« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Commentary
Crimes and offences recorded in which a firearm was alleged to have been used
Crime/offence type
- Trends in the figures for firearms offences have been affected by the introduction of the Scottish Crime Recording Standard ( SCRS) which , as anticipated, increased the numbers of minor crimes recorded by the police in 2004-05, such as crimes of vandalism and minor assault. Although the effect of this will be ongoing, there is no new impact for 2005-06.
- Figures in this bulletin differ from those previously published because minor Firearms 1968 Act offences, mainly relating to possession, handling and distribution of weapons and ammunition, are no longer included in the main tables. Totals for these offences are presented in a new table ( Table 15).
- In 2005-06 the police recorded 1,068 offences in which a firearm was alleged to have been used, a decrease of 6 per cent from the total of 1,136 recorded in 2004-05, and 28 per cent lower than the 1996-97 figure of 1,481. ( Table 1)
- The largest category of offence involving the use of a firearm in 2005-06 was vandalism which constituted 37 per cent of all recorded firearms offences, while Firearms Act 1968 offences (possession of a firearm with intent) accounted for 14 per cent of all recorded firearms offences. ( Table 1)
- The number of homicides remained the same, 8, as in 2004-05, while the number of attempted murders increased by 75 per cent from 20 to 35. The number of recorded serious assaults decreased by nearly 60 per cent from 48 in 2004-05 to 20 in 2005-06, while robbery decreased by 13 per cent from 85 in 2004-05 to 74 offences in 2005-06. ( Table 1)
- The pattern of offences, once those involving unidentified firearms or air weapons are excluded, shows the largest category of offences is Firearms Act 1968 offences (possession of a firearm with intent), comprising nearly one quarter of all offences. ( Table 1A)
Proportion of crimes/offences involving firearms
- The use of firearms in criminal activity constituted only a small proportion of all offences recorded by the police in 2005-06; 8 per cent of recorded homicides (8 offences), 5 per cent of recorded attempted murders (35 offences), and 2 per cent of recorded robberies (74 offences). Less than 0.5 per cent of recorded serious assaults (20 offences), recorded minor assaults (143 offences) and vandalism offences (396 offences) involved the alleged use of a firearm. ( Table 2)
Type of firearm
- There have been various changes in the way type of firearm has been recorded over the years, which impacts mainly on the numbers of air weapons and unidentified weapons recorded (see Annex 5.12). For 2005-06 returns, all police forces agreed to identify weapons where possible, resulting in an increase in the alleged use of air weapons (and other identified weapons) and a decrease in the alleged use of unidentified firearms.
- In 11 per cent of offences involving firearms in 2005-06, the firearm involved was not identified. This compares with 37 per cent of offences where the firearm was not identified in 2004-05 and shows the impact of the change in recording practice described above. ( Table 3)
- Airweapons accounted for 58 per cent of all offences involving firearms in 2005-06, compared to 43 per cent in 2004-05. ( Table 3)
- The second most common category where the type of firearm was identified was 'other firearms' (such as starting guns and ball bearing guns), used in 10 per cent of recorded offences in 2005-06. ( Table 3)
- Although the majority of firearms that might previously have been logged as unidentified are now recorded as air weapons, the other categories of firearms would also be expected to increase as a result of this change in reporting practice. This has proved to be the case, as the number of offences involving the alleged use of a pistol/revolver was up by over 300 per cent from 24 in 2004-05 to 98 in 2005-06; and the number of offences involving the alleged use of a shotgun nearly doubled, increasing from 30 in 2004-05 to 56 in 2005-06. The number of offences involving a rifle each year is small; there were 11 such offences in 2005-06. ( Table 3)
Crime/offence type by main firearm used
- In the eight recorded homicides which involved the alleged use of a firearm in 2005-06, 2 shotguns, 3 pistols/ revolvers, 1 air weapon and 2 unidentified firearms were used. ( Table 4)
- In 2005-06, the firearms could not be identified in 7 of the 35 attempted murders. Twelve shotguns, 7 pistols/revolvers, and 9 air weapons were used in the 28 other attempted murders. ( Table 4)
- An air weapon was used in 79 per cent of offences of vandalism in 2005-06. An air weapon was also the weapon used in 63 per cent of offences of reckless conduct with firearms, 57 per cent of minor assaults, and 75 per cent of serious assaults, but only 8 per cent of robberies. ( Table 4)
Result of the use of a firearm
- Of the 1,068 offences involving the use of a firearm in 2005-06, 72 per cent involved the actual discharge of the firearm. ( Table 5)
- The number of offences in which a firearm was fired and killed or caused injury to a person fell from 324 in 2004-05 to 197 in 2005-06, a decrease of 39 per cent. ( Table 5)
- Property damage resulting from the discharge of a firearm accounted for 47 per cent of all offences (499), compared to 44 per cent in 2004-05. ( Table 5)
- In 20 per cent of offences the firearm was used to threaten (217 offences in 2005-06 compared with 202 in 2004-05 - an increase of 7 per cent). ( Table 5)
Result of use of firearm by main firearm used
- Of the 764 offences in which a firearm was actually fired, 72 per cent involved the use of an air weapon. Of those offences involving an airweapon, 1 resulted in death, 120 resulted in injury to a person and 397 resulted in damage to property. ( Table 6)
- 11 of the other incidents resulting in fatal or other injury involved a shotgun, another 11 involved a pistol/ revolver, and none a rifle. ( Table 6)
- Where the main firearm used was unidentified, 2 offences resulted in fatal injuries while 8 offences caused injury. ( Table 6)
- An imitation firearm was fired in 5 offences, resulting in personal injury in 2 cases and no injury or damage in the other cases. Other types of firearms caused injury on 42 occasions. ( Table 6)
Crime/offence type by use of firearm
- Of the 74 robberies, a firearm was used to threaten in 68 (92 per cent) of such offences, reflecting the nature of such crimes. ( Table 7)
- In serious assaults involving a firearm, the firearm was fired and resulted in injury in 16 out of 20 such cases (80 per cent) and was used to threaten in the remainder. ( Table 7)
- In minor assault involving a firearm, the firearm was fired and resulted in injury in 71 per cent of such cases, was fired causing no injury or damage in 12 per cent of cases, and used to threaten in 15 per cent of cases. ( Table 7)
Location of use
- In 2005-06, 42 per cent of offences (450) involving the alleged use of a firearm occurred in a dwelling, an increase of 39 (9 per cent) on the previous year. ( Table 8)
- One and a half per cent of offences involving the alleged use of a firearm occurred in banks, building societies or post offices, a decrease of half a per cent from 19 offences in 2004-05 to 16 in 2005-06. A further 24 per cent of offences occurred on public highways, a decrease of 16 per cent from 301 in 2004-05 to 253 in 2005-06. ( Table 8)
Victim characteristics
- In 2005-06, the main victim was aged 21 years or over in 100 out of 197 offences (just over 50 per cent) where firearms were alleged to have been fired causing injury. ( Table 10)
- The main victim in 67 per cent of such offences was male, compared to 64 per cent of offences in 2004-05. ( Table 10)
- There was one offence in which a police officer was shot causing injury. ( Table 10)
Crimes and offences cleared up in which a firearm was alleged to have been used
Clear - up rates
- In 2005-06, 43 per cent of all offences in which a firearm was alleged to have been used were cleared up, an increase from 38 per cent in 2004-05. ( Table 11)
- The clear up rate for offences of homicide with firearms was 88 per cent in 2005-06 compared to 63 per cent in 2004-05 (although this is based on a very small number of homicides, 8 in both years). The clear up rate for attempted murders was 66 per cent in 2005-06 (23 out of 35 attempted murders), up from 40 per cent in 2004-05. ( Table 11)
- The clear up rate for serious assault with firearms increased from 35 per cent in 2004-05 to 55 per cent in 2005-06. ( Table 11)
- The clear up rate for robbery offences decreased from 48 per cent in 2004-05 to 30 per cent in 2005-06. ( Table 11)
- There was an increase in the clear up rate for vandalism offences from 3 per cent in 2004-05 to 9 per cent in 2005-06. ( Table 11)
Accused characteristics
- The total number of offences cleared up, in which there was an accused, increased by 7 per cent from 428 in 2004-05 to 456 in 2005-06. ( Table 12)
- The number of offences cleared up in 2005-06 where the main accused was aged 15 years or under was 104, representing 23 per cent of offences cleared up. The main accused was aged 16 - 20 years in 112 cases (25 per cent), and was 21 or over in 240 (53 per cent) of these cases. ( Table 12)
- Nearly 50 per cent of firearm offences involving young persons aged 15 or under related to the use of an air weapon, rising to 51 per cent for those aged 16-20 and falling to 35 per cent for those accused aged 21 or over. ( Table 12A)
Analysis by police force area
- The Strathclyde police force area, which contains 43 per cent of the Scottish population, accounted for 44 per cent of all offences in which a firearm was alleged to have been used in 2005-06. ( Table 13)
- More specifically, 7 of the 8 homicides, 89 per cent of attempted murders, 75 per cent of serious assaults, and 85 per cent of recorded robberies, but only 36 per cent of minor assaults and 26 per cent of vandalism offences in which a firearm was alleged to have been used took place in Strathclyde. ( Table 13)
Crimes and offences in which a firearm was stolen
- During 2005-06 the Scottish police recorded 12 offences in which a firearm other than an air weapon was stolen, a decrease of 8 per cent from 13 in 2004-05. ( Table 14)
- The number of stolen shotguns rose from 5 in 2004-05 to 10 in 2005-06 and 2 'other' firearms were stolen, compared to 6 in 2004-05. ( Table 14)
Minor Firearms 1968 Act Offences
- The number of minor Firearms 1968 Act offences, mainly relating to the possession, handling and distribution of weapons, decreased by 3 per cent from 947 in 2004-05 to 916 in 2005-06. ( Table 15)
« Previous | Contents | Next »