Recorded Crimes and Offences Involving Firearms, Scotland, 1998: CrJ/1999/6

4. Crimes and offences cleared up in which a firearm was alleged to have been used (Tables 11 to 12A)

Clear - up rates (Table 11)

4.1 In 1998, 44 per cent of all offences in which a firearm was alleged to have been used were cleared up (a decrease of 2 percentage points compared with 1997). The clear-up rate for offences of attempted murder increased by 13 percentage points to 68 per cent in 1998, but the clear-up rates for reckless conduct with firearms, Firearms Act offences and the Other category, all decreased considerably on their 1997 levels. However, care has to be taken when interpreting the figures in Table 11 since many of the percentages are based on very small absolute numbers.

Accused characteristics (Tables 12 and 12A)

4.2 The total number of offences cleared up, in which there was an accused, decreased by 21 per cent from 541 in 1997 to 430 in 1998. The number of offences cleared up in 1998 where the main accused was aged between 16 to 20 years decreased by 27 per cent to 128 and the number of offences cleared up where the main accused was aged 21 years or over decreased by the same extent to number 164. The majority of firearm offences involving young persons aged 15 or under (88 per cent) related to the use of an airweapon.

5. Analysis by police force area (Tables 13 and 13A)

5.1 Tables 13 and 13A detail the number and distribution of offences in which a firearm was alleged to have been used by police force area. The distribution of offences presented in Table 13 reveals quite substantial variations across forces. It is likely that the variations stem from the different characteristics of the force areas but it is also possible that differences in procedure, different force interpretation or variations in police recording practices contribute to some of the variation. For example, 50 per cent of all the offences recorded in the Lothian & Borders force area were vandalism offences compared with 24 per cent in the Strathclyde police force area.

5.2 The Strathclyde police force area which contains 44 per cent of the Scottish population, accounted for more than one half (56 per cent) of all offences in which a firearm was alleged to have been used in 1998. More specifically, 81 per cent of recorded robberies, 61 per cent of assaults but only 50 per cent of vandalism offences in which a firearm was alleged to have been used took place in Strathclyde.

6. Crimes and offences in which a firearm was stolen (Table 14)

6.1 During 1998 the Scottish police recorded 25 offences in which a firearm other than an airweapon was stolen, a decrease of 32 per cent. The 1998 figure is the lowest number recorded since 1978. The number of recorded thefts of a rifle decreased from 9 in 1997 to 2 in 1998. The number of stolen shotguns fell from 15 in 1997 to 10 in 1998, a 33 per cent decrease. The number of stolen firearms falling into the ‘Other’ category also decreased from 9 in 1997 to 7 in 1998. However, the number of recorded thefts of a pistol/revolver increased from 4 to 6 in 1998.