Recent figures from Scotland’s Chief Statistician have revealed that the number of homicides in Scotland fell to their lowest on record last year.
These findings were contained in the publication, Homicide in Scotland, 2015-16, which provides information on crimes of homicide recorded by the police in Scotland in 2015-16.
Key statistics revealed by the report include:
The report also reveals that a sharp instrument remains the most common method of killing in Scotland and accounted for 51% of homicides (or 29) in 2015-16. Nearly all these cases (26 out of 29) involve a knife. While most of the accused had an unknown status for alcohol and drugs, 31% (or 20 people) were apparently identified by the police as being under the influence of alcohol or alcohol and drugs.
In the past year (2014-15 to 2015-16) there has been a 5% decrease in crimes of handling an offensive weapon and a fall of 69% since 2006-07, while the number of young people under 19 convicted of handling an offensive weapon fell from 811 in 2006-07, down to 146 in 2014-15.
The average custodial sentence length for handling offensive weapons has tripled over the last ten years, from 118 days in 2005-06 to 370 days in 2014-15, and earlier this year the Government increased the maximum custodial sentence available to the courts for handling offensive weapons and knife possession offences from four to five years.
The Scottish Government says that since 2006-07 it has invested more than £10.5 million in a range of violence reduction programmes during which time non-sexual violent crime has more than halved (down 52%) – including a 45% fall in serious assault and attempted murder - and is at its second lowest level since 1974. This is supported by the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey, which shows a 41% fall between 2008-09 and 2014-15 in the number of violent incidents experienced by the people of Scotland (including those not reported to the police).
"We welcome the fall in homicides to the lowest level recorded in modern times but we must never forget the impact a homicide has on the victims' family, friends and on their communities,” commented Deputy Chief Constable Johnny Gwynne. “We are committed to working with partners to ensure that prevention work through education and community initiatives continues across the country to endeavour, with the support of communities, to drive these figures down even further.”
If you have been charged with a criminal offence, including homicide, then contact our expert criminal defence lawyers today.