019 May 2020 May 2021 % change since May 2020 % change since May 2019
Aberdeen City 982 1,051 1,098 4% 12%
Aberdeenshire 660 544 629 16% -5%
Angus 310 268 314 17% 1%
Argyll & Bute 200 210 157 -25% -22%
Clackmannanshire 179 226 194 -14% 8%
Dumfries & Galloway 605 547 499 -9% -18%
Dundee City 818 852 722 -15% -12%
East Ayrshire 474 489 463 -5% -2%
East Dunbartonshire 262 266 203 -24% -23%
East Lothian 332 309 293 -5% -12%
East Renfrewshire 175 184 131 -29% -25%
Edinburgh City 2,790 2,231 2,155 -3% -23%
Falkirk 639 608 555 -9% -13%
Fife 1,258 1,183 1,256 6% 0%
Glasgow City 3,776 3,492 3,167 -9% -16%
Highland 627 667 639 -4% 2%
Inverclyde 325 319 292 -8% -10%
Midlothian 358 275 299 9% -16%
Moray 239 211 256 21% 7%
Na h-Eileanan Siar 16 37 45 22% 181%
North Ayrshire 543 538 488 -9% -10%
North Lanarkshire 1,603 1,562 1,358 -13% -15%
Orkney Islands 30 27 22 -19% -27%
Perth & Kinross 334 403 413 2% 24%
Renfrewshire 654 701 600 -14% -8%
Scottish Borders 331 295 355 20% 7%
Shetland Islands 38 46 36 -22% -5%
South Ayrshire 447 355 398 12% -11%
South Lanarkshire 1,259 1,381 1,115 -19% -11%
Stirling 348 342 273 -20% -22%
West Dunbartonshire 458 375 353 -6% -23%
West Lothian 652 593 598 1% -8%
Scotland1 21,722 20,587 19,376 -6% -11%

1. The total figure for recorded crime excludes the new crimes being recorded under the recently enacted coronavirus legislation. Please see the Crimes recorded under coronavirus legislation section for more information.

Table 4: Crimes recorded by the police, Scotland, April 2019 to May 2019, April 2020 to May 2020 and April 2021 to May 2021
Crime group April to May 2019 April to May 2020 April to May 2021 % Change since 2020 % Change since 2019
Total crimes1 42,716 37,758 38,723 3% -9%
Non-sexual crimes of violence 1,527 1,380 1,521 10% 0%
Homicide etc. 17 17 17 0% 0%
Attempted murder & serious assault 724 536 566 6% -22%
Robbery 256 278 271 -3% 6%
Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 283 247 269 9% -5%
Other violence 247 302 398 32% 61%
Sexual crimes 2,335 1,723 2,395 39% 3%
Rape & attempted rape 413 287 408 42% -1%
Sexual assault 884 485 783 61% -11%
Crimes associated with prostitution 8 4 14 n/r n/r
Other sexual crimes 1,030 947 1,190 26% 16%
Crimes of dishonesty 18,967 15,613 15,445 -1% -19%
Housebreaking 2,086 1,912 1,310 -31% -37%
Theft by opening a lockfast place (OLP) 263 178 220 24% -16%
Theft from a motor vehicle by OLP 495 496 318 -36% -36%
Theft of a motor vehicle 843 794 726 -9% -14%
Shoplifting 5,571 3,205 3,591 12% -36%
Other theft 7,222 5,513 5,256 -5% -27%
Fraud 1,628 2,530 3,233 28% 99%
Other dishonesty 859 985 791 -20% -8%
Fire-raising, vandalism etc. 8,519 6,472 7,486 16% -12%
Fire-raising 542 448 506 13% -7%
Vandalism etc. 7,977 6,024 6,980 16% -12%
Other crimes 11,368 12,570 11,876 -6% 4%
Crimes against public justice 3,191 4,303 4,109 -5% 29%
Handling offensive weapons 1,718 1,735 1,815 5% 6%
Not used in other criminal activity 801 862 814 -6% 2%
Used in other criminal activity 917 873 1,001 15% 9%
Drugs 6,414 6,506 5,923 -9% -8%
Other 45 26 29 12% -36%

1. The total figure for recorded crime excludes the new crimes being recorded under the recently enacted coronavirus legislation. Please see the Crimes recorded under coronavirus legislation section for more information.

Table 5: Offences recorded by the police, Scotland, April 2019 to May 2019, April 2020 to May 2020 and April 2021 to May 2021
Crime group April to May 2019 April to May 2020 April to May 2021 % Change since 2020 % Change since 2019
Total offences 43,765 36,518 41,281 13% -6%
Miscellaneous offences 22,554 20,764 21,424 3% -5%
Common assault 9,917 8,113 9,117 12% -8%
Breach of the peace etc. 8,841 8,701 8,400 -3% -5%
Drunkenness and other disorderly conduct 1,091 1,223 1,081 -12% -1%
Urinating etc. 404 115 193 68% -52%
Other miscellaneous offences 2,301 2,612 2,633 1% 14%
Motor vehicle offences 21,211 15,754 19,857 26% -6%
Dangerous and careless driving 1,920 1,633 2,053 26% 7%
Driving under the influence 1,016 1,378 1,409 2% 39%
Speeding 5,613 2,391 4,316 81% -23%
Unlawful use of vehicle 6,384 6,506 6,940 7% 9%
Vehicle defect offences 1,296 767 1,026 34% -21%
Seat belt offences 596 214 284 33% -52%
Mobile phone offences 510 256 268 5% -47%
Other motor vehicle offences 3,876 2,609 3,561 36% -8%

Contact

Email: justice_analysts@gov.scot

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