§ Mr. DewarTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many crimes per 100,000 people were recorded in 1979 and the latest year for which figures are available;
(2) how many crimes were recorded in Scotland in 1979 and the latest year for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 26 February 1992]The number of crimes recorded by the police per 100,000 people in Scotland in 1979 and 1990 was 6,710 and 10,502 respectively. The number of crimes recorded by the police in Scotland for those same years was 346,680 and 535,864 respectively.1
1 All the figures given are based on the revised classification of crimes and offences which was introduced at the beginning of 1980. The 1979 figures include crimes reported to the Procurator Fiscal by agencies other than the police (for example the Department of Health and Social Security) in which a prosecution was taken. In 1982, there were about 6,400 such cases so the overall effect on recorded crime is small.