Increase in firearms crimes, but total still second lowest on record

Firearms crimes have risen in Scotland, figures show, although numbers were still the second lowest on record.

Police recorded 341 offences in which a firearm was alleged to have been involved in 2019-20 – a rise of 3% from 332 the previous year.

However the Scottish Government report said the total for 2018-19 was “the lowest since records began in 1980, with the 341 offences in 2019-20 the second lowest”.

There was one homicide involving the use of a firearm in 2019-20 – down from three the previous year.

Attempted murders involving a firearm fell from nine in 2018-19 to seven the following year, with two serious assaults involving a firearm in each year.

The number of robberies involving a firearms increased from 29 in 2018-19 to 39.

The most common offence was possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life or commit crime, with 112 offences recorded in 2019-20 – up from 104 the previous year.

In more than half (55%) of the alleged crimes where a firearm was involved, it was used to threaten someone.

In 12% of cases they were fired with no injury or damage caused, but 9% of cases where weapons were fired resulted in injury.

Of the 34 people injured – either fatally or non-fatally – in a firearms incident in 2019-20, 27 were men and seven were women.

The data for 2015-16 to 2018-19 showed that air weapons were the most likely firearms to be used, but this changed in 2019-20 to pistols or revolvers.

A total of 71 firearms offences in 2019-20 involved an air weapon, a fall of 22% from 91 the previous year.

Pistols or revolvers were used in 95 offences – up by 83% from the previous year’s total of 52.

Offences involving shotguns (31), unidentified firearms (37) and imitation firearms (38) all fell, the data showed.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The use of firearms in criminal activity continued to constitute only a small proportion of all offences recorded by the police in 2019-20.

“In 2018-19 and 2019-20, offences in which a firearm is alleged to have been involved are the lowest and second lowest on record respectively since 1980. Although there was a small increase of nine offences from 2018-19 to 2019-20, the most serious offences such as homicide and attempted homicide decreased in this period.”