COPFS Fact Sheet 2
October 2016
THE CHANGING PROFILE OF CRIME REPORTED TO COPFS
1.We have carried out a statistical analysis of the changing profile of cases reported to COPFS in recent years. The main comparisons are between 2010-11 and 2015-16.
2.The broad points to note are that during this period the overall number of charges reported to COPFS fell by 15%. However, the number of sexual offence charges reported (including charges of rape and attempted rape) has increased between 2010-11 and 2015-2016. The number of domestic abuse charges reported has also increased during this same period. Conversely, the number of charges reported of violent crime, dishonesty, vandalism and motoring offences have all decreased proportionately more than the overall fall in the number of charges reported.
3.What this overall trend shows is that the cases in which we can expect to have VIA involved has increased, whilst the cases in which we would not expect VIA to be involved e have deceased. Additionally, cases which may require significant amount of precognition work and victim engagement, such as rape and other serious sexual offences, have increased whereas cases that do not require such intense preparation have decreased.
Sexual crimes
4.Around 8,000 charges covering sexual crimes were reported in 2015-16 (just over 2% of all charges reported) whereas in 2010-2011 this number was 4,300. Overall the number of sexual crime charges has increased by 84% since 2010-11. The numbers rose steadily to a peak of 8,500 in 2014-15, but fell back slightly by 6% in 2015-16.
5.Within the total, the number of charges of rape or attempted rape more than doubled, from 660 in 2010-11 to 1,720 in 2014-15, before falling back to 1,440 in 2015-16. In all of these cases a Victim Strategy will now be prepared and the victims will, of course, fall within the VIA remit.
Domestic Abuse and Stalking
6.The number of domestic abuse charges reported increased significantly between 2012-13 and 2013-14, largely as a result of changes following the creation of Police Scotland. Around 27,000 charges were reported annually in 2011-12 and 2012-13, increasing to over 36,000 in 2013-14 and 2014-15, before falling back slightly to over 34,000 in 2015-16. Victims in these cases all fall within the VIA remit.
7.Stalking cases have similarly increased significantly between 2012-13 and 2015-16. In 2012-13 there were 560 charges reported involving stalking. This increased to 1,450 in 2014-15 and to 1,640 in 2015-16. Again, victims in all of these cases fall within the remit of VIA.
Hate Crime
8.Charges reported in which there are hate crime aggravations are less clear. Charges with a racial aggravation have decreased from 4,550 in 2011-12 to 3,710 in 2015-16. Charges with a religious aggravation have decreased over the same period from 900 to 580. However, charges with a disability aggravation have increased from 60 to 200 over that period, and charges with a sexual orientation aggravation have increased from 650 to 1,020.
Contrast with Other Crimes
9.Comparison between the increase in VIA-related charges with charges which do not fall automatically within the VIA remit is instructive (it is of course recognised that victims and witnesses in these cases may fall within the VIA remit if a person is vulnerable, if it is a solemn-level offence, or if the person comes within, for example, the Older Person’s policy, however the comparison being made here is between charges that automatically fall within the VIA remit and those that do not, and those which are resource-intensive in terms of cases preparation against those which are not so resource-intensive):
- Charges involving violence have fallen by 35% since 2010-11 (from 11,000 to 7,100);
- Charges involving crimes of dishonesty have decreased by 23% since 2010-11 (61,100 to 47,100);
- Charges involving vandalism and fire-raising have decreased by 36% in this same period (15,900 to 10,200); and
- Charges involving motoring offences have decreased by 22% since 2010-11 (127,900 to 99,700).
COPFS
October 2016
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