Nature of crime Flashcards
Categories of crime
Sexual offences, non-sexual crimes of violence, crimes of dishonesty, damage and reckless behaviour, crimes and against society
Non-sexual crimes of violence
Crimes that result in physical harm to people and property, do not involve sexual activity
Crimes of dishonesty
Crimes committed by deceiving people and businesses, victims may incur financial loss
Sexual offences
Involve some form of sexual activity, victims often feel physical and emotional impacts
Non-sexual violent crimes made up…
24% of crime in 2022-23
Most common type of crime in Scotland
Crimes of dishonesty, 36% of crimes in 2022-23
Sexual offences made up…
5% of crimes in 2022-23
Types of crime
Violent crime, drug and alcohol crimes, white-collar crimes
Violent crimes
Actions that are taken to cause harm to a person
Drug and alcohol crimes
Often associated with antisocial behaviour, people commit these crimes because of the effects of alcohol and drugs
White-collar crimes
Committed by someone well-established in their career, include fraud and bribery
Example of violent crime
Mark Gray was accused of assaulting a woman at her home with a hammer in January 2025
Example of drug and alcohol crime
Alcohol and substance misuse account for 2/3rds of all violent crime in Scotland
Example of white-collar crime
aIn January 2025, former police officer David Smith was charged with fraud among other offences
Crime is…
Decreasing
Crime is …. in nature
Dishonest
Scotland has low levels of…
Sexual offences
How is crime decreasing
The peak crime rate was in 1991, now is the lowest level of crime since 1974
Total crime in Scotland has…
Decreased by 13% over the past 10 years
Groups affected by crime
Ethnic minorities, working class
How are ethnic minorities affected by crime
Because they belong to a different race, they face discrimination which can lead to them being victims of violent crime
How are the working class affected by crime
Because of income, working class are more likely to live in poverty stricken areas, where they cannot afford security systems
Example of ethnic minorities being affected by crime
Between 2022-23 and 2023-24, there was a 4.6% rise in racial hate crimes
Example of the working class being affected by crime
The BBC stated that living in poverty increased the likelihood of violence among boys and girls
