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Measurement of the Extent of Youth Crime
in Scotland
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. This report provides estimates of the number of
crimes committed by young people (aged 21 and under) in
Scotland. It also provides an overview of the conceptual
and practical issues involved in estimating the prevalence
of youth crime, anti-social behaviour perpetrated by young
people, and the fear of youth crime.
2. To provide estimates of youth crime, we used several
official data sources, including recorded crime statistics,
SCRA data and data from the courts. Recorded crime
statistics were our starting point as the main complete
source of crime in Scotland. We then used secondary data
sources, such as the Scottish Crime Survey, to adjust
recorded crime statistics to take account of unrecorded
crime. SCRA and courts data was used to estimate the
proportion of all crime that is attributable to young
people.
3. A number of major assumptions had to be made in
conducting this exercise as all the available data sources
have their limitations. These assumptions have to be taken
into account in any attempt to use these results for policy
or other purposes.
4. We estimate that 43% of all crimes and offences in
Scotland is attributable to young people under the age of
21. As anticipated, young people are responsible for higher
proportions of offences such as fire-raising (86%),
vandalism (75%), theft of motor vehicles (75%), theft by
opening lockfast places (65%), handling offensive weapons
(59%) and housebreaking (55%). Young people seem less
likely to commit crimes of indecency (41%), other crimes of
dishonesty such as fraud and reset (30%) and motor vehicle
offences (26%).
5. Our estimates suggest that bulk of youth crime is
attributable to those aged 18-21 (49%). The under-15s
commit over one-third of youth crime, with the remainder
attributable to those aged 16-17. 87% of youth crime is
committed by males.
6. Most youth crime is theft-related. We estimate that
there are around two million crimes of dishonesty per year
involving young people in Scotland. These findings would
appear to be in line with previous research.
7. There are no reliable data sources that would allow
the extent of anti-social behaviour by young people and
fear of youth crime in Scotland to be measured fully.
Instead, we consider a number of key indicators that
attempt to measure these social phenomena.
8. There is no agreed definition at agency level as to
what constitutes anti-social behaviour and there is a high
degree of subjectivity surrounding this concept. Some types
of anti-social behaviour, e.g. vandalism and fire-raising,
are captured, in part at least by criminal statistics, and
their overall incidence is estimated in this report.
However, other types of anti-social behaviour are not
crimes or offences at all and different police forces
record incidents of youth nuisance behaviour in different
ways.
9. It is more appropriate to consider anti-social
behaviour in terms of the number of people it affects and
its impact on people rather than by attempting to measure
its actual incidence levels.
10. The Scottish Household Survey found littering and
groups of young people hanging around to be the most common
anti-social behaviour problems. These problems are most
commonly experienced in areas of social housing and by
single parent, single adult and large family
households.
11. Some 32% of households reported that groups of young
people hanging around were common in their areas. 30%
reported problems with rubbish or litter lying about, and
22% problems with people drinking or using drugs. However,
other than for the 'groups hanging about' behaviour, it was
not possible to separate out how much of this anti-social
behaviour was attributable to young people
12. The 'discovery' of fear of crime as a distinct
social problem is a relatively recent development. Fear of
crime is not directly related to the actual risk of
victimisation, and may persist at a relatively high level,
even when crime rates have fallen. There are many problems
surrounding its definition and, like anti-social behaviour,
it is probably more helpful to examine it in terms of its
impact on people. The available evidence considers the fear
of crime in general rather than fear of crime committed by
young people per se. There is little evidence about the
latter.
13. A recent report placed the UK among the top three EU
member states where feelings of insecurity after dark are
greatest. In the UK, people tend to be particularly worried
about violent crime, car crime and burglary. People in
poorer areas tend to be more worried about crime. There is
more anxiety about crime among women and young people under
24 years of age.
14. In Scotland, 31% of people said that they were
worried about the risk of burglary, 27% about having their
car stolen, and 23% about being mugged or robbed.
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