Altogether, 3.6 per cent fewer offences and 6.5 per cent more cases of endangerment of traffic safety than in January to June 2014

According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, a total of 195,700 offences were recorded by the police, customs and border guard from January to June 2015, which is 7,400 cases (3.6 per cent) fewer than in the corresponding period of one year earlier. The number of property offences recorded was 110,300, which was 5.6 per cent down from January to June 2014. The recorded number of crimes against life and health was 17,000, which is 540 cases lower than in the early part of 2014. In addition, 201,700 cases of endangerment of traffic safety and traffic infractions were registered.

Offences and endangerment of traffic safety in 2009 to 2015

*Exceeding speed limits towards the end of 2012 were recorded erroneously in the early part of 2013

A majority of the recorded offences are recorded by the police. During January to June 2015, the police recorded 190,000 offences. In all, 3,700 offences were recorded by customs, which is 15.8 per cent less than in 2014. The border guard recorded 2,000 offences, which is 10.2 per cent less than in 2014.

Offences against property

During January to June 2015, a total of 12,700 frauds (fraud, petty fraud, aggravated fraud; Penal Code, Section 36, Paragraphs 1 to 3) were recorded, which was 7.5 per cent up from the year before. The number of frauds has grown considerably in the 2000s. In 2000, their recorded number was 5,800 during January to June. In January to June 2015, a total of 760 aggravated frauds were recorded, which is 7.1 per cent less than one year earlier.

During January to June 2015, means of payment frauds numbered 4,100, which is 300 cases (7.5 per cent) more than in the previous year. The recorded number of aggravated means of payment frauds was 77, while last year this figure was 60.

Altogether, 800 robberies were reported, which was 3.5 per cent more than in January to June 2014 but fewer than in the early 2000s. Altogether, 145 aggravated robberies were reported.

During early 2015, a total of 64,400 theft offences (thefts, petty thefts and aggravated thefts) were reported, which was 3,600 cases fewer (5.3 per cent) than in 2014. Aggravated thefts numbered 1,600, which figure is unchanged from the year before. The number of break-ins into houses recorded was 2,850, which was 230 cases (7.5 per cent) lower than in January to June 2014. Altogether, 23,100 thefts and petty thefts from shops were recorded, which was 800 cases fewer than in early 2014.

The recorded number of unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle and thefts of use of a motor vehicle was 3,500, which is 1.5 per cent lower than in 2014. From the early 2000s, the number of these offences has fallen to under one third.

During January to June 2015, damages to property numbered 18,200, which is 3,100 cases (14.6 per cent) fewer than in the previous year. Altogether, 120 aggravated damages to property were reported.

Violent offences

The number of assault offences recorded was 16,000 during the first half of 2015, which is 500 cases (2.9 per cent) fewer than in January to June 2014. Over the past ten years, 16,700 assault offences, on average, have been reported in January to June. Compared with 2014, aggravated assaults went up by 2.9 per cent. Now, 800 of them were recorded.

The number of rapes recorded was 500, against 470 one year earlier. Over the past ten years, the average number of rapes has been 400 in the January to June period. The recorded number of sexual exploitations of a child was 680, which was 6.4 per cent fewer than in January to June 2014. During the first half of the year, 86 cases of sexual abuse were reported. The recorded numbers of rapes and sexual exploitations of a child reported to the authorities vary much yearly. Individual reports of an offence may include a series of incidents comprising several criminal acts.

Other offences

A total of 8,700 drunken driving cases were reported in January to June 2015, which is 2.6 per cent more than in 2014. Nearly one-half of the recorded drunken driving cases were aggravated drunken driving. Aggravated drunken driving decreased by 2.4 per cent and other drunken driving increased by 7.1 per cent.

The number of narcotics offences recorded was 11,600, which is up by 12.2 per cent on the year before. The number of aggravated narcotics offences went down by 7.5 per cent. A total of 550 of them were recorded.

The presentation of the statistics was revised as of the beginning of 2009. Endangerment of traffic safety and traffic infractions are separated from other offences and they are presented in a separate table. The total number of offences is comparable with earlier figures, because the same division has also been made retrospectively until 1980. The aim of the revision is to improve the comparability of offences between different years and enhance their international comparability. The quality description of the statistics contains annually more detailed information about revisions but it is regrettably published only in Finnish.

From the beginning of 2009, offences recorded by the customs and border guard are also included. The change does not have much effect on the comparability of offences. Of the most common types of offences the change primarily affects the comparability of narcotics offences.

Number of certain types of offences in April, May and June and in January to June 2015 and change from the corresponding period of the previous year

Offence	April		May		June		January-June
Offence	2015	Change	2015	Change	2015	Change	2015	Change
1) All offences ¹⁾	32,610	-1,080	36,020	-808	36,607	-652	195,693	-7,383
Burglary	2,768	2	2,910	-93	3,295	114	15,997	-330
Unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle, thefts of use of a motor vehicle	643	44	729	-34	736	-57	3,459	-57
Robbery	146	27	130	-35	141	2	805	27
Damage to property	3,116	-608	3,337	-305	3,579	152	18,154	-3,113
Manslaughter, murder and killing	10	4	11	4	9	-5	50	-2
Assault	2,718	72	2,928	-165	2,864	-49	15,984	-477
Rape	64	-18	79	1	104	18	500	33
Drunken driving	1,334	10	1,721	92	1,850	88	8,678	223
Narcotics offences	1,936	129	2,059	369	1,888	100	11,614	1,263

1) Excl. endangerment of traffic safety, hit-and-run, traffic infraction, violation of social welfare legislation on road traffic, and motor vehicle infraction.

Number of endangerment of traffic safety and traffic infractions in April, May and June and in January to June 2015 and change from the corresponding period of the previous year

Offence	April		May		June		January-June
Offence	2015	Change	2015	Change	2015	Change	2015	Change
2) Endangerment of traffic safety, hit-and-run, traffic infraction, violation of social welfare legislation on road traffic and motor vehicle infraction ¹⁾	33,753	1,713	31,925	-660	30,834	1,238	201,684	12,295
-exceeding speed limits ²⁾	25,164	3,511	23,050	-459	22,206	1,416	146,255	16,341

1) Problems connected to the re-organisation of automatic traffic control brought about a substantial fall in the number of traffic offences recorded in the early part of 2014 compared with 2013.
2) Cases of exceeding speed limits registered as endangerment of traffic safety, aggravated endangerment of traffic safety and traffic infractions.

Source: Statistics on offences and coercive measures 2015, 2. quarter

Inquiries: Kimmo Haapakangas 029 551 3252, rikos@stat.fi

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

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Updated 16.7.2015

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Statistics on offences and coercive measures [e-publication].
ISSN=2342-9178. 2nd quarter 2015. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 26.12.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/rpk/2015/02/rpk_2015_02_2015-07-16_tie_001_en.html