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| Scottish police recorded 88 victims of homicide in 1997, a decrease of 36 per cent compared with 1996, and the lowest number recorded since 1990, figures released today by the Government Statistical Service reveal. |
| Summary information on homicides in Scotland in 1997 - the full statistical bulletin Homicide in Scotland is published every two years - also shows that the number of female victims, at 17, is the lowest since statistics on the current basis began in 1978, and all but two of the 88 homicide cases in 1997 had been categorised as ‘solved’. |
| Summary information on homicides recorded in 1997, as known to The Scottish Office on November 12, 1998, is given below. |
| Number of Cases and Victims of Homicide |
| In 1997, there were 88 cases currently recorded as homicide by the police, 31 (or 26 per cent) fewer than in 1996 and the lowest number since 1991. These cases resulted in the death of 88 victims, 50 less than in 1996 (the figure for 1996 includes the 17 victims of the Dunblane tragedy). After several years of higher figures during the early and mid 1990s, the number of homicide victims in 1997 was similar to the average level recorded in the 1980s. The number of homicide victims per million population was 17 in 1997, the lowest rate recorded since 1990. |
| Sex and Age of Victims |
| In 1997, there were 71 male victims of homicide, 81 per cent of the total. The number of female victims, at 17, is the lowest number recorded since homicide statistics on the current basis began in 1978. Male victims in the 16 to 25 age group represented the highest rate of homicides per million population. No females aged under 16 were recorded as homicide victims in 1997. The overall decrease between 1996 and 1997 in the number of homicide victims was reflected in decreases in almost all age groups. |
| Homicides by Police Force Area |
| Most police forces recorded a fall in the number of homicides in their areas. Northern Constabulary reported no homicide cases at all in 1997, while the number of victims in Grampian and Tayside fell from 10 each in 1996 to 4 each in 1997. Strathclyde recorded a 20 per cent fall in the number of victims from 71 in 1996 to 57 in 1997, although within this figure victims within the City of Glasgow area actually increased from 24 in 1996 to 27 in 1997. Lothian and Borders was the only force to record an increase in the number of homicide victims, from 11 in 1996 to 12 in 1997. |
| Method of Killing |
| While the use of a sharp instrument remained the most common method of killing in homicide cases accounting for 40 per cent of the total in 1997, the number of victims fell from 58 to 35, a drop of almost 40 per cent. Except for the miscellaneous "other" category, hitting and kicking (16 per cent of victims) was the next most common method of killing. These proportions have remained fairly stable over the previous 10-year period. |
| Relationship of Main Accused to the Victim |
| For all but 2 of the homicide victims in 1997, one or more accused persons have been identified. Of the 86 victims where an accused person(s) has been identified, the main accused was known to the victim in over three quarters of cases; 22 per cent of victims were presumed to have been killed by a relative and 55 per cent were presumed to have been killed by an acquaintance. Of the 19 victims in 1997 who were recorded to have been killed by a relative, almost half (9) were killed by their partner. The proportion of victims who were killed by a stranger was 23 per cent in 1997, similar to the proportion reported in each of the previous 10 years (except for 1988, the year of the Lockerbie disaster). |
| The Scottish Office publishes a biennial
bulletin on homicides recorded by police in Scotland. The latest bulletin, "Homicide
in Scotland 1987-1996", was published in December 1997. Information on homicides
recorded in 1997 (together with those recorded in 1998) will be included in the next
bulletin, which is scheduled for publication in 1999. Summary information on homicides
recorded in 1997, as known to the Scottish Office at 12 November 1998, is given in the
tables: cases and victims
currently recorded as homicide by the Police in Scotland, 1988-1997 |
| NOTES FOR NEWS EDITORS |
| 1. This News Release (and the biennial bulletins) gives details on cases of homicide - that is murder and common law culpable homicide. Causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs are excluded. |
| 2. A single case of homicide is counted for each act of murder or culpable homicide irrespective of the number of perpetrators or victims. |
| 3. A homicide case is included against the year in which it is recorded by the police. This is not necessarily the year in which the offence took place, the year in which the accused is brought to trial for the crime, or the year in which the case is finally disposed of by the courts. |
| 4. The figures given in this news release are as known to The Scottish Office on November 12, 1998. The initial classification of a case as homicide is made by the police. This classification may be altered as a result of decisions taken in the course of criminal proceedings. Some cases initially classified as homicide will, on the basis of criminal proceedings, no longer be classified as such at a later date. This happens in cases where it is found that a homicide had not in fact taken place at all, for example where the main accused person is found guilty of a lesser offence, such as serious assault; or where the decision has been made not to proceed with the case, for example if it is concluded that the victim committed suicide. For this reason the figures for 1997 and previous years which appear in the next bulletin may differ slightly from those given here. |
| 5. Copies of the December 1997 statistical bulletin on homicide are available to anyone at a cost of £2.00 from HMSO Bookshop, 71 Lothian Road, Edinburgh, EH3 9AZ. |
| Media copies of the summary tables are
available by calling Michelle Kwiatek on 0131 244 2953 or the number at the foot of this
release. The tables are: cases
and victims currently recorded as homicide by the Police in Scotland, 1988-1997 |
| Contact: Andrew Slorance: 0131 244 2952 |
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