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Publication - Statistics

Criminal Proceedings in Scotland: 2023-2024

Published
9 December 2025
Directorate
Safer Communities Directorate, +1 more … Justice Directorate
Topic
Law and order, Public safety and emergencies

Statistics on criminal proceedings in Scottish courts and alternative measures to prosecution, 2014-2015 to 2023-2024.

Part of

Supporting documents

11. Police disposals

(Tables 17, 18a, 18b, 18c and 19)

Police disposal types

When dealing with minor offences, the police may choose not to refer an individual to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) which may lead to court. Instead, they may issue a recorded police warning (RPW), an Anti-Social Behaviour Fixed Penalty Notice (ASBFPN) or another action specifically for juveniles such as Early and Effective Interventions (EEIs). Juveniles are defined as those that have attained the age of criminal responsibility but remain under 18.

High-level summary

Of the 30,490 police disposals issued in 2023-24:

Chart 15. Recorded Police Warnings make up almost four-fifths of police disposals.

Police Scotland disposals, by type, 2023-24.

A bar chart showing the relative proportions of different police disposals in 2023-24. These were: Recorded Police Warnings (77%) and Anti-Social Behaviour Fixed Penalty Notices (14%). All other police disposals made up the remaining 9%.

Year-on-year change

Between 2022-23 and 2023-24:

  • the number of police disposals issued decreased by 3% to 30,490
  • the number of RPWs increased by 11% to 23,583
  • the number of ASBFPNs decreased by 13% to 4,123
  • the number of EEIs decreased by 48% to 2,642 following a change in how these types of disposals are recorded by police

Change over the 10-year span

Between 2014-15 and 2023-24:

  • police disposals decreased by 43%, from 53,272 to 30,490
  • ASBFPNs decreased by 90% and were the largest driver of the overall decline in police disposals

Breakdown by offence type

In 2023-24:

  • RPWs were mostly issued for Drugs - Possession (6,805, or 29%), Threatening and abusive behaviour (5,964 or 25%) and Common assault (3,607 or 15%) (Chart 16)
  • ASBFPNs were mostly issued for Breach of the peace etc. (1,947 or 47%), Consuming alcohol in a public place (1,033 or 25%) and Urinating etc (765 or 19%) (Chart 17)

Chart 16. The most common crime types Recorded Police Warnings were issued for were Drugs possession, Threatening and abusive behaviour and Common assault.

Recorded Police Warnings issued by Police Scotland, by crime type, 2023-24.

A bar chart showing the number of Recorded Police Warnings by crime category in 2023-24. Ordered from most to least these were: Drugs - Possession (6,805), Threatening and abusive behaviour (5,964), Common assault (3,607), Shoplifting (2,226), Other theft (1,155), Vandalism (951), Drunkenness and other disorderly conduct (700) and Fraud (372).

Chart 17. The most common offence Anti-Social Behaviour Fixed Penalty Notices were issued for was Breach of the peace etc.

Anti-Social Behaviour Fixed Penalty Notices (ASBFPNs) issued by Police Scotland, by offence type, 2023-24.

A bar chart showing the number of ASBFPNs by crime category in 2023-24. Ordered from most to least these were: Breach of the peace etc. (1,947), Consuming alcohol in a public place (1,033), Urinating etc. (765), Refusing to leave licensed premises (127), Vandalism (108) and Drunk & incapable (90).

Breakdown by sex

In 2023-24:

  • males received 71% of all RPWs
  • males received 83% of all ASBFPNs

Points to note

There are other types of police measures not included in these statistics such as Fixed Penalty Notices for coronavirus restrictions, moving road traffic offences and other youth justice measures. A more detailed listing of the disposals available in this publication can be seen in Annex D.

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