nature of crime

• How is crime in Scotland decreasing

  • Crimes against society has decreased
  • Crime is close to a record low
  • Damage and reckless behaviour is down
• One way that highlights why crime is an increasing problem is the fact that non-sexual crimes of violence have increased

  • In recent years the number of crimes in society that are violent in nature but not sexual such as common assault, murder etc have increased
  • For example, according to the government non-sexual violent crime has increased around 1% in the last 10 years.
• One way that highlights why crime is an increasing problem is the fact that sexual crimes have increased 

  • In recent years the number of crimes in society that counted as sexual crimes such as rape, sexual assault etc have gone up
  • For example, according to the government sexual crimes have increased around 70% in the last 10 years
• One further way that highlights why crime is an increasing problem is that crimes of dishonesty have increased

  • In the latest statistics on crime in Scotland it shows that crimes such as fraud, embezzlement, and shoplifting have been going up
  • For example, in recent years these kinds of crimes have gone up around 11%
• How is crime an increasing problem in Scotland

  • Crimes of dishonesty have increased
  • Sexual crimes have increased
  • Non-sexual crimes of violence have increased
• One way that highlights why crime is a decreasing problem is the fact that crimes against society has decreased

  • In recent years crimes such as drug and weapon offences included in this category have fallen
  • For example, this category of crime has fallen by around 3% in recent years
• One way that shows that crime is a decreasing problem in Scotland is the fact that crime is at a near record low

  • Scotland used to have a reputation as one of the most violent and dangerous countries in the developed well has now seen major decreases in level of crime
  • For example, since the 1990s crime has fallen from over 600,000 to less than 300,000 by 2022/23
• A final way that shows that crime is less of a problem in Scotland is the fact that damage & reckless behaviour is down

  • This category of crime includes offences such as wilful fire raising, vandalism and reckless conduct which has seen a decrease in the last decade
  • For example, since 2013/14 this category has decreased by 21%
• How is crime a decreasing problem in Scotland

  • Damage and reckless behaviour is down
  • Crime is at a near low record
  • Crimes against society has decreased
• What are types of crime

  • Violent crime
  • White collar crime
  • Hate crime
• One type of crime is violent crime

  • A violent crime is when someone physically hurts or threatens to hurt someone. This also includes crimes where weapons are used
  • For example, murder is the most extreme form of violent crime and carries a mandatory life sentence for perpetrators in Scotland found guilty of it
• Another type of crime is white collar crime

  • White collar crime is a type of non violent crime committed through deceptive practices for the purpose of financial gain
  • For example, in 2022 the number of high value fraud cases taken to court in Scotland had increased more than 400%
• Another type of crime is hate crime

  • Hate crime is any offence motivated hostility or prejudice based on race, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity
  • For example, in 2023/24, the total number of charges for hate crime was 5992