Crime data

Supporting information about the data

Please note that these data are not official statistics.
All data are provisional and should be treated as management information.
These management information data are not directly comparable with official statistics.
Recorded crime data were extracted and counted using the crime's raised date.
Detected crimes data have been extracted and counted using the crime's detected date.
MMW “not known” are recorded where there is insufficient locus information to allocate grid references to a crime or offence. This issue particularly effects data from police issued direct measures (for example speeding tickets, anti-social behaviour fixed penalty notices).
There will be some minor variation between these data and other published Police Scotland management information reports. This occurs where the boundaries in electronic mapping systems are not precisely coterminous.
Police Scotland is committed to continue developing our systems, data and processes to improve the accuracy and robustness these management information.
COVID-19 : During 2020/21 there were a variety of COVID pandemic restrictions and lockdowns. It is recommended that the primary comparator to use as a baseline is a five-year average. Where this is not available, then a three-year average should be used. Where comparisons are made between 2020/21 and 2019/20 caution should be used when interpreting time series or analytical results.
From April 1, 2020 Police Scotland transitioned to a new data repository (SEB_P), for recorded and detected crimes and offences. This source has now replaced ScOMIS as our single source of truth for these data. Due to differences in the process to collate these data from legacy source systems, these are not directly comparable to previously published data. This change has been agreed with the Scottish Crime Recording Board, which is Chaired by the Scottish Government, and has ultimate responsibility for the Scottish Crime Recording Standard, and the publication of crime and offence statistics.
Police Scotland is in the process of transitioning to a new, national, crime recording IT solution. During this time there may be increased variation in some historical data as it is cleansed and enhanced.
National statistics crime data are available from the Scottish Government.

For information on stop and search please visit the stop and search data publication page.

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