Crime

Factors including poverty, neglect, low self-esteem,

alcohol and drug abuse can be connected to why
people break the law. Some are at risk of offending
because of their circumstances.
Part of

Modern Studies

Crime, law and the justice system

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Nature of Crime

Crime statistics

Total change from 2015-2016 to

Type of crime
2016-2017

Non-Sexual
6,775 to 7,164
Violence

Sexual Violence 10,273 to 10,822

Dishonesty 115,789 to 113,205

Vandalism 54,226 to 52,514

Property crime includes the following exclusive

groups: -

 vandalism, including motor vehicle and property

vandalism
 motor vehicle theft-related incidents
 housebreaking
 other household thefts including bicycle theft
 personal theft excluding robbery
Violent crime includes: -

 assault
 robbery
Crime statistics

Recorded crime is at its lowest level since 1974. The

level of crime in Scotland has fallen in recent years,
with 238,651 crimes recorded by the police in
2016/17. In the last ten years crime has decreased
by 43%.

In 2014/15, 14.5% of people in Scotland were victims

of crime. This is the lowest number of recorded
crimes in the country in over 40 years.

Crimes of dishonesty, eg theft, are the most common

and accounted for 47% of the total figure. The next
most common type of crime was vandalism/fire-
raising which accounted for 22% of the total.

There were 105 homicides and 7,164 non-sexual

violent crimes in Scotland in 2016/17, which half the
amount recorded ten years earlier. This suggests the
view that violence in Scotland is common is
incorrect, as only around 3% of all crime involved
violence.

In 2016/17 there was a ‘clear up’ rate of 50% of

crimes within Scotland the lowest rate for five years.

All statistics in this section are from the Scottish

government unless otherwise stated.

Care must always be taken when drawing

conclusions from crime statistics. Only crimes which
are reported are recorded, not crimes which have
been committed. An increase in crime may reflect
the fact that the police are catching more criminals
and not that more crime is taking place. The
opposite is also true.

An increase in crime statistics may reflect more

confidence in the police by the public. Crimes such
as racial attacks and sexual assault may be on the
increase but again these figures may be down to
more public confidence in the criminal justice
system to report them.

All statistics in this section are from the Scottish

Government

Causes of Crime
Sign prohibiting drinking in the street

The Oxford Dictionary defines a crime as an action

or omission which constitutes an offence and is
punishable by law. A crime is a fact, a matter of law
and it is not an opinion. As society changes, some
actions which used to be criminal are no longer so.
Likewise some actions which were legal can become
prohibited.

An example of this is the introduction of by-laws

which allow local authorities to prohibit drinking in
designated public places. Laws are made by the
politicians we elect democratically - we may not
agree with the law but there are democratic
opportunities to change it.

In a democratic society someone charged with a

crime has the opportunity to defend him/herself. He
or she will be deemed innocent until proven guilty by
a criminal court. Punishments traditionally reflect
the seriousness of the crime, the most serious are
those which involve violence and/or loss of life.

The causes of crime are complex. Poverty, parental

neglect, low self-esteem, alcohol and drug abuse can
be connected to why people break the law. Some are
at greater risk of becoming offenders because of the
circumstances into which they are born.

Individualist and collectivist approach

Individualists tend to focus on personal weakness as

the reason a crime is committed. If someone
chooses to offend, that is their responsibility and if
caught, they should suffer the consequences.
Individualists believe that if punishments were
stronger and the police and courts had more powers,
there would be less crime.

Collectivists feel that society is unequal and some

people are at greater risk of being influenced by
criminal behaviour, often through the actions of
parents or friends.
In order to tackle crime, collectivists feel that social
conditions which create the catalyst for crime need
to be addressed. This could be through better
housing, improved employment opportunities and a
more equal society to make crime less of an
attraction. If people are in work and are content with
life they will be less likely to break the law.

Most recent governments at a UK and Scottish level

see merit in both the individualist and collectivist
beliefs and accept that there are underlying causes
of crime. But individuals also need to accept
responsibility for their actions. It is the government’s
job to tackle crime, both its causes and the
offenders. Former Prime Minister David Cameron said
the government must think hard about dealing with
the causes of crime not just the results of crime.

Who commits crime?

Statistics show that some groups of people are more

likely to commit crime than others. People are more
likely to commit crime if they are: -

 Younger - The peak age for criminal convictions

is 21-25 for males and 26-30 for females. For
offences (minor crimes, eg breach of the peace) the
peak age is lower for both males and females.
 Male - The majority of crime (73 per cent) is
committed by men. Almost all violent crime is
committed by men.
 Living in an urban area - The majority of crime
happens in cities, particularly in city centres at
weekends or in areas with poorer quality housing.
In Scotland in 2012/13, 116,623 people were taken to
court. This was a seven per cent decrease on the
previous year and the lowest level since 2003/04. Of
those taken to court, 100,964 were found guilty of a
crime (87 per cent of the total).

Who is affected by crime?

The chances of being a victim of a crime are not the

same for every person. People from some groups are
more likely to be victims of crime than others.

Young people face a higher risk of being a victim of

crime compared to older people. The Scottish Crime
and Justice Survey shows: -

 16.9 per cent of adults aged 16 or over were the

victim of at least one crime in 2012/13
 24 per cent of 16-24 year olds were victims of
crime
 only 9 per cent of those aged 60 or older were
victims of crime
The risk of being a victim of violent crime also
decreases with age: -

 8 per cent for 16-24 year olds

 0.5 per cent of those aged over 60 years
The risk of being a victim of any crime was slightly
higher for males than for females. 18 per cent of
males had been the victim of at least one crime in
2011/12 compared with 16 per cent of females.
Around 4 per cent of males experienced violent
crime in 2011/12 compared to only 2 per cent of
women.

The risk of being the victim of crime was much

greater for people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

When and where crime happens

45 per cent of all property crimes took place

immediately outside the home. In contrast, violent
crime happened in a number of locations including in
or around a pub, bar or club (12 per cent) and in or
near the victim's place of work (32 per cent).

54 per cent of all property crime took place on a

weekday and 33 per cent took place at the weekend.
In contrast, 49 per cent of violent crime took place
at the weekend.

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The consequences of crime

Individuals

Crime has a range of effects on victims and their

families. Those affected may be hurt emotionally,
physically and/or financially. The effects can be
worse if the crime involves violence.

Communities

Communities which experience higher levels of

crime are also adversely affected. Apart from people
being frightened inside or outside their own home,
property prices are affected and homeowners can
find it more difficult to sell their property. Crime has
an impact on home insurance premiums. New
businesses may avoid the area and existing
businesses may close down due to crime such as
repeated theft, vandalism or having too few
customers as a result.

The cost of crime to businesses

Crimes such as shoplifting and fraud cost businesses

in the UK billions of pounds each year. In 2015, the
cost of business crime in Scotland was over £5
billion.

Increasingly thieves are moving away from more

traditional crimes such as robberies and are instead
looking to use the internet to commit crime.
Cybercrime mainly involves stealing highly
confidential information. Access to this type of
information can result in thieves stealing vast
amounts of money.

Certain UK companies such as banks, insurance

companies and energy suppliers have recently been
the victims of internet crime. Altogether, at least a
third of all crime relating to business is connected to
the internet.
To prevent cybercrime, the Scottish and UK
governments have set up special internet crime
units. Working alongside businesses, the Scottish
Business Crime Centre aims to use the latest ICT
security technology to catch internet thieves.

Paying for crime

The cost of policing in Scotland in 2015 was £1.75

billion. Both the Scottish and UK governments spend
billions of pounds dealing with the consequences of
crime. To do this, government must either increase
taxes or spend more from the tax revenues (money)
they already collect. Therefore, if crime levels rise,
there will be less money for education and
healthcare.

Crime also costs through higher prices in shops for

good and services. If businesses are losing money to
crime they pass this cost on to shoppers by
increasing prices.

The London Riots 2011

In August 2011, London and other parts of England

experienced some of the worst street riots in more
than 50 years. Tens of millions of pounds of damage
was done to property, with several people injured.
The deaths of two people have been linked to the
riots in the city.
The Independent Riots, Communities and Victims
Panel conducted an enquiry after the riots. It
concluded that the factors responsible for what
happened in London and elsewhere in 2011 were
complicated.

However, the report of the panel did not find most of

those arrested were gang members. The majority of
rioters were under 24 years old, with poor academic
records and at the bottom of society. ‘Poor
parenting’ and the inability to change their lives for
the better were noted as contributing factors. Some
crimes committed were carried out by opportunists -
people taking advantage of the disorder.

The report went on to make a series of

recommendations including encouraging the
government to develop strategies incorporating the
principles of the Troubled Families Programme to
help ‘forgotten families’ turn their lives around.

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Case study: The misuse of drugs

A variety of different drugs and substances

The Scottish Government estimates that 40-60,000
children may be affected by parental drug misuse.
Immediate effects include children being at risk of
neglect and of emotional and physical abuse. Long-
term risks also include poor physical and mental
health.

Growing up in a household where parents are using

drugs and alcohol can seriously affect the life
chances of the child.

Many young people from all social backgrounds and

parts of the country experiment and take drugs
including tobacco, alcohol and cannabis for a variety
of reasons.

The key factors determining whether people

experiment with drugs appear to be early years
experiences, family relationships and
circumstances, as well as parental attitudes and
behaviours.

The Misuse of Drugs Act

The Misuse of Drugs Act states a number of offences

including: -

 the possession of a controlled substance

unlawfully with or without intent to supply it
 the supply or offer to supply a controlled drug
 allowing premises you occupy or manage to be
used for the purposes of drug taking
Class A, B and C are controlled substances, with
Class A considered to be the most harmful and
serious.

Drug classification and penalties

Penalties Penalties for

Classes Drugs for dealing possession
in drugs of drugs

Ecstasy, LSD,
Up to life
heroin, cocaine, Up to seven
in prison
crack, magic years in
or an
Class A mushrooms, prison or an
unlimited
amphetamines (if unlimited
fine or
prepared for fine or both
both
injection)

Up to 14
Amphetamines, years in Up to five
methylphenidate prison or years in
Class B (Ritalin), an prison or an
pholcodine, unlimited unlimited
cannabis, ketamine fine or fine or both
both

Class C Tranquilisers, some Up to 14 Up to two

Drug classification and penalties

Penalties Penalties for

Classes Drugs for dealing possession
in drugs of drugs

years in
years in
painkillers, gamma prison, an
prison or an
hydroxybutyrate unlimited
unlimited
(GHB) fine or
fine or both
both

The Police Service of Scotland has special powers to

stop, detain and search people under the reasonable
suspicion that they are in possession of a controlled
drug. Scotland's only Drug Court is based in
Glasgow. It targets those with serious, long-term
drug problems to help them recover from addiction
and rebuild their lives.

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