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General
5.1 The number of offences recorded by the police in 2000 totalled 500,000, a decrease of 4,900 cases, equivalent to a decrease of 1 per cent (Table 2).
Miscellaneous offences
5.2 The number of miscellaneous offences increased by 2 per cent from 151,000 in 1999 to 154,000 in 2000. Within this total, recorded cases of petty assault rose by 760 to 54,800 in 2000, an increase of 1 per cent. Offences of breach of the peace fell by 1 per cent from 71,000 in 1999 to 70,000 in 2000. Recorded cases of drunkenness rose by less than one half of one per cent to total 7,800 in 2000, an increase of 25 from 1999. The number of offences in the "other" sub-group (minor statutory offences) increased by 3,000 (17 per cent) to reach 21,300, remaining below the peak year in 1997 (23,100).
Offences of racially aggravated harassment and racially aggravated conduct
5.3 Sections 50A(1)(a) and 50A(1)(b) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation)(Scotland) Act 1995 introduced two new offences of racially aggravated harassment and racially aggravated conduct. These sections of the Act came into force on 30 September 1998. Table G below presents the numbers of these offences recorded by the police from 1 January 2000. The table shows a considerable increase in the use of this legislation by police to combat racist behaviour.
| Racially aggravated offences 1 (including harassment and conduct) by police force area, 1999 - 2000 | Table G |
| Police force area | 1999 | 2000 | ||||
| Racially aggravated harrassment | Racially aggravated conduct | Total | Racially aggravated harrassment | Racially aggravated conduct | Total | |
| Central |
- | - | - |
33 | 1 | 34 |
| Dumfries & Galloway |
- | - | - |
1 | 1 | 2 |
| Fife |
8 | 30 | 38 |
12 | 108 | 120 |
| Grampian |
5 | 20 | 25 |
- | - | - |
| Lothian & Borders |
- | - | - |
4 | 32 | 36 |
| Northern |
- | - | - |
12 | 10 | 22 |
| Strathclyde |
30 | 172 | 202 |
114 | 438 | 552 |
| Tayside |
63 | 58 | 121 |
56 | 95 | 151 |
| Scotland |
106 | 280 | 386 | 232 |
685 | 917 |
1. Data collected with effect from 1 January 1999.
Motor vehicle offences
5.4 The number of motor vehicle offences recorded in 2000 fell from 353,000 in 1999 to 346,000 in 2000, a decrease of 2 per cent. This was largely attributable to the decreases in the number of speeding offences (down 7 per cent to 116,800) and vehicle defect offences (down 9 per cent to 48,300). There was a decrease of 1,700 in the number of cases of dangerous and careless driving which fell by 12 per cent to 12,300. Drunk driving offences fell by 1 per cent (109 cases) to total 10,700 in 2000.
5.5 The number of cases of unlawful use of a vehicle totalled 85,200 in 2000, an increase of 9 per cent. Other motor vehicle offences fell by less than one half of one per cent to total 72,500 in 2000.
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