Factors including poverty, neglect, low self-esteem, alcohol and drug abuse can be connected to why people break the law. Some are at risk of offending because of their circumstances.
Statistics show that some groups of people are more likely to commit crime than others. People are more likely to commit crime if they are: -
The chances of being a victim of a crime are not the same for every person. People from some groups are more likely to be victims of crime than others.
Young people face a higher risk of being a victim of crime compared to older people. The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2019/2020 shows: -
The risk of being a victim of violent crime also decreases with age: -
In 2019/20, there was no difference found between men and women in the likelihood of experiencing crime. However, men were more likely than women to experience violent crime.
Violent crime is most likely to happen in or near a victim’s place of work (32%), followed by inside a victim’s home (20%) and immediately outside a victim’s home (13%).
Just over half (53%) of violent crimes take place during the week, compared to 47% at the weekend.