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1. Review on offences recorded by the police, customs and border guard

1.1. Abstract

In 2011, 458,000 offences were recorded by the police, customs and border guard in the whole country, which is six per cent more than one year before. During ten previous years, the average number of offences recorded was 435,000 per year. Over the year, 271,000 offences were solved, while the corresponding figure was 268,000 one year previously.

The vast majority of the offences were recorded by the police. A total of 11,000 offences were recorded by the customs and border guard, 18 per cent more than one year before. One fifth of the offences recorded by the customs and border guard were alcohol offences or minor alcohol offences and narcotics offences.

Examined by region, the number of offences from 2010 to 2011 increased in relative terms most in Åland, by 21 per cent and fell most in Kanta-Häme, by four per cent.

Figure 1. Offences by region per 10,000 population in 2011

1.2. Offences against property

The biggest group of the offences recorded was formed by thefts, petty thefts and aggravated thefts. In all, 151,000 of them were recorded, which is two per cent more than one year previously. An average of 159,000 theft offences were reported between 2001 and 2010. The number of 'ordinary' thefts recorded was 75,000, or four per cent more than one year before. The number of aggravated thefts recorded was 3,100. During ten previous years, 2,500 aggravated thefts, on average, were committed per year. Petty thefts numbered 73,000, which figure is unchanged from the year before.

Figure 2. Offences against property 2011 (In total 259,771 offences)

The number of burglaries reported was 40,000, which is 1,100 cases more than in the previous year. The number of burglaries of motor vehicles recorded was 14,000, which is two per cent more than one year previously. Breaking into business premises increased by 11 per cent. The number recorded was now 4,500. From 2001 their number has almost halved. The total number of house-breakings grew by three per cent compared with the previous year. In 2011, their number was 6,700, of which 1,800 where break-ins to cottages.

The recorded number of unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle and thefts of use of a motor vehicle was 12,000, which was seven per cent more than in the year before.

In 2011, 1,100 accounting and debtor offences were recorded, which figure is unchanged from the previous year. Although the number of these offences is good one half of the record figures for 1996, their number has more than doubled from 1991.

The number of frauds was 18,000, which is 12 more than in 2010. Ten years ago, 11,000 frauds were recorded.

The number of damages to property was 50,000 per year, on average, during the previous ten-year period. Now 55,000 of them were reported, which is 12 per cent more than in the previous year.

The number of robberies reported was 1,600, eight per cent more than in 2010. From 2001 to 2010, the average number of robberies per year has been 1,800.

Table 1. Selected offences against property by region per 10,000 population in 2011

Region	Burglaries	Unauthorised thefts of a motor vehicle	Robberies	Damages to property	Embezzlements	Frauds, means of payment- frauds
WHOLE COUNTRY	735	222	30	1 018	60	434
Uusimaa	898	303	45	1 518	95	527
Varsinais-Suomi	910	309	37	784	51	397
Satakunta	790	217	23	771	44	324
Kanta-Häme	639	176	19	766	34	380
Pirkanmaa	630	120	25	1 021	48	365
Päijät-Häme	849	261	24	928	45	389
Kymenlaakso	712	207	20	826	35	392
South Karelia	608	164	22	850	57	327
Etelä-Savo	858	209	22	823	29	361
Pohjois-Savo	537	191	25	850	53	336
North Karelia	532	134	16	855	39	355
Central Finland	703	125	25	746	54	323
South Ostrobothnia	353	65	9	565	36	369
Ostrobothnia	599	94	15	814	24	279
Central Ostrobothnia	342	88	4	753	23	239
North Ostrobothnia	581	271	27	678	47	405
Kainuu	531	169	15	847	53	246
Lapland	599	200	17	855	39	346
Åland	790	81	11	913	53	236

1.3. Offences against the person

In 2011, a total of 40,000 assault offences were recorded, which is one fifth more than in the corresponding period of 2010. Over the period 2001 to 2010 an average of 31,000 assault offences were recorded per year. Aggravated assaults increased by three per cent to 2,100. Most of the increase in the number of assault offences is a result of a legislative amendment that entered into force at the beginning of 2011.

Good one third of assault offences are committed in public places outside business centres and public occasions and in over one third the scene of the assault is a private dwelling.

Figure 3. Assault offences by scene in 2011 (In total 40,171 offences)

The recorded number of offences against life was 114. This was four cases more than in 2010. The annual average was 124 for the ten-year period 2001 to 2010. The corresponding figure was 142 between 1991 and 2000. The number of attempted manslaughters, murders or homicides fell from 308 to 306. The average for the previous ten-year period was 346.

In 2011 nearly two thirds of the offences against life were committed in a private dwelling.

The number of rapes recorded was 1,039, against 818 in the previous year. From 2001 to 2010, an average of 652 rapes were reported. The recorded number of sexual exploitations of a child was 1,682, which is 82 per cent (758 cases) more than the annual average for the period 2001 to 2010. The numbers of rapes and sexual exploitations of a child vary much yearly. Individual reports of an offence may include a series of incidents comprising several criminal acts.

Table 2. Selected violent offences by region per 10,000 population in 2011

Region	Manslaughter, murder, homicide and their attempts	Assault	Aggravated assault	Petty assault	Rape offences
WHOLE COUNTRY	8	495	38	210	19
Uusimaa	7	606	35	242	20
Varsinais-Suomi	4	441	31	260	20
Satakunta	10	481	54	162	12
Kanta-Häme	8	394	47	206	17
Pirkanmaa	7	427	32	175	12
Päijät-Häme	12	435	37	203	14
Kymenlaakso	8	349	29	217	13
South Karelia	10	404	30	197	15
Etelä-Savo	5	458	47	264	14
Pohjois-Savo	10	427	36	314	17
North Karelia	5	369	48	193	40
Central Finland	8	537	43	137	13
South Ostrobothnia	10	382	30	98	12
Ostrobothnia	10	413	50	121	14
Central Ostrobothnia	6	543	31	250	23
North Ostrobothnia	8	557	34	157	35
Kainuu	15	629	68	202	16
Lapland	9	418	54	223	24
Åland	11	356	46	169	28

1.4. Drunken driving and traffic offences

Aggravated drunken driving increased by one per cent and other drunken driving by two per cent. In all, 21,000 drunken driving offences were recorded, which is two per cent more than in 2010. For the past two years the number of drunken driving offences has been at its lowest since the mid-1990s. They have fallen by good one quarter from the 1990 record figures.

Of those suspected of drunken driving 84 per cent had used alcohol and 13 per cent a narcotic substance as their only intoxicant. The remaining three per cent had used both.

Figure 4. Drunken driving offences in 1980–2011

In 2011, 505,000 cases of endangerment of traffic safety and traffic infractions were registered, which is the same as one year before. Most of them were infractions found out in connection with police surveillance and guidance. The recorded number of aggravated endangerment of traffic safety was 4,100, which is 13 per cent more than in 2010. The police recorded 334,000 cases of exceeding speed limits, which figure is unchanged from the year before.

Figure 5. Drunken driving offences by region per 10,000 population in 2011

1.5. Offences involving intoxicating substances

In all, 20,000 narcotics offences were recorded, which is three per cent more than in 2010. Aggravated narcotics offences went down by four per cent to 1,000. During the period 2001 to 2010, the average number of narcotics offences was 16,000 per year.

From 2009 to 2011, the figures including the offences recorded by the customs and border guard increase the number of narcotics offences by six to eight per cent compared with narcotics offences known to the police.

Figure 6. Narcotics offences in 2011 (In total 20,394 offences)

In all, 5,100 alcohol offences and minor alcohol offences were recorded. This is one quarter up on the year before.

When compiling statistics on offences involving intoxicating substances, offences comprising several criminal acts are entered as one. Offences involving intoxicating substances are such that they are generally found out only as a result of the activity of only the police or customs and border guard officials and the majority of the offences remain undisclosed.

1.6. Solved offences

In the course of 2011, the police solved 271,000 offences. The clearance rate was 59 per cent, which is three percentage points lower than in the previous year. The corresponding figure was 53 per cent ten years ago. The clearance rate for offences is calculated so that the offences recorded by the police in the statistical reference year and all the offences solved in that same year are compared with each other.

Thirty-nine per cent of offences against property and 75 per cent of offences against life and health were solved.

Among municipalities of over 30,000 inhabitants the clearance rate was the highest in Seinäjoki and Kotka, 78 and 70 per cent, respectively, while it was the lowest in Helsinki and Vantaa, 51 and 55 per cent, respectively.

The clearance rate varies by type of offence quite strongly. Due to the manner of disclosure, drunken driving, traffic and offences involving intoxicating substances are almost all solved. Nearly 80 per cent of frauds and 81 per cent of offences against life were solved. The clearance rate is 75 per cent for assault offences.

The clearance rates are the lowest for theft offences, damages to property, means of payment frauds and unauthorised thefts of a motor vehicle. In 2011 one sixth of 'ordinary' thefts were solved. One fifth of damages to property and one fourth of means of payment frauds were cleared. Nearly 30 per cent of unauthorised thefts of a motor vehicle were solved. One half of robberies and nearly 60 per cent of rapes were solved.

Table 3. Clearance rate of certain types of offences in 1986–2011

Offence	1986-1990	1991-1995	1996-2000	2001-2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
ALL OFFENCES	65	51	51	56	60	60	62	59	62	59
Theft	25	17	14	15	17	18	19	18	18	17
Aggravated theft	39	29	40	41	44	38	40	33	38	34
Petty theft	78	70	67	58	56	56	57	57	59	57
Robbery	53	43	42	45	45	44	51	50	51	49
Damages to property	29	27	27	26	26	25	25	24	24	21
Assault	79	74	76	80	81	77	85	82	80	75
Aggravated assault	85	84	83	87	91	81	93	89	87	85
Petty assault	95	86	79	75	73	70	75	73	74	73
Manslaughter, murder or homicide	97	94	90	93	86	79	103	91	97	81
Attempted manslaughter, murder or homicide	95	91	92	94	103	89	104	98	92	91
Rape	63	56	57	63	62	60	66	74	69	59

1.7. Persons suspected of offences

In all, 303,000 persons were suspected of the 271,000 offences solved in 2011. Eighteen per cent of them were women.

In addition to the quantitative difference, the criminality of men and women differs in that women's shares of assaults, drunken driving and damages to property are small compared to men. However, the share of women suspected of assaults and drunken driving has doubled in 20 years. Typical crimes for women are petty thefts, embezzlements and forgeries.

In 2011 the share of young and underage people - aged 21 or under - among all suspects was 24 per cent. The shares of young people were large for alcohol offences, robberies, damages to property and thefts of a motor vehicle. Forty-four per cent of those suspected of robberies were young people. In damages to property the percentage was 47 and in thefts of a motor vehicle 34. The share of young people suspected of assaults was 23 per cent.

The majority of suspects, 65 per cent, were suspects of one offence in 2011. One third were suspected of two to ten offences and three per cent were suspected of more than ten offences.

Table 4. Suspects of solved offences by age and gender in 2000-2011

Year	Persons suspected of offences - Age
	Males total	Females total	Males aged under 15	Females aged under 15	Males aged 15–17	Females aged 15–17	Males aged 18–20	Females aged 18–20	Males aged over 20	Females aged over 20
2000	232 810	41 520	8 002	2 812	26 554	5 003	32 204	4 593	164 050	29 112
2001	227 035	40 878	7 218	3 121	23 165	4 490	34 231	4 717	162 421	28 550
2002	226 806	38 805	6 808	2 641	20 216	4 230	34 654	5 113	165 128	26 821
2003	236 391	42 097	7 600	2 590	19 033	4 127	35 161	5 300	174 597	30 080
2004	250 087	47 028	8 342	3 182	20 063	4 763	33 466	5 670	188 216	33 413
2005	250 489	46 580	7 289	3 047	22 486	4 546	31 983	5 521	188 731	33 466
2006	239 264	45 093	6 934	2 725	19 296	4 093	28 830	5 783	184 204	32 492
2007	250 303	57 847	8 347	2 749	19 783	4 077	29 702	5 433	194 471	45 588
2008	257 955	50 240	10 577	3 198	20 592	4 207	30 388	5 987	196 398	36 848
2009	247 229	51 298	8 846	3 172	19 049	4 635	27 261	5 923	192 073	37 567
2010	249 123	52 930	8 023	3 414	18 542	5 053	27 431	5 722	195 127	38 741
2011	248 787	53 975	9 091	3 640	19 359	5 230	28 224	5 943	192 113	39 162

Figure 7. Persons suspected of offences by number of offences in 2011

1.8. Victims of offences

Victims of the assault offences recorded by the police in 2011 numbered 39,000, which is one fifth more than one year earlier. Of the victims 24,000 (61%) were men and 15,000 (39%) women. The number of male victims was 15 per cent and that of female ones 29 per cent higher than in 2010. The typical age of a male victim of an assault was 18, that of a female victim 19. These age groups contain 3,100 (8%) of all victims. In all, 5,000 of those aged 50 or over (13%) were victims of assaults. The amendment to the legislation concerning petty assaults at the beginning of 2011 increased the number of assault offences.

Figure 8. Victims of assault offences by age in 2011

Assaults of children aged 18 or under went up by 18 per cent in 2011 from the year before. One year before the number of child victims was 5,200, now 6,100. This is 15 per cent of all victims of assaults. Among child victims 3,500 (65%) were boys and 2,100 girls (35%). Twelve per cent of the children belonged to the age group of those aged 0 to 6, 41 per cent to those aged 7 to 14 and 46 per cent to those aged 15 to 17.

Source: Offences known to the police 2011. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Jorma Kallio 09 1734 3248, Marja Kivimäki 09 1734 3252, rikos@stat.fi

Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma

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Updated 2.4.2012