OTHER CRIMES

'Other Crimes' is a bit of a vague category of crime: it includes the crimes which don't 'fit' into any other category including drug-related crimes, the handling of offensive weapons, crimes against public justice and 'other'.

Overall, 'Other Crimes' account for around 25% of all recorded crime in the 2018/19 stats with a 6% year-on-year increase from the 2017/18 records.

What's Included in Other Crimes?

Group 5: Other crimes

Crimes against public justice Includes:

Perjury
Resisting arrest
Bail offences (other than absconding or re-offending)
Wasting police time

Handling offensive weapons Includes:

Possession of an offensive weapon
Restriction of offensive weapons
Having in a public place an article with a blade or point
Having in prison an article with a blade or point
Possession of a firearm in a prison
Possession of an offensive weapon (not elsewhere specified) in a prison
Possession of an offensive weapon (not elsewhere specified) in a school
Having in a school an article with a blade or point
Possession of an offensive weapon used in other criminal activity
Having in a public place an article with a blade or point used in other criminal activity
Possession of an offensive weapon in a prison used in other criminal activity
Having in a prison an article with a blade or point used in other criminal activity
Possession of offensive weapon in a school used in other criminal activity
Having in a school an article with a blade or point used in other criminal activity

Drugs Includes:

Importation of drugs
Production, manufacture or cultivation of drugs
Possession and supply of controlled drugs
Related money laundering offences
Bringing drugs into prison
Psychoactive substance: production, import/export, supply or possession in custody

Other Includes:

Treason
Conspiracy
Offences relating to serious organised crime
Explosives offences
Wrecking, piracy and hijacking
Crimes against public order

The chart shows the number of Other crimes from 1971 onwards. They increased for a long period, peaking in 2006-07. Since then they have generally reduced, decreasing by 27% up to 2018-19.

More recently, there has been an increase in Other crimes, from 54,946 in 2016-17 to 62,422 in 2018-19. However almost two thirds of this rise is due to a procedural change in the recording of crimes of handling an offensive weapon..

What are 'Other Crimes'?

The chart shows the four categories within Other crimes over the last ten years, and gives an indication of the trend and scale of each category. Drugs crimes have consistently been the biggest contributor, accounting for 56% in 2018-19. A further 30% were Crimes against public justice and 14% were crimes of Handling Offensive weapons.

Trends in Drug Crimes

Drug crimes account for 56% of Other crimes. Over the ten year period from 2009-10 to 2018-19 this crime has decreased by 12%, including an 8% increase from 32,399 in 2017-18 to 34,831 in 2018-19. Over half (18) of local authorities recorded a decrease in this category over the ten year period. Between 2017-18 and 2018-19, around four fifths (25) of local authorities showed an increase.

The Worst Rate in Europe?

The stats showed that a record 1,187 people died of drug misuse in 2018, a 27% increase on the previous year.

The 2018 figures showed that Scotland's drug-related death rate was higher than all other EU countries but it needs to be said that there are recognised issues with under-reporting in some countries.

While it seems likely that the problem in many countries is worse than official figures suggest, Scotland's drug-related death rate - 218 per million of the population - is by far the highest.

It is about four times that of England and Wales, which has a rate of 51 per million, despite a 17% rise in their 2018 figures.

The statistics published by National Records of Scotland show that nearly three quarters - 72% - of those who died last year were male.

The Biggest Killers...

The vast majority of drug-related deaths - 1,021 - involved heroin, but a large percentage - 792 - had also taken pills such as diazepam and etizolam.

Most drug-related deaths in Scotland are of people who took more than one substance, so-called poly-drug use.

Opiates such as heroin and methadone are implicated in the vast majority of deaths but users are often taking a lethal cocktail of drugs which increasingly includes benzodiazepines such as etizolam - pills which are often dealt as "street valium" or "street blues".

The Rise of the 'Benzos'

Benzodiazepines act as a sedative - slowing down the body's functions - and are often prescribed by doctors for sleeping troubles and anxiety.

However, the big problem with mixing street benzos with heroin and alcohol is that they have a similar effect on the body, says Dr Saket Priyadarshi of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde addiction services. They depress the respiratory system and leave people more at risk of overdose death, he says.

For years diazepam (valium) was the most common benzo and users often got hold of it through "diverted" NHS prescriptions.

One of the biggest changes in the past six years has been the massive increase use of non-prescribed benzodiazepines or "street valium", which can be much stronger than prescribed tablets.

Etizolam first appeared in the figures for 2012 when it was related to one death. Between 2017 and 2018 it rose from 299 to 548 deaths, an 83% increase.

The Trainspotting Generation...

During the 1980s and '90s there was a significant increase in problem drug users in Scotland, which peaked about 20 years ago, according to Dr Priyadarshi.

These people are often called the "Trainspotting" generation, which refers to Irvine Welsh's 1993 novel and the film of the same name about a group of male Edinburgh friends who get into using heroin in the late 1980s.

There is now an ageing population of drug addicts, mainly men, who have been using heroin for decades, Dr Priyadarshi says.

"Biologically they are ageing much faster than their real age and they develop multiple morbidity, particularly around respiratory diseases, liver diseases and blood-borne viruses and this adds a further vulnerability with regards to overdose deaths," he says.

In 2018, more than two-thirds of drug-related deaths were aged between 35 and 54.

Deprived, Urban Areas Hardest Hit

Problematic drug use is highest in areas of deprivation, where people are not getting opportunities in education and employment, according to Elinor Dickie of Public Health Scotland.

Drug use is 17 times higher in Scotland's poorest areas compared to the wealthiest, she said.

Dundee City Council area has the worst rate in Scotland at 0.31 per 1,000 of the population, closely followed by Glasgow (0.30), and Inverclyde (0.25), which includes the towns of Greenock and Port Glasgow.

Edinburgh's rate (0.16) is the same as the average for the whole of Scotland but is still much higher than the UK average.

The three local authorities with the lowest rates of drug-related deaths in mainland Scotland are Aberdeenshire, as well as East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire which border Glasgow but contain the well-off suburbs of Bearsden, Milngavie, Newton Mearns and Giffnock.

Rural areas such as Dumfries and Galloway, Highland and the Scottish Borders have pockets of problem drug users but their overall rate is much lower than the cities.

Crimes Against Public Justice

Crimes against public justice account for 30% of Other crimes and include Bail offences, Resisting arrest and General attempts to pervert the course of justice. Over the ten year period from 2009-10 to 2018-19 this crime has decreased by 31%, including a 1% decrease from 18,679 in 2017-18 to 18,512 in 2018-19. Over the ten year period all but four local authorities recorded a decrease in this category.

There are three categories of offensive weapons:

1. Items that are made for the purpose of causing injury and have no other practical purpose in the normal world (and are offensive weapons per se)

2. Items that are adapted or altered in some way for the purpose of causing injury

3. Items that are not specifically made or adapted to cause injury but are carried for that purpose

Handling Offensive Weapons

From 2017-18 onwards, crimes of Handling an offensive weapon in Scotland can be counted in two different ways. The first is to use the pre-existing statistics, where the offensive weapon hasn’t been used to commit another crime or offence against a person in a public place. These crimes account for 7% of Other crimes in 2018-19.

In addition to the above measure, figures are also available for where the offensive weapon was used to commit another crime or offence against a person in a public place. These crimes also account for 7% of Other crimes in 2018-19. There was a 12% increase from 4,163 in 2017-18 to 4,680 in 2018-19

'Other Crime'

The Other category within Other crimes includes Treason; Conspiracy; Explosive offences; Wrecking, piracy and hijacking; and Crimes against public order.

This category accounted for less than 1% of Other crimes in 2018-19. Over the past 10 years this type of crime increased by 22% between 2009-10 and 2012- 13, and has fallen since then. In 2018-19, the number of crimes recorded was 45% lower than in 2009-10, however there was a 15% increase from 159 in 2017-18 to 183 in 2018-19.

If you are concerned about someone's alcohol or drug use during this time contact SFAD on their free and confidential helpline 08080 10 10 11 or email helpline@sfad.org.uk.

Page updated

Report abuse