Number of homicides in Scotland at lowest level since records began

The number of homicides across Scotland has more than halved in the last 15 years, with the figure being the lowest its been since records began in 1976.

The latest official data, released on Tuesday, show 53 people were victims of homicide in 2021/22, six less than the previous year, and down 54% over the past 15 years.

Of the victims in the last year, 70% (37) were male and 30% (16) were female.

More than half of the female victims (56%) were killed by a partner or ex-partner.

In the last year, 47% (25) of homicide victims were killed with a sharp instrument, with 88% of those cases involving a knife.

Just under a fifth (17%) were killed by kicking and hitting, and 2% were killed by a firearm.

A total of 70% of homicides this year happened in a residential setting, with 25% occurring in a public place outdoors, and 6% in a public place indoors.

For the purposes of the data, homicide relates to cases of murder or culpable homicide. Scottish Government data said for all victims in 2021/22, the associated case was solved.

A total of 63 people were accused of homicide in the last year: 61 men and two women.

Commenting on the figures, 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.

“However, every death caused by homicide is a tragedy that leaves grieving families and friends in its wake, which is why tackling all forms of violent crime continues to be a top priority for this Government.

“We are continuing to make considerable investment in supporting prevention work with people of all ages and ensuring Scotland’s law enforcement agencies and courts have the resources to deal with those who harm others.

“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.

“We remain committed to working closely with both the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) and Police Scotland to support the delivery of the Joint Policing Strategy to ensure we continue to have a safe, protected and resilient Scotland.”

Assistant Chief Constable Bex Smith said: “Every homicide is a tragedy and our thoughts are always with the families who have lost a loved one.

“Each homicide investigation is unique and presents its own challenges. Our officers work tirelessly and diligently to solve every murder, and the 100% detection rate for homicides in Scotland is evidence of this commitment.

“As a national service, we are able to bring the expertise of local, national and specialist resources to provide the best possible service and support to victims and witnesses of crime across all of Scotland’s communities.

“Our officers will continue to work hard to prevent and reduce violent crime and the impact it has on our communities, and to ensure Scotland remains a safe place to live.”

Last month, official figures showed the number of domestic abuse-related charges reported to prosecutors fell slightly last year, though they were at their second highest level in six years.

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) data showed that in 2021-22, 32,776 charges with a domestic abuse identifier were reported to it.

This was 1.9% down on the 2020-21 total of 33,425 but was the second highest number of charges reported since 2015-16.

The data showed there were 12 murder or culpable homicide charges with a domestic abuse identifier, a further 564 serious assault or attempted murder charges and 682 rape or attempted rape charges.

In 2021-22, 1,790 charges were reported under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 which came into force on April 1 2019, creating a new statutory offence of engaging in a course of behaviour which is abusive of a partner or ex-partner.

The Scottish Government said this year, it has provided partners with more than £2 million for ongoing, new violence prevention activity across Scotland, including an increase of 14% to the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit’s budget.