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Published: 18 October 2016

Number of means of payment frauds growing heavily

According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, a total of 624,800 offences were recorded by the police, customs and border guard in January to September 2016, which is 1,600 cases (0.3 per cent) more than one year earlier. The recorded number of crimes against life and health was 26,600, which is 1.5 per cent fewer than in 2015. The number of means of payment frauds recorded was 13,300, which was 84.8 per cent up from January to September 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 September 2016, a total of 612,600 offences were recorded by the police, which is 0.1 per cent more than in 2015. In January to September 2016, customs recorded 7,300 offences and the border guard 4,800 offences. Compared with January to September 2015, the offences recorded by customs increased by 3.3 per cent and those recoded by the border guard by 14.1 per cent.

Offences against property

During January to September 2016, a total of 177,000 offences against property were recorded, which was 2,200 (1.2 per cent) fewer than in the corresponding period of the previous year.

During January to September 2016, a total of 18,800 frauds (fraud, petty fraud, aggravated fraud; Penal Code, Section 36, Paragraphs 1 to 3) were recorded, which is 5.7 per cent fewer than in January to September of the year before. The number of frauds has grown considerably in the 2000s. In 2009, altogether 13,000 of them were reported. In January to September 2016, a total of 990 aggravated frauds were recorded, which is 10.9 per cent down on one year earlier.

During January to September 2016, means of payment frauds numbered 13,300, which is 6,100 cases (84.8 per cent) more than in the corresponding period in the previous year. One hundred and twenty-two of the means of payment frauds were aggravated. Of all means of payment frauds, 6,000 (45.1 per cent) were carried out abroad.

The number of robberies recorded was 1,260, which was 7.3 per cent up from January to September 2015. Two hundred and four of the robberies were aggravated. A total of 2,200 embezzlements and aggravated embezzlements were reported, which is 4.5 per cent more than in January to September 2015.

A total of 100,300 theft offences (theft, aggravated theft, petty theft) were reported in January to September, which is 5,000 cases (4.8 per cent) fewer than in the corresponding period of 2015. The number of aggravated thefts recorded was 2,500, which is down by 4.9 per cent from the year before. The number of break-ins into houses recorded was 4,100, which was 400 cases (9.0 per cent) lower than in January to September 2015. Altogether, 34,600 thefts and petty thefts from shops were recorded, which is 900 cases fewer than in January to September 2015.

The recorded number of unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle and thefts of use of a motor vehicle was 5,300, which was 11.3 per cent lower than in the January to September period of 2015. From the early 2000s, the number of these offences has fallen to under one third.

During January to September 2016, damages to property numbered 27,400, which is 1,800 cases (6.3 per cent) fewer than in the previous year. Altogether, 199 aggravated damages to property were reported.

Offences against the person

The number of assault offences recorded was 24,800 during January to September 2016, which is 400 cases (1.6 per cent) fewer than in the corresponding period in 2015. A total of 1,180 aggravated assaults were recorded, which is as many as one year earlier. The recorded number of offences against life was 59, which is five cases fewer than one year earlier.

Altogether, 864 rapes were recorded, which was 97 (12.6 per cent) cases more than in January to September 2015. The recorded number of sexual exploitations of a child was 945, which is 5.4 per cent more than in January to September 2015. In addition, 733 other sexual offences were reported, of which 433 were cases of sexual harassment. In the corresponding period in 2015, altogether 153 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 13,200 in January to September 2016, which is 2.1 per cent down from the corresponding period in 2015. Nearly one-half of the recorded drunken driving cases were aggravated drunken driving. Aggravated drunken driving decreased by 5.9 per cent and other drunken driving increased by 0.8 per cent.

The number of narcotics offences recorded was 18,500 which is up by 2.6 per cent on the year before. The number of aggravated narcotics offences went down by 0.4 per cent. A total of 840 of them were recorded. Close on two out of three narcotics offences were use offences. The recorded number was 11,600, which was 140 cases fewer than in January to September 2015.

In all, 2,200 identity thefts were recorded. Identity theft was added to the Penal Code on 4 September 2015 and by the end of 2015 a total of 505 cases of identity theft had been reported.

Altogether, 313,500 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 1,000 cases (0.3 per cent) more than in January to September 2015. Of these offences, 223,000 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 July, August and September, and in January to September 2016 and change from the corresponding period of the previous year

Offence	July		August		September		January-September
	2016	Change	2016	Change	2016	Change	2016	Change
1) Offences and infractions total	71,083	-2,147	82,460	7,221	75,885	1,627	624,771	1,590
2) Offences against the Criminal Code	41,846	-1,641	45,867	486	41,511	-1,617	356,901	-2,715
3) Offences A to F	36,991	-1,479	40,680	958	35,903	-1,666	314,442	622
Burglary	2,913	-351	3,148	-127	2,930	-306	24,141	-1,703
Unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle, thefts of use of a motor vehicle	792	-134	831	-7	701	-33	5,269	-669
Robbery	190	72	152	19	135	-5	1,255	85
Damage to property	3,144	-271	4,319	773	2,938	-592	27,001	-1,815
Manslaughter, murder and killing	11	2	4	-3	7	5	59	-5
Assault	2,896	-63	2,724	-182	2,824	-99	24,837	-404
Rape	104	7	115	8	143	70	864	97
Drunken driving	1,694	-70	1,440	-179	1,595	46	13,211	-290
Narcotics offences	1,985	-83	2,276	121	2,012	-35	18,514	465
4) Endangerment of traffic safety, hit-and-run, traffic infraction, violation of social welfare legislation on road traffic and motor vehicle infraction	34,092	-668	41,780	6,263	39,982	3,293	310,329	968
-exceeding speed limits 1)	26,038	989	31,177	5,575	27,319	3,165	222,952	1,366

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, 3. quarter

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

Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma

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• Appendix table 1. Development of certain types of offences in January to September 2012 to 2016 (preliminary data) (18.10.2016)

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Updated 18.10.2016