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| Recorded Crime in Scotland, 1997 |
|
| 6. Crimes and offences cleared
up by the police (Table 3 of Appendix) |
| 6.1 The total number of crimes cleared up by
the police fell by 1,300 to 164,000 in 1997. Although the number of crimes cleared up
fell, the clear-up rate rose from 37 per cent to 39 per cent in 1997 (Table 3). Clear-up
rates vary markedly depending on the type of crime and reflect, in part, the differing
circumstances in which crimes come to the attention of the police. Property related crimes
tend to have comparatively low clear-up rates and this in turn affects the total achieved.
Crimes of violence have higher clear-up rates and, for a number of crimes in which
identification of the offence and the offender tends to occur simultaneously (for example
drugs possession), clear-up rates will tend towards 100 per cent. In other types of crime,
the police have the task of finding the offender after the crime is discovered and
reported to them. |
| 6.2 Within the crime groups 1 to 5, the
clear-up rates increased by one percentage point in all but the crimes of indecency group.
The overall clear-up rate for crimes reflects the clear-up rate for the largest group,
crimes of dishonesty, and in particular, the most frequently occurring types of crime,
housebreaking and theft. In 1997, 1 in 7 thefts by opening a lockfast place, 1 in 5
housebreakings and 1 in 4 thefts of a motor vehicle were recorded as cleared up by the
police, which is similar to the rates experienced in 1996. |
| Chart 4 - Clear-up rates
for particular crime groups, 1988-1997
|
| 6.3 Most crimes in the group "other
crimes", which includes crimes against public justice and drugs related crimes, were
cleared up. Similarly, the vast majority of offences in the miscellaneous offences group
were cleared up. This reflects the characteristics of such crimes and offences and the
method via which they come to the attention of the police since, in many cases (such as
drunkenness), the offender is "caught in the act". |
| 7. Number of crimes and
offences recorded by police force area (Tables 4a, 4b and 5 of Appendix) |
| 7.1 Strathclyde police recorded 926 crimes
per 10,000 population in 1997 - the highest rate of all forces (Tables 4B and 5). Fifty
per cent of all crimes recorded in Scotland were in the Strathclyde police force area
which contains 44 per cent of the Scottish resident population. Northern Constabulary
recorded the lowest number of crimes per 10,000 population (437). Most of the eight police
forces showed a fall in the total number of crimes recorded in 1997 when compared with
1996: Tayside (down 16 per cent), Fife (down 9 per cent), Northern (down 8 per cent),
Strathclyde (down 7 per cent), Central (down 5 per cent), Lothian & Borders (down 5
per cent) and Grampian (down 3 per cent). Dumfries & Galloway showed an increase of 1
per cent. |
| Chart 5 - Total number of
crimes recorded per 10,000 population in 1996 by police force area
|
| 7.2 Crime rates for police force areas
include offending by non-residents as well as the resident population. Thus, the high rate
of motor vehicle offences recorded in Dumfries & Galloway (almost double the Scottish
rate) may reflect the volume of traffic on trunk roads through the area. In addition, the
crime rates will reflect local initiatives within forces. For example, the rate for
"other" miscellaneous offences in Strathclyde (74 per 10,000 population) may
reflect the continuation of Operation Spotlight which targeted public nuisance offences
such as the consumption of alcohol in public places etc. Within Dumfries & Galloway
the rate for drugs related crimes increased to 71 per 10,000 population in 1997 as a
result of Operation MOSS (Making Our Streets Safer) in the early part of 1997 which aimed
to target known drug dealers and enforce the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. |
| 7.3 The Scottish forces had, in 1997, widely
differing clear-up rates for crimes, partly reflecting the different characteristics of
the areas and the crimes committed. The rates varied from 36 per cent in Strathclyde and
Lothian & Borders, 37 per cent in Grampian and Tayside, to 48 per cent in Fife, 57 per
cent in Central, 61 per cent in Dumfries & Galloway and 67 per cent in Northern
Constabulary. |
| 8. Number of crimes recorded
and cleared up by council area (Tables 6, 7 and 8 of Appendix) |
| Please note that, with effect from I
January 1998, Western Isles Council is to be known by it’s Gaelic name, Eilean Siar.
The new name has been used in all tables which provide council level detail in this
bulletin. |
| 8.1 All forces return information for the
councils within their force area (Tables 6 ,7 and 8). The four cities (Glasgow, Aberdeen
Dundee and Edinburgh) have high crime rates reflecting, in part, the nature of a city,
i.e. concentrated resident population, large numbers of commuters and tourists and a
concentrated number of retail outlets etc. In 1997 Glasgow City had the highest rate for
non-sexual crimes of violence and crimes of indecency. Inverclyde had the highest
incidence of domestic housebreaking. (Table 8). |
| 8.2 In addition to the four cities, there
were three councils within Strathclyde police force area which had overall crime rates in
excess of the rate for Scotland as a whole: West Dunbartonshire (1,047 per 10,000
population), Inverclyde (976) and Renfrewshire (943). The crime rates for individual
council areas varied significantly from 171 per 10,000 population in the Orkney Islands to
1,448 in Glasgow City. |
| 8.3 Chart 6 overleaf shows the number of
recorded crimes of domestic housebreaking per 10,000 population by council area. These
figures include houses, garages and garden sheds. |
| Chart 6 - Number of crimes
of domestic housebreaking recorded by the police per 10,000 population
|
| 9. Additional information :
Scottish Crime Survey |
| 9.1. The preceding sections of this bulletin
described in detail the volume and types of crime recorded and cleared up by the eight
police forces in Scotland during 1997. The recorded crime series is a useful indicator of
trends in recorded crime. However, not all crimes are reported to the police and, of those
crimes that are, not all are subsequently recorded (if the police are of the opinion that
a crime has not taken place). The propensity of the public to report crime to the police
also changes over time. Thus, statistics recorded by the police may not accurately reflect
the underlying trend in all crime. |
| 9.2. Crime surveys can be a useful source of
information by providing a fuller picture of the extent of and trends in most types of
household and personal victimisation. The information provided by such surveys complements
the information compiled by the police forces and provides another useful indicator as
well as exploring other issues such as the impact of crime on victims, fear of crime and
attitudes towards the police. |
| 9.3. Since the publication of the 1996
statistical bulletin in the recorded crime series, the initial findings from the 1996
Scottish Crime Survey (SCS) have been published. The Scottish Crime Survey is a large
scale household survey of public experiences and perceptions of crime, based on interviews
with over 5,000 adults across Scotland. The 1996 SCS relates to crimes reported to have
occurred during the calendar year 1995. |
| 9.4. A summary of the main findings from the
1996 SCS (and earlier sweeps of the survey) are detailed below. Like the recorded crime
series, the SCS cannot provide a complete picture of crime in Scotland. The SCS does not
collect information about crimes committed against public or corporate bodies and
individuals not resident in households. Information on those aged less than 16 is limited
to the age range 12 to 15 and is not as comprehensive as the information for those aged 16
or over. Furthermore, the SCS is dependent on the willingness of respondents to take part
in the survey and to remember incidents and report them accurately. Finally, the SCS
results, like those from any sample survey, are also subject to sampling error. |
| 9.5. The main findings from the 1996 SCS are
summarised in bullet form below. Further details can be found in Crime and Criminal
Justice Research Findings No. 16 "The 1996 Scottish Crime Survey : First
Results", which was published in September 1997. |
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