Homicide in Scotland 2019-2020: statistics

Key Points

This bulletin presents statistics on crimes of homicide recorded by the police in Scotland in 2019-20. Statistics are presented on the number of homicide cases recorded in Scotland, where a single case of homicide is counted for each crime involving Murder or Culpable homicide (common law), irrespective of the number of victims or accused. This bulletin also presents victim and accused data, the circumstances associated with the homicide, and additional details relating to the method, motive and relationship between the victim and the accused.

• Between 2018-19 and 2019-20, the number of homicide cases recorded by the police in Scotland increased by 3% (or two cases) from 62 to 64 (Table 1). This remains one of the lowest number of recorded homicide cases for a single twelve month period since 1976.
• The number of homicide cases in Scotland has remained relatively stable
  in recent years, with between 59 and 64 cases recorded each year since 2012-13.
• Over the ten year period from 2010-11 to 2019-20, the number of homicide cases in Scotland fell by 35% (34 cases) from 98 to 64 (Table 1). Glasgow City accounted for over two-fifths (41%) of this decrease in that period. In 2019-20, just under a fifth (12) of the 64 national recorded homicide cases occurred within Glasgow City (Table 2).
• In 2019-20, 64 victims of homicide were recorded, 2% (one victim) more than the 63 victims recorded in 2018-19 (Table 1). Of the 64 victims, 70% (45) were male (Table 5).
• In 2019-20, 76 persons were accused of homicide and 92% (70) of them were male (Table 6). Of the 64 cases of homicide recorded for 2019-20,
  63 were solved and one is currently unsolved (Table 1).
• For each of the last ten years, the most common method of killing was with a sharp instrument (Table 7). In 2019-20, a sharp instrument was the main method of killing for 55% (35) of homicide victims.