Non-sexual violence in Scotland: report

Findings on the most up to date, complementary statistics on non-sexual violence in Scotland.

This document is part of a collection


Footnotes

1 World Health Organisation (2017: n.p.) Violence prevention Alliance: The Public Health Approach. [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/violenceprevention/approach/public_health/en/ [Accessed 21/6/2019].

2  For an overview of how these terms are used in this report see Glossary.

3  Sources include: (i) Police Recorded Crime, (ii) SCJS, (iii) Emergency Hospital Admissions due to Assault and (iv) Criminal Proceedings.

4  The SCJS gathers information from a sample of the Scottish population and, as with all samples, the results are estimates and subject to a margin of error. To indicate this uncertainty the upper and lower estimates are shown either side of the best estimate. The best estimate is the mean figure drawn from the sample. The lower and upper estimates are for the 95% confidence intervals.

5  Group 1 includes Homicide, Attempted murder & Serious assault, Robbery and other non-sexual violence.

6  Given the sensitive nature of this crime, data on Partner abuse is collected in an additional self-completion element of the SCJS, for more information on this see Section 1.3 and Annex 2.

7  Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland

8 2016-17 and 2017-18 combined to provide Police Division level results, so the national average here also relates to this two year period for the purposes of comparison.

9  This data was first collected on the current basis in 2010-2011.

 

10  Three year averages are used when analysing Homicide data in order to mitigate against large fluctuations that can occur year-on-year.

11  Includes where the method of killing was either a shooting or with a sharp or blunt instrument.

12 https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtables (Table A3)

13  2016-17 and 2017-18 combined.

14  A new statutory offence of Domestic abuse was introduced on the 1st April 2019, targeting those who engage in coercive or controlling behaviour towards their partners or ex-partners. Scottish Government statisticians will undertake a study into the characteristics of this new offence, and how it was used during its first year of operation - based on a review of crime records. This will be published in the autumn of 2020.

15  Recorded Crime 2015-16 National Statistics: Additional Analysis of Common Assault Offences

16  2016-17 and 2017-18 data combined

17  For further information, see the SCJS Methodological Note: https://www2.gov.scot/Resource/0054/00546917.pdf 

18  See Annex 2

19  2016-17 and 2017-18 combined.

20  Definition in Glossary.

21  Additional Analysis of Common Assault 2014-15 is available within Recorded Crime National Statistics

22  These figures add up to more than 100% as an assault can result in more than one injury.

23  It is important to note that individual incidents may have involved perpetrators from different age groups. For instance, a proportion of the 23% of cases involving perpetrators aged 16-24 may have also involved perpetrators from other age groups.

24  For more information please see: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Research/by-topic/crime-and-justice/publications/agegenderprofiles

25 This figure fell in 2016-17 to 87% from 98% in 2014-15. The return to 98% in 2017-18 is more in line with estimates in previous years.

26  2016-17 and 2017-18 combined

27  The remaining 1.8% refused to answer that question.

28  Additional Analysis of Common Assault 2014-15 is available within Recorded Crime National Statistics)

29  https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Research/by-topic/crime-and-justice/publications/agegenderprofiles 

30  Here ‘private space’ includes the respondent’s home, immediately outside their home (includes gardens, driveways, sheds and the street) and the homes of friends and relatives. The definition of outside the victim’s home may mean that some of these crimes could be viewed as taking part in a public setting instead – although it is not possible to separate those cases. ‘Public space’ refers to incidents taking place elsewhere.

31  Attempted murder & Serious assault within a person’s property (i.e. behind a front-door) have been defined in the report as ‘private space’ Attempted murder & Serious assault, with all other settings (including the communal areas of a residential building) defined as ‘public space’ Attempted murder & Serious assault.

32  The west of Scotland is defined as the legacy Strathclyde police force area and Argyll, or the present day police divisions of Greater Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde and Argyll and West Dunbartonshire.

33  Daytime is defined as 6am to 6pm

34  Homicide in Scotland National Statistics: 2017-18;
Recorded Crime in Scotland: Handling Offensive Weapons;
Recorded Crime in Scotland: Attempted Murder & Serious Assault, 2008-09 and 2017-18;
Recorded Crime in Scotland: Robbery, 2008-2009 and 2017-2018

35  Three year averages are used when analysing Homicide data in order to mitigate against large fluctuations that can occur year-on-year.

36  Includes where the method of killing was either a shooting or with a sharp or blunt instrument.

37  In 98% of violent incidents reported in the 2017-18 SCJS, respondents were able to provide some information about who committed the crime.

38  This figure includes incidents where a perpetrator was believed to be under the influence of both alcohol and drugs,

39   This figure includes incidents where a perpetrator was believed to be under the influence of both alcohol and drugs,

40 The apparent change in proportion is not statistically significant.

41 In 2017-18, there were 67 cases of unreported violent crime.

42  Sivarajasingam V,Page N, Wells J, et al. J Epidemiol Community Health 2016;70:616–621.

43  Unlike the main report, the data presented here do not exclude individuals who are injured as the result of a sexual offence, although such individuals may often attend specialist centres which would not be captured here.   

44  NHS Lothian Assault Injury Surveillance Programme (2014, unpublished data) 

45  https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

Contact

Email: Frances.warren@gov.scot

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