Home > Statistics > Statistics on offences and coercive measures > 2020 > 1st quarter > Recorded number of offences against property growing

Published: 17 April 2020

Recorded number of offences against property growing

According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, a total of 110,700 offences against the Criminal Code were recorded by the police, customs and border guard during January to March 2020, which is 13,400 cases (13.7 per cent) more than in the corresponding period in 2019. A total of 51,500 offences against property were recorded, which is 20 per cent more than in the year before. In all, 16 per cent fewer rapes were reported than in the previous year’s January to March. Ten violations against the Emergency Powers Act were reported.

Offences against property by quarter 2011 to 2020

A majority of the reported offences are recorded by the police. In the first quarter of 2020, a total of 140,200 offences and infractions were recorded by the police, which is 23 per cent fewer than in 2019. The number of offences against the Criminal Code recorded by the police was 108,700, which is 14.4 per cent more than in the first quarter of 2019. Fines from automatic traffic control are updated into the police PATJA system with a delay of around 80 days, which has an effect on the number of traffic infractions in particular.

In January to March 2020, a total of 1,900 offences were recorded by customs and 1,200 by the border guard. Compared with January to March 2019, the offences recorded by the customs declined by 8.2 per cent and those recorded by the border guard increased by four per cent. The number of offences against the Criminal Code recorded by the customs was 1,500 and by the border guard 500.

Offences against the person

The number of assault offences recorded during January to March 2020 was 7,800, which is 2.3 per cent more than in the first quarter of 2019. A total of 452 aggravated assaults were recorded, which is 105 cases more than in January to March 2019. The recorded number of offences against life was 30, which is 12 cases more than in 2019. Attempted homicides numbered 91, which is 36 cases more than in the year before.

In all, 352 rapes were recorded, which is 67 cases (16 per cent) fewer than in January to March 2019. The recorded number of sexual abuses of a child was 467, which is 15 per cent more than in the year before. The act on aggravated rape of a child entered into force on 15 April 2019. In the first quarter of 2020, a total of 17 cases of aggravated rape of a child were reported. In the statistics, aggravated rape of a child is included in the figures on cases of sexual abuse of a child. In addition, 227 other sexual offences were reported. Of them, 103 were cases of sexual harassment, which is 16 cases (13.4 per cent) fewer than in 2019.

In the 2010s, most cases of sexual abuses of a child have been recorded in the second quarter of 2013. Then 612 cases of sexual abuse of a child were reported. The recorded numbers of rapes and sexual abuses 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

In January to March 2020, a total of 51,500 offences against property were recorded, which is 8,600 (20 per cent) more than in the previous year. More offences against property were last recorded in the statistics in the early part of the year in 2014.

A total of 7,800 frauds (fraud, petty fraud, aggravated fraud; Criminal Code, Section 36, Paragraphs 1 to 3) were recorded, which is unchanged from the year before. The number of frauds appears to be growing after a few years of decline. A total of 489 aggravated frauds were recorded, which is 29 cases fewer than one year earlier.

During January to March 2020, means of payment frauds numbered 1,800, which is 450 cases (32.4 per cent) more than in the previous year. The number of aggravated means of payment frauds was 44.

The number of robberies recorded was 513, which is 46.2 per cent up from January to March 2019. Of robberies, 123 were aggravated.

A total of 29,100 theft offences (thefts, petty thefts and aggravated thefts) were reported in the early part of 2020, which is 6,200 cases (27.1 per cent) more than in 2019. The number of aggravated thefts recorded was 700, which is up by nearly 23 per cent from the year before. The recorded number of break-ins into houses and free-time residences was 1,050, which is 33.3 per cent more than in 2019. Altogether, 12,300 thefts and petty thefts from shops were recorded, which is 18.2 per cent more than in the year before.

In early 2020, the recorded number of unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle and thefts of a motor vehicle for temporary use was 1,100, which is 20.1 per cent more than in the year before. From the start of the 2000s, the number of these offences has fallen to under one half.

The recorded number of damages to property was 6,900, which is 1,400 cases more than in the previous year. Altogether, 67 aggravated damages to property were reported. The number of damages to property has primarily been falling since 2009, when 10,400 of them were recorded in the early part of the year.

Other offences

The number of drunken driving recorded was 4,700 in January to March 2020, which is 11.4 per cent more than in 2019. One-third of the recorded drunken driving cases were aggravated drunken driving. A total of 1,500 aggravated drunken driving cases were recorded, which is nearly eight per cent more than in 2019. Basic drunken driving cases increased by 13.1 per cent. Good 60 per cent of basic drunken driving cases were caused by the use of narcotic substances. As recently as 2013, over one-half of all drunken driving cases were aggravated drunken driving.

The number of narcotics offences recorded was 9,900, which is up by 33.2 per cent on the year before. The number of aggravated narcotics offences went down by 28.1 per cent. A total of 355 of them were recorded. Around two out of three narcotics offences were use offences. The number recorded was 5,800, which is 18.5 per cent more than in 2019.

In the early part of 2020, a total of 1,000 cases of identity theft were recorded, which is nearly 300 cases (20 per cent) fewer than in 2019. Identity theft was added to the Criminal Code on 4 September 2015 and by the end of 2015, a total of 530 cases of identity theft had been reported.

Altogether, 15,000 cases of endangerment of traffic safety, aggravated endangerment of traffic safety and hit-and-runs (Criminal Code, Section 23, Paragraphs 1 to 2, 11) were recorded, which is nearly one per cent more than in 2019. Fines from automatic traffic control are updated into the police PATJA system with a delay of around 80 days, so the data will become revised.

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

Number of certain types of offences in January, February and March and in January to March 2020 and change from the corresponding period of the previous year

Offence	January		February		March		January-March
	2020	Change	2020	Change	2020	Change	2020	Change
1) Offences and infractions total 1)	52,944	-3,643	45,204	-13,402	45,149	-24,878	143,297	-41,923
2) Offences against the Criminal Code	37,896	6,613	36,312	5,745	36,506	1,012	110,714	13,370
Offences against property	17,597	3,697	16,772	3,119	17,129	1,752	51,498	8,568
Burglary	2,390	704	2,448	832	2,600	623	7,438	2,159
Unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle, thefts of use of a motor vehicle	349	24	376	50	414	117	1,139	191
Robbery	135	43	191	77	187	42	513	162
Damage to property	2,534	610	2,096	498	2,243	275	6,873	1,383
Offences against life and health	2,914	231	2,763	214	2,674	-260	8,351	185
Manslaughter, murder and killing	10	-1	9	6	11	7	30	12
Assault	2,733	223	2,608	198	2,494	-247	7,835	174
Sexual offences	351	-4	376	38	319	-59	1,046	-25
Rape	127	-16	114	-8	111	-43	352	-67
Drunken driving	1,458	156	1,499	213	1,693	105	4,650	474
Narcotics offences	3,698	1,253	3,161	825	3,087	402	9,946	2,480

1) Fines from automatic traffic control are updated into the police PATJA system with a delay of around 80 days, which has an effect on the number of traffic infractions in particular.

Source: Statistics on offences and coercive measures 2020, 1. quarter

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

Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma

Publication in pdf-format (232.3 kB)

Tables

Tables in databases

Pick the data you need into tables, view the data as graphs, or download the data for your use.

• Database tables and their variables
• Archived tables

Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Number of certain types of offences in January to March 2016 to 2020 (preliminary data) (17.4.2020)

---

Updated 17.4.2020