Home > Statistics > Statistics on offences and coercive measures > 2017 > 3rd quarter > Recorded number of motor vehicle thefts is falling

Published: 19 October 2017

Recorded number of motor vehicle thefts is falling

Corrcted on 13 April. The corrections are indicated on red

According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, a total of 589,400 offences were recorded by the police, customs and border guard in January to September 2017, which is 38,500 cases (6.1 per cent) lower than in the corresponding period one year previously. The recorded number of crimes against life and health was 26,500, which is 1.6 per cent lower than in January to September 2016. The number of motor vehicle thefts recorded was 4,900, which is 8.1 per cent fewer than last year.

Motor vehicle thefts in 2010 to 2017

A majority of the reported offences are recorded by the police. During January to September 2017, a total of 578,000 offences were recorded by the police, which is 6.1 per cent down from the corresponding period in 2016. In January to September 2017, a total of 6,900 offences were recorded by the customs and 4,500 by the border guard. Compared with January to September 2016, the offences recorded by the customs decreased by 7.7 per cent and those recoded by the border guard by 6.5 per cent.

The reform of fine legislation on 1 December 2016 affects the updating of statistics on criminal offences especially in terms of traffic offences. Fines from automatic traffic control are updated into the police PATJA system with a delay of around 60 days. For this reason, the publication time of the statistics will be transferred by a few months in 2018.

Offences against the person

The number of assault offences recorded was 24,900 during January to September 2017, which is 350 cases (1.4 per cent) fewer than in the corresponding period in 2016. A total of 1,250 aggravated assaults were recorded, which is 8.7 per cent more than one year earlier. The recorded number of offences against life was 59 , which is 3 cases more than one year earlier.

Altogether, 945 rapes were recorded, which was 91 (10.7 per cent) cases more than in January to September 2016. The recorded number of sexual abuse of a child was 888, which is 5.9 per cent fewer than in January to September 2016. In addition, 594 other sexual offences were reported, of which 313 were cases of sexual harassment. Compared with January to September 2016, the number of sexual harassment cases decreased by 122 (28.0 per cent). 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.

Offences against property

During January to September 2017, a total of 161,300 offences against property were recorded, which is 17,300 (9.7 per cent) fewer than in the corresponding period of the previous year.

During January to September 2017, a total of 17,400 frauds (fraud, petty fraud, aggravated fraud; Penal Code, Section 36, Paragraphs 1 to 3) were recorded, which is 9.3 per cent down from the year before. A total of 1,048 aggravated frauds were recorded, which is 1.6 per cent more than one year earlier.

During January to September 2017, means of payment frauds numbered 5,000, which is 8,200 cases (62.1 per cent) fewer than in the corresponding period in the previous year. The number of aggravated means of payment frauds was 157. Of all means of payment frauds, 1,300 (26.1 per cent) were carried out abroad. Compared with previous years, particularly many means of payment frauds were recorded between August 2015 and August 2016.

The number of robberies recorded was 1,300, which was 2.5 per cent up from January to September 2016. Of robberies, 212 were aggravated. A total of 2,400 embezzlements and aggravated embezzlements were reported, which is 9.0 per cent more than in January to September 2016.

A total of 96,200 theft offences (theft, aggravated theft, petty theft) were reported, which is 4,800 cases (4.7 per cent) fewer than in January to September 2016. The number of aggravated thefts recorded was 2,200, which is down by 14.7 per cent from the year before. The number of break-ins into houses recorded was 3,700, which was 400 cases (10.2 per cent) lower than in January to September 2016. Altogether, 34,000 thefts and petty thefts from shops were recorded, which is 800 cases fewer than in January to September 2016.

The recorded number of unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle and thefts of use of a motor vehicle was 4,900, which was 8.1 per cent lower than in the January to September period of 2016. From the early 2000s, the number of these offences has fallen by around one-fifth.

During January to September 2017, damages to property numbered 25,800, which is 1,500 cases (5.3 per cent) fewer than in the previous year. Altogether, 200 aggravated damages to property were reported. The number of damages to property has primarily been falling since 2009, when 39,500 of them were recorded.

Other offences

The number of drunken driving was 13,600 in January to September 2017, which is 3.8 per cent up from the corresponding period in 2016. Around 40 per cent of the recorded drunken driving cases were aggravated drunken driving. A total of 5,400 aggravated drunken driving cases were recorded, which was 3.3 per cent down on January to September 2016. Basic drunken driving cases increased by 9.0 per cent. As recently as 2013, over one-half of all drunken driving cases were aggravated drunken driving.

The number of narcotics offences recorded was 20,600, which is up by 9.1 per cent on January to September in the year before. The number of aggravated narcotics offences went up by 9.6 per cent. A total of 930 of them were recorded. Close on two out of three narcotics offences are use offences. The recorded number was 12,600, which is 7.2 per cent more than at the beginning of 2016.

Altogether 2,700 identity thefts were recorded, which is 200 cases (8.4 per cent) up from January to September 2016. Identity theft was added to the Criminal Code on 4 September 2015 and by the end of 2015 a total of 518 cases of identity theft had been reported.

Altogether, 295,700 cases of endangerment of traffic safety, aggravated endangerment of traffic safety (Criminal Code, Section 23, Paragraphs 1 to 2, 11), hit-and-runs, and other traffic infractions were recorded, which is 18,000 cases (5.7 per cent) fewer than in January to September 2016. Of these offences, 218,600 were cases of exceeding speed limits. Exceeding of speed limits declined by 2.0 per cent. The decrease in traffic offences and infractions may be explained by the fine legislation that entered into force on 1 December 2016 and the connected renewals.

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 2017 and change from the corresponding period of the previous

Corrected on 18 April. The corrected numbers are indicated in red.
Offence	July		August		September		January-September
	2017	Change	2017	Change	2017	Change	2017	Change
1) Offences and infractions total	59,355	-11,879	53,718	-29,035	49,435	-28,270	589,448	-38,524
2) Offences against the Criminal Code	40,711	-1,256	42,305	-3,776	38,380	-4,752	332,680	-27,041
3) Offences A to F	36,679	-462	38,214	-2,734	34,222	-3,380	296,866	-20,586
Burglary	2,856	-66	3,091	-62	2,681	-407	22,613	-1,725
Unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle, thefts of use of a motor vehicle	711	-81	800	-28	666	-55	4,853	-425
Robbery	143	-46	156	9	184	49	1,276	31
Damage to property	3,231	95	3,363	-977	3,189	21	25,821	-1,455
Manslaughter, murder and killing	3	-8	6	2	13	9	59	3
Assault	2,921	4	2,779	-3	2,692	-287	24,863	-346
Rape	116	13	89	-23	114	-17	945	91
Drunken driving	1,769	90	1,705	288	1,690	143	13,596	492
Narcotics offences	2,465	387	2,718	390	2,396	302	20,597	1,726
4) Endangerment of traffic safety, hit-and-run, traffic infraction, violation of social welfare legislation on road traffic and motor vehicle infraction	22,676	-11,417	15,504	-26,301	15,213	-24,890	292,582	-17,938
-exceeding speed limits 1)	15,810	-10,242	7,217	-23,969	6,405	-20,948	218,556	-4,557

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 2017, 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 2013 to 2017 (preliminary data) Corrected on 13 April 2018 (19.10.2017)

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Updated 19.10.2017