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SCOTTISH CRIME SURVEY 2003
APPENDIX F: GLOSSARY
Main Crime Categories
Assault
In the survey the term 'assault' refers to two main categories: 'serious assaults' comprising incidents of serious wounding, involving severe injuries intentionally inflicted, and other wounding, which involves less serious injury or severe injuries unintentionally inflicted; and 'petty assaults' which are actual or attempted assaults resulting in no or negligible injury. For the purpose of analysis and comparison with police recorded crime statistics these categories have been grouped together and called 'assault'.
Bicycle Theft
This term applies to the theft of pedal cycles from outside a dwelling. Almost all bicycles were stolen in this way. Bicycle thefts which take place inside the house by someone who is not trespassing at the time are counted as 'theft in a dwelling' (a sub-category of 'other household theft'); and thefts of bicycles from inside the house by a trespasser are counted as 'housebreaking'.
Housebreaking
In Scots law, the term 'burglary' has no meaning although in popular usage it has come to mean breaking into a house in order to steal the contents. Scots law refers to this as 'theft by housebreaking'. In the SCS, respondents who reported that someone who had got into their home without permission, and had stolen or tried to steal something, were classified as 'victims of housebreaking'. The definition of housebreaking used in this report differs from previous definitions to more accurately mirror the Scottish police recorded crime definition of domestic housebreaking by including domestic housebreakings to non-dwellings.
Household Theft ('Other Household Theft')
This term refers to actual and attempted thefts from domestic garages, outhouses, sheds, etc., not directly linked to the dwelling, thefts from gas and electricity prepayment meters and thefts from outside the dwelling (excluding thefts of milk bottles, etc., from the doorstep). This category also includes 'theft in a dwelling', which refers to theft committed inside a home by someone who is entitled to be there (for example, party guests or workmen).
Motor Vehicle Theft
The SCS covers three main categories of vehicle theft: 'theft of motor vehicles' referring to the theft of unauthorised taking of a vehicle, where the vehicle is driven away illegally (whether or not it is recovered); 'theft from motor vehicles' which includes the theft of vehicle parts, accessories or contents; and, for the first time, 'attempted thefts of or from motor vehicles', where there is clear evidence that an attempt was made to steal the vehicle or something from it (e.g. damage to locks). If parts or contents of the motor vehicle are stolen in addition to the vehicle being moved, the incident is classified as theft of a motor vehicle. Included in this category are cars, vans, motor cycles, scooters and mopeds which are either owned or regularly used by anyone in the household. Lorries, heavy vans, tractors, trailers and towed caravans were excluded from the coverage of the survey.
Robbery
This term refers to actual or attempted theft of personal property or cash directly from the person, accompanied by force or the threat of force. Robbery should be distinguished from other thefts from the person which involve speed or stealth rather than force or threat.
Other Personal Theft
In the survey 'other personal theft' refers to the theft of personal property outwith the home (for example handbags from offices) where there was no direct contact between the offender and victim.
Theft from Motor Vehicles
See Motor Vehicle Theft above.
Vandalism
Vandalism involves intentional and malicious damage to property (including houses and vehicles). In the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980, vandalism became a separate offence defined as wilful or reckless destruction or damage to property belonging to another. Cases which involve nuisance only (for example, letting down car tyres), but no actual damage, are not included. Where criminal damage occurs in combination with housebreaking, robbery or violent offences, these latter take precedence.
Combined Crime Categories
At various points in the report, crime categories are grouped together in different combinations in order to provide more meaningful analysis. The following describes the main combinations used and what these include.
Comparable crime
Only certain categories of crime covered by the SCS are directly comparable with police recorded crime statistics. These categories are collectively referred to throughout the report as 'comparable crime', which consists of six crime categories: vandalism, housebreaking, theft of a motor vehicle, bicycle theft, assault and robbery. In order to maximise comparability, however, certain adjustments are made to the police recorded crime figures.
Within the comparable sub-set, the six categories are further collapsed at various points into the following three broad classifications:
- acquisitive crime - comprising housebreaking, theft of a motor vehicle and bicycle theft
- vandalism - including both vehicle and household vandalism
- violence - comprising assault and robbery
Property and Violent Crimes
In this report the types of crime are generally grouped together under the headings of property crime and violent crime:
- property crime includes housebreaking, other household theft, vandalism, theft of cars, theft from cars, attempted thefts of/from cars, bicycle theft, theft from the person, and other personal theft
- violent crime includes assault and robbery
Household and Personal Crimes
In the 1993 and 1996 surveys the types of crime were more commonly sub-divided into crimes against households and crimes against individuals:
- household crime includes vandalism, theft from a motor vehicle, housebreaking, theft of a motor vehicle, bicycle theft and other household theft
- personal crime includes assault, robbery, theft from the person and other personal theft
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