Publication - Statistics
Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2019-20
A total of 85,726 people were proceeded against in Scottish criminal courts in 2019-20, a fall of 4% from 89,725 proceedings in 2018-19 The number of convictions was 75,251 in 2019-20, which is also a fall of 4% from 78,488 in 2018-19. This continues the general downward trend of the last ten years,
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Table 2(a) People proceeded against in court by main crime/offence and outcome of court proceedings, 2019-20[1]
| Main crime or offence | PNGA[2,3] or deserted [4] | Acquitted not guilty | Acquitted not proven | Charge proved | Total | Not proven as % of all acquitted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All crimes and offences | 5,381 | 4,055 | 1,039 | 75,251 | 85,726 | 20 |
| All crimes | 2,719 | 1,544 | 514 | 28,033 | 32,810 | 25 |
| Non-sexual crimes of violence | 270 | 465 | 177 | 2,142 | 3,054 | 28 |
| Homicide etc | 2 | 10 | 6 | 81 | 99 | 38 |
| Attempted murder and serious assault | 164 | 354 | 138 | 1,298 | 1,954 | 28 |
| Robbery | 76 | 42 | 22 | 410 | 550 | 34 |
| Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act | 5 | 32 | 3 | 206 | 246 | 9 |
| Other non-sexual crimes of violence | 23 | 27 | 8 | 147 | 205 | 23 |
| Sexual crimes | 73 | 266 | 157 | 1,204 | 1,700 | 37 |
| Rape and attempted rape | 1 | 95 | 74 | 130 | 300 | 44 |
| Sexual assault | 14 | 96 | 60 | 305 | 475 | 38 |
| Crimes associated with prostitution | 10 | 18 | 1 | 45 | 74 | 5 |
| Other sexual crimes | 48 | 57 | 22 | 724 | 851 | 28 |
| Crimes of dishonesty | 832 | 198 | 43 | 9,076 | 10,149 | 18 |
| Housebreaking | 76 | 19 | 17 | 796 | 908 | 47 |
| Theft by opening lockfast places | 11 | 1 | 1 | 111 | 124 | 50 |
| Theft from a motor vehicle | 7 | 5 | - | 89 | 101 | - |
| Theft of a motor vehicle | 61 | 20 | 2 | 200 | 283 | 9 |
| Shoplifting | 366 | 17 | 1 | 5,395 | 5,779 | 6 |
| Other theft | 200 | 86 | 8 | 1,460 | 1,754 | 9 |
| Fraud | 43 | 25 | 7 | 410 | 485 | 22 |
| Other dishonesty | 68 | 25 | 7 | 615 | 715 | 22 |
| Fire-raising, vandalism, etc. | 187 | 118 | 20 | 1,693 | 2,018 | 14 |
| Fire-raising | 13 | 6 | 6 | 121 | 146 | 50 |
| Vandalism etc. | 174 | 112 | 14 | 1,572 | 1,872 | 11 |
| Other crimes | 1,357 | 497 | 117 | 13,918 | 15,889 | 19 |
| Crimes against public justice | 644 | 243 | 45 | 7,652 | 8,584 | 16 |
| Handling offensive weapons | 143 | 147 | 47 | 1,735 | 2,072 | 24 |
| Drugs | 567 | 106 | 23 | 4,430 | 5,126 | 18 |
| Other crime | 3 | 1 | 2 | 101 | 107 | 67 |
| All offences | 2,662 | 2,511 | 525 | 47,218 | 52,916 | 17 |
| Miscellaneous offences | 1,592 | 1,990 | 470 | 21,538 | 25,590 | 19 |
| Common assault | 778 | 1,168 | 284 | 8,301 | 10,531 | 20 |
| Breach of the peace etc. | 695 | 703 | 152 | 11,449 | 12,999 | 18 |
| Drunkenness and other disorderly conduct | 3 | 1 | - | 31 | 35 | - |
| Urinating etc. | 5 | - | - | 2 | 7 | - |
| Other miscellaneous | 111 | 118 | 34 | 1,755 | 2,018 | 22 |
| Motor vehicle offences | 1,070 | 521 | 55 | 25,680 | 27,326 | 10 |
| Dangerous and careless driving | 101 | 190 | 25 | 3,360 | 3,676 | 12 |
| Driving under the influence | 39 | 78 | 18 | 3,385 | 3,520 | 19 |
| Speeding | 76 | 20 | 1 | 9,171 | 9,268 | 5 |
| Unlawful use of motor vehicle | 583 | 36 | 3 | 6,285 | 6,907 | 8 |
| Vehicle defect offences | 64 | 9 | - | 1,067 | 1,140 | - |
| Seat belt offences | 7 | 1 | - | 173 | 181 | - |
| Mobile phone offences | 28 | 70 | 3 | 463 | 564 | 4 |
| Other motor vehicle offences | 172 | 117 | 5 | 1,776 | 2,070 | 4 |
1. Excludes people against whom proceedings are started but which are dropped before they reach court.
2. Plea of not guilty accepted.
3. Includes cases where proceedings are dropped after a person has been called to court, e.g. if witnesses fail to attend.
4. Deserted simpliciter i.e. trial is permanently abandoned by the Procurator Fiscal.
Contact
Email: Justice_Analysts@gov.scot
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