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VIOLENCE IN SCOTLAND: FINDINGS FROM THE 2000 SCOTTISH CRIME SURVEY

CHAPTER THREE: CHARACTERISTICS OF VIOLENT CRIME IN SCOTLAND

TYPOLOGY OF VIOLENCE

Violent crimes can be regrouped to provide a typology of violence according to the relationship between the assailant(s) and the victim. This was originally developed by the Home Office for the 1996 British Crime Survey in England and Wales.

Figure 3.1 shows the proportion of violent crimes which fell into each category in 1995 and 1999. The most common type of violence in 1999 was acquaintance violence, which accounted for over a third (36%) of violent incidents. This is less than in 1995 where acquaintance violence accounted for half (48%) of violent incidents. Violence perpetrated by strangers accounted for 29% of all incidents in 1999. The proportion of domestic violence has increased markedly since 1995, and this can be at least partly attributed to the introduction of the new 'screener' question in 1999 which encouraged people to report such incidents to the survey as crimes. Mugging is the most rare of all violent crimes, accounting for only one in eight of such crimes in 1999.

Figure 3.1: Types of Violence

Notes

1. Source: 1996 SCS (all Scotland, weighted data), n=5,045; 2000 SCS (all Scotland, weighted data), n=5,059.
2. Only relates to all incidents of violence.

WHO IS MOST AT RISK OF VIOLENCE?

Overall, 2.8% of respondents were the victim of violence during 1999, compared with 2.5% in 1995. This is a comparatively low rise when considered alongside the larger increase in the estimated total number of offences over the same period (+29% for violent crimes including robbery, assault and snatch theft) and indicates that those who experienced violent crime did so on average more often in 1999 than in 1995.

However, the risk of victimisation differs between types of household. The groups most likely to have been victimised in 1999 were:

• those aged 16-24
• males
• those in Scottish *Acorn group E (better-off council areas, often owners)
• people who live in private-rented property
• those living in high rise flats.

There are, of course, relationships between these groups. For example, young people are more likely to rent their property.

Young males were the most likely to be the victims of violent crime, with 15% of males aged 16-24 reporting such crimes. Only seven incidents of violence against respondents aged 60 or over were recorded by the SCS.

Table 3.1: Level of Violent Crime by Age and Sex

In 1995 the frequency of evenings spent away from home was a significant predictor of the risk of violent crime. However, the relationship is not as clear cut in 1999. It is still true that people of all ages who spent almost every evening away from home were much more likely to be a victim of violence than people who went out less frequently ⁴. However, those who never spent evenings away from home were equally at risk of violent crime as those away from home at least once a week or at least once a month.

Young people were, however, the most likely to regularly spend evenings away from home and this may partly explain the relatively high incidence of violent crime victimisation for this age group. The three variables, frequency of evenings away from home, age and occurrence of violent crime are inter-related. It is more difficult to determine the causal relationship. It may be that young people are more likely to be victims of violent crime because they go out more, but this likelihood could be less to do with age per se and more to do with other behavioural factors.

Table 3.2: Frequency of Evenings Spent Away from Home by Age Group

Note: 1. In 1996 SCS the variable 'Frequency of Evenings Away from Home' was only available in the Main B questionnaire, n=2,511, whereas in 2000 SCS this question was asked of the whole sample (n= 5,059).

As we have seen, men were more likely to be victims of violent crimes than women (Table 3.1). Men and women also tended to experience very different types of violence (Figure 3.2). Sixty-four per cent of incidents of violence against women, but only 5% of incidents against men, were classed as domestic violence. Acquaintance violence accounted for 42% of incidents against men (a fall from 58% in 1996 but higher than the 1992 figure of 28%) and 22% of incidents against women (a fall from the 1996 figure of 39% and closer to the 1992 figure of 28%).

Figure 3.2: Types of Violence, by Sex (2000 SCS)

Note: 1 Only relates to all incidents of violence.

MULTIPLE VICTIMISATION

Of the 3% of adults who had been the victim of violent crime during 1999, 71% had been the victim of a single incident, 6% had experienced two violent crimes and 23% had experienced three or more. There has been an increase of 10% in people experiencing multiple victimisation since 1996, although the figure for people experiencing only one incident of violent crime remains the same. The 23% of victims who had experienced three or more violent crimes accounted for 51% of the violent incidents recorded by the SCS ⁵.

WHEN AND WHERE DO VIOLENT CRIMES HAPPEN?

Of those incidents where the victim was able to allocate the time of the assault to a six hour period (in 97% of cases the victim was able to do this), almost half (48%) occurred between 6pm and midnight.

Just over half of violent incidents (52%) occurred at weekends. The most common time of day for violence was during the evening, and the least common was during the morning (Figure 3.3).

Figure 3.3: Timing of violent crimes

Evening is the most common timing of a violent incident for all types of violent crime, domestic, stranger, acquaintance but was highest for mugging (83%).

The most common location of the violent incident was inside the victim's own home (17%), followed by at place of work - inside building (16%) and thirdly, inside pub/club (16%).

Table 3.3: What respondent was doing at the time of the violent incident

In just under a third of violent incidents the respondent was at work, and in just over a quarter the respondents was participating in a leisure activity away from home. In just under a quarter of cases the respondent was at home.

WHO COMMITS VIOLENT CRIME?

In well over half the incidents involving violence (61%) ⁶, there was only one assailant. There was more likely to be more than one assailant in incidents of violence against men (47%) than women (22%) ⁷. In only just over one in ten cases of violence were there were four or more assailants. Incidents perpetrated by strangers were the most likely to have multiple assailants (Figure 3.4).

Figure 3.4: Number of Assailants in Incidents of Violent Crime

Notes:

1. This table shows data relating to violent incidents
2. The actual number of cases is very small and no statistical significance can be attributed to these figures.

In most incidents (85%) ⁸ the assailant or assailants were male. This was so for both male and female victims. However, male victims were more likely than females to be the victim of a mixed sex group, and women were more likely than men to be the victim of only female assailants. Of the rare incidents where assailants were females, domestic violence was the most likely to involve female assailants. Twenty per cent of domestic violence incidents involved female assailants, compared to 3% of stranger violence and 17% of acquaintance violence ⁹. As in 1996, none of the incidents of mugging involved female perpetrators.

In 24% of all incidents involving violence, at least one of the assailants was thought to be under the age of 18, substantially less than in 1996 (39%). Male victims (27%) were more likely than female victims (17%) to be the victim of an assailant under 18. Types of violence most likely to involve assailants under 18 were mugging and stranger violence.

INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL AND DRUGS ON VIOLENCE

The tendency for violence to occur between 6pm and midnight may reflect an association between alcohol consumption and violence. Thirteen per cent (34 incidents) of all incidents of violence occurred in or around pubs and discos. A new question in the 2000 survey allows further investigation of this. Analysis of the question 'As far as you know, at the time it happened were any of the people who did it under the influence of drink?' revealed that, of those who could tell, 72% of the assailants were under the influence of drink. Male offenders were more likely to be under the influence of alcohol (69%) than female (30%). Alcohol was more likely to be a factor in muggings and crimes committed by strangers or acquaintances and less likely in domestic violence incidents (Figure 3.5).

Figure 3.5: Type of violent incident by whether the assailant was under the influence of alcohol

Note: This figure shows data relating to violent incidents.

A second new question was introduced in 2000 concerning the influence of drugs on assailants. Thirty-seven percent of those who could tell (N=95) said their assailant was under the influence of drugs. There was little difference between male (39%) and female (35%) assailants ¹⁰. The influence of drugs was most likely to occur in incidents of acquaintance violence, mugging and again least likely in domestic violence.

WHAT TYPES OF WEAPON WERE USED?

In almost a third (30%) (n=69) of violent incidents reported to the 2000 SCS, the assailant used, or threatened to use, a weapon. This is very similar to the proportion in 1996 (29%). The most common type of weapon used was a knife (most common where the victim had been involved in multiple incidents of violence), followed by a bottle and then a stick/club/hitting implement. (Since there are only 69 violent incidents where a weapon was used, splitting this further into types of violence becomes statistically non-reliable).

As shown in Figure 3.6, the most commonly reported types of violence experienced were being punched or slapped (74%), grabbed or pushed (41%), and kicked (40%). Both men and women were most likely to have been punched or slapped.

Figure 3.6: Types of Force Used on Male and Female Victims

Notes: 1 More than one response was permitted.

WHAT INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED?

In 62% of all incidents involving violence, the victim reported being injured in some way. Injury occurred in all incidents of mugging (23 cases) and was also common for incidents of domestic violence (76%) (n=39). Bruises and black eyes were the most common injuries and were reported for 88% of all incidents resulting in injury ¹¹. Other injuries reported were scratches (37%) (n=48), severe cuts (15%) (n=19) and broken bones or broken nose (7%) (n=9). In a quarter of incidents (24%) (n=32) where injury occurred, the victim sought attention from a doctor.

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