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Published: 13 July 2016

Number of means of payment frauds growing heavily

According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, a total of 392,700 offences were recorded by the police, customs and border guard in January to June 2016, which is 7,700 cases (1.9 per cent) lower than one year earlier. The recorded number of crimes against life and health was 17,200, which is 1.7 per cent fewer than in 2015. The number of means of payment frauds recorded was 9,500, which was 130.1 per cent up from January to June 2015.

Frauds and means of payment frauds in 2010 to 2016

A majority of the reported offences are recorded by the police. During January to June 2016, a total of 384,800 offences were recorded by the police, which is 2.2 per cent down from 2015. In January to June 2016, customs recorded 5,000 offences and the border guard 2,900 offences. Compared with January to June 2015, the offences recorded by customs increased by 11.5 per cent and those recoded by the border guard by 22.5 per cent.

Offences against property

During the first half of 2016, a total of 110,100 offences against property were recorded, which was 1,700 (1.5 per cent) fewer than in the corresponding period of the previous year.

During January to June 2016, a total of 12,100 frauds (fraud, petty fraud, aggravated fraud; Penal Code, Section 36, Paragraphs 1 to 3) were recorded, which is 8.1 per cent fewer than in January to June of the year before. The number of frauds has grown considerably in the 2000s. In 2009, altogether 8,600 of them were reported. In January to June 2016, a total of 630 aggravated frauds were recorded, which is 21.6 per cent down on one year earlier.

During January to June 2016, means of payment frauds numbered 9,500, which is 5,400 cases (130.1 per cent) more than in the corresponding period in the previous year. Eighty-seven of the means of payment frauds were aggravated. Of all means of payment frauds, 4,100 (43.4 per cent) were carried out abroad.

The number of robberies recorded was 788, which was 1.2 per cent down from January to June 2015. One hundred and thirty-eight of the robberies were aggravated. A total of 1,400 embezzlements and aggravated embezzlements were reported, which is 3.7 per cent more than in January to June 2015.

A total of 61,100 theft offences (theft, aggravated theft, petty theft) were reported in January to June, which is 3,700 cases fewer (5.8 per cent) than in the first half of 2015. The number of aggravated thefts recorded was 1,500, which is down by 6.0 per cent from the year before. The number of break-ins into houses recorded was 2,550, which was 275 cases (9.7 per cent) lower than in January to June 2015. Altogether, 22,200 thefts and petty thefts from shops were recorded, which is 1,150 cases fewer than in January to June 2015.

The recorded number of unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle and thefts of use of a motor vehicle was 2,900, which is 14.6 per cent lower than in January to June 2015. From the early 2000s, the number of these offences has fallen to under one third.

During January to June 2016, damages to property numbered 16,400, which is 1,900 cases (10.3 per cent) fewer than in the previous year. Altogether, 113 aggravated damages to property were reported.

Offences against the person

The number of assault offences recorded was 16,200 during January to June 2016, which is 300 cases (1.7 per cent) fewer than in the corresponding period in 2015. Compared with January to June 2015, aggravated assaults went up by 0.9 per cent. Now, 780 of them were recorded. 

The number of rapes recorded was 515, which was 25 cases more than in January to June 2015. The recorded number of sexual exploitations of a child was 657, which was 1.7 per cent more than in early 2015. In addition, 452 other sexual offences were reported, of which 259 were cases of sexual harassment. In the corresponding period in 2015, altogether 101 cases of sexual harassment 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

The number of drunken driving was 8,600 in January to June 2016, which figure is unchanged from the corresponding period of the year before. Nearly one-half of the recorded drunken driving cases were aggravated drunken driving. Aggravated drunken driving decreased by 2.9 per cent and other drunken driving increased by 2.6 per cent.

The number of narcotics offences recorded was 12,100, which is up by 2.5 per cent on the year before. The number of aggravated narcotics offences went down by 3.8 per cent. A total of 560 of them were recorded. Close on two out of three narcotics offences were use offences. The recorded number was 7,500, which was 200 cases fewer than in the first half of 2015.

In all, 1,400 identity thefts were recorded.

Altogether, 196,100 cases of endangerment of traffic safety (Penal Code, Section 23, Paragraphs 1 to 2, 11), hit-and-runs, and other traffic infractions were recorded, which is 8,100 cases (4.0 per cent) fewer than in early 2015. Of these offences, 123,100 were cases of exceeding speed limits.

The statistics on Offences known to the police and on Coercive measures were combined in March 2015. Data released prior to that can be found on the old home pages of the statistics. The web pages of the statistics on Offences known to the police: http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/til/polrik/index_en.html and of the statistics on Coercive measures: http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/pkei/index_en.html

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 2016 and change from the corresponding period of the previous year

Offence	April		May		June		January-June
	2016	Change	2016	Change	2016	Change	2016	Change
1) Offences and infractions total	65,370	-1,258	73,621	5,126	69,023	-43	392,726	-7,728
2) Offences against the Criminal Code	38,357	753	42,981	1,807	40,087	-2,288	225,295	-2,325
3) Offences A to F	34,015	1,185	37,735	1,348	35,724	-2,056	198,417	358
Burglary	2,690	-81	3,106	163	2,794	-535	15,058	-1,011
Unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle, thefts of use of a motor vehicle	535	-108	664	-60	643	-95	2,940	-500
Robbery	131	-10	145	20	132	-2	788	9
Damage to property	2,765	-350	3,351	-22	3,020	-664	16,435	-1,890
Manslaughter, murder and killing	7	-3	4	-6	11	4	41	-5
Assault	2,761	-31	2,973	-43	2,565	-478	16,174	-279
Rape	100	37	90	9	74	-25	515	25
Drunken driving	1,442	113	1,702	-3	1,790	16	8,580	11
Narcotics offences	1,992	26	2,047	-20	1,987	30	12,076	297
4) Endangerment of traffic safety, hit-and-run, traffic infraction, violation of social welfare legislation on road traffic and motor vehicle infraction	31,355	-2,443	35,886	3,778	33,299	2,013	194,309	-8,086
-exceeding speed limits 1)	20,251	-4,916	23,132	68	22,163	-177	123,138	-23,269

1) 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 2016, 2. quarter

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

Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Development of certain types of offences in January to June 2012 to 2016 (preliminary data) (13.7.2016)

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Updated 13.7.2016