This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Domestic Abuse recorded by Police 2001
31/10/2002
A statistical bulletin published by the Executive has
revealed a 5 per cent increase in the number of incidents of
domestic abuse reported to the police, from 34,200 recorded in
2000 to 35,800 recorded in 2001.
The bulletin confirms the pattern of domestic abuse
described in previous studies, that the overwhelming majority
of domestic abuse is perpetrated by males against females.
For example, in 2001 the victim was female in 91 per cent of
incidents of domestic abuse recorded where the gender of the
victim was recorded. Equivalently, where a perpetrator's gender
was recorded, 91 per cent were male. These proportions are very
similar to those observed in 2000.
Other findings include:
- Of incidents 59 per cent (20,983) did not lead to the
recording of a crime or offence and 41 per cent (14,844)
were recorded as crimes or offences.
- Of all incidents 19 per cent (6,866) led to the
recording of an offence of petty assault; 16 per cent
(5,572) led to the recording of an offence of breach of the
peace; 3 per cent (1,008) led to the recording of a crime
of vandalism and 2 per cent (622) led to the recording of a
non-sexual crime of violence.
Repeat Victimisation
Where information was available on whether the victim of an
incident of domestic abuse had previously been reported as a
domestic abuse victim, 49 per cent of cases involved known
repeat victimisation.
Where the number of previous incidents was known:
- 21 per cent of cases involved a single previous
incident
- 44 per cent of cases involved two or three previous
incidents
- 16 per cent of cases involved four or five previous
incidents
- 13 per cent of cases there had been between six and ten
previous incidents
- 6 per cent of victims had been reported as a victim on
11 or more previous occasions.
Age and relationship of victims and perpetrators
The most frequent age group for victims is 31-35, whereas it
is 41-50 for perpetrators. However, when looking at the
incidence per 100,000 population, females are at most risk of
being victims of domestic abuse when aged between 22 and 25 and
males when aged between 31 and 35.
Half of the incidents of domestic abuse recorded by the
police involved cohabitees or spouses. These cases are
similarly divided between those where the partners were married
and those where they were not.
In 30 per cent of cases, the victim and perpetrator were
ex-partners or ex-spouses. In 19 per cent of cases, the victim
and perpetrator were in an on-going relationship but were not
cohabiting. This pattern is very similar to that shown in
2000.
Location
The overwhelming majority of incidents of domestic abuse
took place in the home (93 per cent of all incidents where the
location was recorded).
This was more likely if the victim and perpetrator cohabited
i.e. were a `spouse' or `cohabitee' (96 per cent of all
incidents where location was recorded).
In other relationships the proportion of incidents taking
place in a home dropped to around 90 per cent or less (of all
incidents where location was recorded.) This is a very similar
pattern to that observed in 2000.
Referral to the procurator fiscal
In 64 per cent of crimes or offences recorded in Scotland
following an incident of domestic abuse where the resulting
police action was recorded, the case was referred to the
procurator fiscal with a view to charges being brought against
the offender.
In 10 per cent of cases a police warning was given; 15 per
cent of cases involved some other type of action and in 12 per
cent of cases no further action was taken.
A statistical collection on domestic abuse (previously
referred to as domestic violence) was recommended in the Report
of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary
Hitting Home - A Report on the Police Response to Domestic
Violence 1997.
The recommendations from this report were progressed through
the domestic violence working group of the Scottish Criminal
Statistics Committee, involving ACPO(S), nominated
representatives which agreed the following definition:
'Domestic abuse is any form of physical, non-physical, or
sexual abuse which takes place within the context of a close
relationship, committed either in the home or elsewhere. This
relationship will be between partners (married, co-habiting or
otherwise) or ex-partners.'
The statistical return from which the figures in this
bulletin are taken, is a simple count of the numbers of
incidents of domestic abuse returned by the police using the
definition agreed above. Following current terminology these
incidents are now referred to as incidents of domestic
abuse.
Contraventions of Scottish criminal law are divided for
Scottish Executive Justice Department statistical purposes into
crimes and offences. The term 'crime' is
generally used for the more serious criminal acts; the
less serious are termed 'offences', although the term 'offence'
may also be used in relation to serious breaches of criminal
law. The distinction is made only for working statistical
purposes and the 'seriousness' of the offence is generally
related to the maximum sentence that can be imposed.
The detailed classification of crimes and offences used by
the Executive to collect criminal statistics contains about 360
codes.
'Petty Assault' as defined by the Scottish Executive is any
assault which does not fall into the following definition of
Serious Assault:
'An assault in which the victim sustained an injury
resulting in detention in hospital as an in-patient or any of
the following injuries whether or not detained in hospital:
fractures, concussion, internal injuries, crushings, severe
cuts or lacerations, or severe general shock requiring medical
treatment.'
Tables which show comparable figures for 1999-2001 for
incidents of domestic abuse as a percentage of total incidents
and the figure for the number of incidents recorded in 2000 are
based on
revised 1999 and 2000 figures, in order that
figures for these years reflect a count of incidents.
Previously, published figures for 1999 and 2000 contained an
element of double counting of incidents. This double count has
now been removed.
Due to rounding, percentages displayed in the text may not
always add up to 100 per cent.