To ask the Scottish Executive how many crimes of assault (a) were reported, (b) were proceeded against and (c) had a charge proved in each of the last five years, broken down by police force area.
Information on crimes reported to (as opposed to recorded by) the police is not available centrally. The available information on the number of crimes of serious assault recorded by the police and on the number of persons proceeded against is given in the tables. Statistics dealing with recorded crime and court proceedings are not directly comparable as a person may be proceeded against for more than one crime involving more than one victim, and a crime may be recorded in one year and proceedings taken in a subsequent year. Charges recorded by the police may also be altered as a result of the judicial process.
Number of Crimes of Serious Assault1 Recorded by the Police, by Police Force Area, 1998-2003
Police Force Area | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
Central | 216 | 209 | 197 | 252 | 260 | 270 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 78 | 63 | 64 | 99 | 122 | 135 |
Fife | 89 | 184 | 278 | 272 | 284 | 283 |
Grampian | 337 | 414 | 388 | 301 | 311 | 352 |
Lothian and Borders | 853 | 874 | 786 | 740 | 792 | 704 |
Northern | 133 | 152 | 245 | 215 | 225 | 198 |
Strathclyde | 3,874 | 4,154 | 4,056 | 4,371 | 4,472 | 4,571 |
Tayside | 256 | 273 | 218 | 223 | 219 | 170 |
Scotland | 5,836 | 6,323 | 6,232 | 6,473 | 6,685 | 6,683 |
Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts for Serious Assault1,2, 1998-2002
Police Force Area | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 20024 |
Total number proceeded against: | | | | | |
Central | 73 | 88 | 87 | 83 | 108 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 42 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 49 |
Fife | 80 | 76 | 67 | 98 | 118 |
Grampian | 93 | 117 | 88 | 76 | 85 |
Lothian and Borders | 177 | 195 | 197 | 224 | 293 |
Northern | 47 | 43 | 58 | 47 | 46 |
Strathclyde | 695 | 774 | 726 | 834 | 626 |
Tayside | 124 | 123 | 153 | 143 | 152 |
Scotland | 1,331 | 1,444 | 1,4073 | 1,533 | 1,477 |
Police Force Area | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
Number with charge proved: | | | | | |
Central | 56 | 63 | 58 | 52 | 80 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 29 | 26 | 23 | 25 | 38 |
Fife | 57 | 55 | 51 | 70 | 94 |
Grampian | 72 | 90 | 66 | 62 | 71 |
Lothian and Borders | 139 | 135 | 152 | 167 | 218 |
Northern | 37 | 34 | 53 | 40 | 41 |
Strathclyde | 498 | 544 | 486 | 548 | 559 |
Tayside | 80 | 79 | 92 | 89 | 109 |
Scotland | 968 | 1,026 | 9823 | 1,053 | 1,210 |
Notes:
1. Contraventions of Scottish criminal law are divided for statistical purposes into crimes and offences. The term "crime" is generally used for the more serious criminal acts; the less serious are termed "offences". An assault is classified as serious if the victim sustained an injury resulting in detention in hospital as an in-patient or any of the following injuries whether or not he was detained in hospital: fractures, concussion, internal injuries, crushing, severe cuts or lacerations or severe general shock requiring medical treatment. Incidents not satisfying this definition are classed as offences of petty assault and are not included in the tables.
2. Where main offence.
3 One case where the force is unknown included in total.
4. Figures may be underestimates due to time taken to record court disposals on SCRO.