Home > Statistics > Statistics on offences and coercive measures > 2021 > 1st quarter > Number of assaults decreased by 13.4 per cent

Published: 16 April 2021

Number of assaults decreased by 13.4 per cent

According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, a total of 103,400 offences against the Criminal Code were recorded by the police, customs and border guard during January to March 2021, which is 10,600 cases (9.3 per cent) fewer than in the corresponding period in 2020. A total of 45,400 offences against property were recorded, which is 15.5 per cent fewer than in the year before. The number of assault offences was 13.4 per cent lower than in the year before.

Assault offences from 2016 to 2021

A majority of the reported offences and infractions are recorded by the police. During January to March 2021, a total of 105,900 offences and infractions were recorded by the police, which is 47.4 per cent down from the corresponding period in 2020. The number of offences against the Criminal Code recorded by the police was 102,200, which is 8.7 per cent fewer than in January to March 2020. 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. The Road Traffic Act was revised on 1 June 2020, and as a result of the reform an administrative sanction will be imposed for certain traffic infractions instead of a fine. For this reason, the number of traffic infractions in the statistics on offences has fallen considerably.

In January to March 2021, a total of 1,300 offences were recorded by the customs and 300 by the border guard. Compared with 2020, the offences and infractions recorded by the customs decreased by 34.7 per cent and those recorded by the border guard declined by 74 per cent. The number of offences against the Criminal Code recorded by the customs was 1,000 and by the border guard 200.

Offences against the person

The number of assault offences recorded was 7,000 in January to March 2021, which is 13.4 per cent fewer than in 2020. The number of assaults that took place in restaurants decreased by 77.4 per cent and the number of assaults that took place in public places by 18.5 per cent. The number of assaults in private dwellings decreased by 5.5 per cent, but the number of assaults in other private locations increased by 9.4 per cent. A total of 384 aggravated assaults were recorded, which is 48 cases fewer than in January to March of the previous year. The recorded number of offences against life was 17, which is eight cases fewer than in 2020. Attempted homicides numbered 70, which is 18 cases fewer than in the year before.

In all, 399 rapes were recorded, which is 47 cases (13.4 per cent) more than in January to March 2020. The recorded number of sexual abuses of a child was 463, which is 3.6 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 2021, a total of 13 cases of aggravated rape of a child were reported. In the corresponding period of the previous year, 16 cases 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, 280 other sexual offences were reported. Of them, 115 were cases of sexual harassment, which is 10 cases (9.5 per cent) more 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 2021, a total of 45,400 offences against property were recorded, which is 8,300 cases (15.5 per cent) fewer than in the previous year.

Slightly under 9,000 frauds (fraud, petty fraud, aggravated fraud; Criminal Code, Section 36, Paragraphs 1 to 3) were recorded, which is 6.7 per cent more than in the year before. The number of frauds appears to be growing after a few years of decline. A total of 500 aggravated frauds were recorded, which is 11.8 per cent fewer than one year earlier.

In the first quarter of 2021, means of payment frauds numbered 1,300, which is 500 cases (28.7 per cent) fewer than in the previous year. The number of aggravated means of payment frauds was 54.

Altogether 412 robberies were reported, which is 13.1 per cent down from January to March of the previous year. Of robberies, 114 were aggravated.

A total of 24,300 theft offences (theft, aggravated theft, petty theft) were reported, which is 6,000 cases (19.8 per cent) fewer than in January to March 2020. The number of aggravated thefts recorded was slightly under 500, which is down by 32 per cent from the year before. The recorded number of break-ins into houses and free-time residences was 700, which is 29.3 per cent fewer than in 2020. Altogether, 11,600 thefts and petty thefts from shops were recorded, which is 10.5 per cent fewer than in the year before.

During January to March 2021, the recorded number of unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle and thefts of a motor vehicle for temporary use was 1,000, which is 12.8 per cent fewer 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 5,700, which is 1,500 cases fewer than in the previous year. Altogether, 62 aggravated damages to property were reported. The number of damages to property has primarily been falling since 2009, when 50,700 of them were recorded during the year.

Other offences

The number of recorded cases of driving while intoxicated was 4,400 in the first quarter of 2021, which is 3.9 per cent fewer than in 2020. One third of the recorded cases of driving while intoxicated were cases of driving while seriously intoxicated. A total of 1,300 cases of driving while seriously intoxicated were recorded, which is 11.6 per cent lower than in the year before. A total of 3,000 basic cases of driving while intoxicated were recorded, which is the same as one year ago. Over 75 per cent of basic cases of driving while intoxicated were caused by the use of narcotic substances. As recently as 2013, over one half of all cases of driving while intoxicated were cases of driving while seriously intoxicated.

The number of narcotics offences recorded was almost 7,600, which is down by 25.7 per cent from the year before. The number of aggravated narcotics offences went down by 23.4 per cent. A total of 301 of them were recorded. Around two out of three narcotics offences are use offences. The number recorded was 5,200, which is 12.8 per cent fewer than in 2020.

In the first quarter of 2021, a total of 900 cases of identity theft were recorded, which is 160 cases (14.7 per cent) fewer than in 2020. 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, 18,300 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 18.4 per cent more than in the first quarter of 2020. 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 Road Traffic Act was revised on 1 June 2020, and as a result of the reform an administrative sanction will be imposed for certain traffic infractions instead of a fine. For this reason, the number of traffic infractions in the statistics on offences will fall considerably.

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.stat.fi/til/polrik/index_en.html and of the statistics on Coercive measures: http://stat.fi/til/pkei/index_en.html

Number of certain types of offences in January, February and March and in January to March 2021 and change from the corresponding period of the previous year

Offence	January		February		March		January-March
	2021	Change	2021	Change	2021	Change	2021	Change
1) Offences and infractions total 1)	36,089	-31,418	34,753	-35,688	36,701	-29,984	107,543	-97,090
2) Offences against the Criminal Code	34,720	-3,673	33,344	-3,968	35,364	-2,976	103,428	-10,617
Offences against property	15,255	-2,595	14,594	-2,772	15,511	-2,957	45,360	-8,324
Burglary	1,913	-477	1,998	-476	2,308	-506	6,219	-1,459
Unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle, thefts of use of a motor vehicle	316	-26	295	-72	370	-46	981	-144
Robbery	127	-2	128	-48	157	-12	412	-62
Damage to property	2,123	-404	1,714	-438	1,828	-638	5,665	-1,480
Offences against life and health	2,523	-476	2,480	-380	2,447	-345	7,450	-1,201
Manslaughter, murder and killing	8	-1	4	-2	5	-5	17	-8
Assault	2,357	-456	2,360	-337	2,303	-296	7,020	-1,089
Sexual offences	399	60	374	25	369	48	1,142	133
Rape	125	-14	136	33	138	28	399	47
Drunken driving	1,403	-39	1,421	-48	1,531	-92	4,355	-179
Narcotics offences	2,412	-1,348	2,612	-697	2,593	-591	7,617	-2,636

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 2021, 1. quarter

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

Head of Department in charge: Hannele Orjala

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Number of certain types of offences in January to March 2017 to 2021 (preliminary data) (16.4.2021)

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Updated 16.4.2021