Murder and killings drop to lowest level on record
- Published
The number of murders and other killings in Scotland has dropped again to the lowest number since comparable records began in 1976.
show there were 53 recorded victims of homicide in 2021-22.
This was six fewer than the previous year, which was also a record low.
Of the 53 victims, 37 were male and 16 were female. All but two of the people accused of homicide were men, and all the associated cases were solved.
For each of the past 10 years, the most common method of killing was with a sharp instrument, most often a knife but also broken bottles, swords and sharpened screwdrivers.
In 2021-22, a sharp instrument was the main method of killing for 47% of homicide victims, with hitting and kicking being the next most common.
Homicide by shooting is relatively rare in Scotland, with one victim recorded last year. Since 2012-13 there have been 15 recorded victims of shooting, accounting for 2% of all homicide victims over this period.
The statistics showed that 61% of the male victims knew the person who killed them and 56% of the female victims were killed by a partner or ex-partner.
'Rage or fury'
The main reason for killing was described as "rage or fury and fight or quarrel", which accounted for 54% of all victims. For 21% of victims the motive was a feud or faction rivalry and in 17% the reason was unknown.
None of the homicides were reported to have a homophobic or racial motivation.
Other details revealed by the statistics included:
The median average age of victims was 42 and for the accused it was 35.
The vast majority of killings occurred in a residential property (70%), with 25% taking place outdoors and 6% in an indoor public place.
Glasgow City had the highest number of homicide victims (10), followed by South Lanarkshire and West Lothian (both with five).
The Scottish government said the number of victims had halved from the figure 15 years ago.
Justice Secretary Keith Brown said: "Scotland continues to be a safe place to live and this latest reduction in homicides is in line with the significant downward trend seen in other categories of violent crime over the past 15 years."
He added that every death caused by homicide was a tragedy and said tackling violent crime was a top priority.
"In recognition of the fact that more than half of female victims were killed by a partner or ex-partner, we are working on additional measures which will help prevent and reduce the number of homicides related to domestic abuse and give a voice to those who have been killed," Mr Brown said.
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- Published26 October 2021
