Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2023/24: Main findings

Executive summary

The 2023/24 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey shows around one-in-five adults (19.9%) were a victim of at least one crime covered by the headline survey. This includes property and violent crime, as well as for the first time, crimes of fraud and computer misuse. While the prevalence and volume of both property and violent crime combined have increased since 2021/22, they remain at similar levels to the pre-pandemic position in 2019/20 and below that in 2008/09.

The latest figures also show that:

• The first analysis of fraud and computer misuse suggested that one-in-ten people (9.5%) were the victim of a fraud or computer misuse crime. These crimes made up over two-fifths (44%) of all crimes in the latest year
• while most people continue to feel safe in their local communities, most measures of confidence in the police and justice system show a decline in recent years, although many remain positive overall and most are similar to the position in 2008/09

Around one-in-five adults were a victim of at least one SCJS crime

In 2023/24, four-in-five adults (80.1%) were not victims of any crime covered by the survey. The remaining one-in-five adults (19.9%) were estimated to have experienced at least one SCJS crime. For the first time, this measure includes crimes of fraud and computer misuse.

Over two-fifths of crimes in 2023/24 were fraud and computer misuse

The SCJS estimates that 1,185,000 crimes occurred in Scotland in 2023/24. For the first time, this estimate includes fraud and computer misuse.

Fraud and computer misuse are estimated to account for over two-fifths (44%) of all crimes in the latest year, with almost half of these crimes (47%) being bank and credit card fraud. Property crimes made up over a third (36%) of all crimes, with the largest categories being other household theft (32% of property crime) and vandalism (31%). Violent crimes made up the remaining fifth (20%) of all crimes, with the majority of these being minor assault (74% of violent crimes).

The victimisation rate and volume of property and violent crime has increased since 2021/22, though remain similar to the pre-pandemic position

In 2023/24, 12.1% of adults experienced at least one property or violent crime. This has decreased from 20.4% in 2008/09 but has seen an increase from 10.0% in 2021/22. However, the latest figure is not significantly different from the pre-covid position in 2019/20 (11.9%).

The estimated number of property and violent crime incidents has also increased from 494,000 in 2021/22 to 661,000 in 2023/24 (up 34%). However, the latest position remains 37% lower than 2008/09 and at a similar level to the pre-covid position in 2019/20.

More information on this topic is provided in the Overview of crime in Scotland chapter.

The estimated volume of violent and property crimes individually have both fallen over the longer term, down 27% and 41% respectively since 2008/09. Estimated violent crime increased by 73% since 2021/22 but remains at a similar level to the pre-pandemic position in 2019/20 while property crime has remained at a similar level to both 2019/20 and 2021/22.

More information on these topics are provided in the Violent crime and Property crime chapters.

The increase in violent crime is driven by more occurring in a victim’s workplace and those involving perpetrators under the age of 16

Violent crime at the victim’s workplace has steadily increased over time, from less than one in four (23%) in 2008/09 and around one in three (32%) in 2019/20; to now almost half (48%) in 2023/24. Another 25% took place in a private space, mostly in or outside the respondent’s home. Meanwhile, incidents in other public places that weren’t the victim’s workplace show a long-term fall from 45% in 2008/09 to 27% by 2023/24.

The proportion of violent crime offenders aged under 16 was 31%, which is the highest recorded by the SCJS. This is an increase from 14% in 2008/09 and 8% in 2021/22. It should be noted that this increase is based on a single year, it will be important to monitor future surveys to see if this is a new trend.

The proportion of violent crime involving drugs has risen since 2008/09, from 29% to 45%. Over the same time, the proportion of violent crime involving alcohol has fallen from 63% to 35%. There has been a substantial fall in violent crime that only involved alcohol (i.e. no drugs), from 39% of incidents in 2008/09 to only 4% by 2023/24.

More information on this topic is provided in the Violent crime chapter.

Around one-in-sixteen adults experienced over half of all SCJS crimes

The majority of adults (80.1%) did not experience any crime measured by the SCJS (including fraud and computer misuse) in 2023/24. One-in-seven adults (14.1%) were victims of a single SCJS crime. Multiple victimisation (those experiencing two or more incidents) affected 5.8% of adults (one in sixteen), who collectively experienced 55% of all SCJS crimes.

Almost one-in-ten adults were a victim of fraud or computer misuse

Around one-in-ten adults (9.5%) were a victim of at least one crime of fraud or computer misuse in 2023/24. The majority of the estimated 524,000 fraud and computer misuse crimes were fraud (456,000) with the remainder being computer misuse (68,000). Almost half (47%) of all these crimes were bank and credit card fraud with two-fifths (40%) being other types of fraud.

For fraud alone, this first analysis shows that in Scotland:

• females were more likely to be a victim than males (10.1% compared to 6.3% respectively) with no other demographic groups showing a significant difference
• there was contact between the victim and perpetrator in just over a quarter of cases (28%), with the most common means of contact being phone, email or social media (a quarter of frauds in each case)
• in over two-thirds of frauds (69%), the victim incurred the loss of money or property, with the vast majority of cases being money that was lost (97%)

More information on this topic is provided in the Fraud and computer misuse chapter.

Around one-in-five SCJS crimes were reported to the police

Around a fifth of all SCJS crimes (21%), including fraud and computer misuse, were estimated to have been reported to the police. When looking at property and violent crimes combined, 31% were reported to the police. This is unchanged from the position in 2021/22 but down from 2019/20 (40%).

Public confidence in local policing has fallen in recent years

Public views on the overall performance of the police in their local area and their effectiveness across a range of measures show mixed results – many remain broadly positive, but they have been falling in recent years.

Less than half of adults in Scotland (45%) believed the police in their local area were doing an ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ job in 2023/24. This is a decrease from 61% in 2012/13 and 49% in 2021/22.

Views on the public’s confidence in police effectiveness across a range of measures including preventing crime, responding to incidents, and supporting victims of crime were generally positive in 2023/24, but have been falling since 2014/15.

Views on whether the police treat people fairly or focus on issues important to the community are at similar levels to 2009/10 but have generally fallen since 2019/20.

More information on this topic is provided in the Public perceptions of policing chapter.

Most adults feel that crime has decreased or stayed the same and continue to feel safe in their local area

The majority of adults (71%) thought the crime rate in their local area had decreased or stayed the same in the last couple of years; although this has fallen from 76% in 2021/22 back to a similar level to the pre-covid position in 2019/20 and when the survey began in 2008/09.

Around half of adults (48%) believed that crime had increased in Scotland overall in the last two years. This is higher than the quarter of adults (25%) who thought that crime in their local area had increased over the same period. In other words, people were much less likely to say crime had been stable or fallen nationally (41%) than in their local area (71%).

Most adults felt very or fairly safe walking alone in their local area after dark (75%) and when in their home alone at night (95%). Both these measures of feelings of safety have increased from their 2008/09 baseline position, however, males continue to feel safer than females.

More information on this topic is provided in the Public perceptions of crime and safety chapter.

How does the SCJS compare to other sources on crime and victimisation?

In 2023/24, the proportion of adults in Scotland estimated to have experienced crime, including fraud and computer misuse, was higher than in England and Wales (19.9% compared to 16.1%).

Since 2008/09, property and violent crimes recorded by the police in Scotland fell by 47% while the estimate of comparable SCJS crimes fell by 46%.

More information on comparisons with the Crime Survey for England and Wales and Recorded Crime in Scotland is provided in the Comparison with other statistical sources chapter.

What other information is included in this report?

Further chapters of this report detail findings from questions relating to the wider Scottish criminal justice system and other related areas such as respondents awareness and contact with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), and perceptions of prisons and community sentences. Other findings are provided from questions on experiences of harassment and discrimination and an analysis of the veteran status of respondents.