Home > Statistics > Statistics on offences and coercive measures > 2018 > 1st quarter > Reported number of crimes against life and health decreased by 8.7 per cent in January to March 2018

Published: 14 June 2018

Reported number of crimes against life and health decreased by 8.7 per cent in January to March 2018

According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, a total of 179,700 offences were recorded by the police, customs and border guard during the first quarter of 2018, which is 38,800 cases (17.8 per cent) less than in 2017. Number of recorded offences against the Penal Code were 95,400 or 2.9 per cent lower. The recorded number of crimes against life and health was 7,700, which is 8.7 per cent lower than in January to March 2016. In all, 6.7 per cent less rapes and 19.4 per cent fewer cases of sexual harassment were reported than in the year before.

Crimes against life and health in 2016 to 2018

A majority of the reported offences are recorded by the police. During January to March 2018, a total of 176,100 offences were recorded by the police, which is 18.2 per cent down from early 2017. The drop is mainly caused by a change in the number of traffic infractions. In January to March 2018, a total of 2,400 offences were recorded by customs and 1,200 by the border guard. Compared with January to March 2017, the offences recorded by the customs increased by 16.5 per cent and those recoded the border guard grew by 0.5 per cent. The increase in the number of offences recorded by customs was caused, for example, by recorded smuggling offences.

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 80 days. For this reason, the publication time of the statistics has been moved by a few months in 2018.

Offences against the person

The number of assault offences recorded was 7,300 during the first quarter of 2018, which is 760 cases (9.4 per cent) fewer than in the corresponding period in 2017. A total of 370 aggravated assaults were recorded, which is 0.5 per cent more than one year earlier. The recorded number of offences against life was 16, which is one case less than a year earlier.

In all, 294 rapes were recorded, which was 21 cases (6.7 per cent) fewer than in January to March 2017. The recorded number of sexual abuses of a child was 329, which is 17.9 per cent more than in January to March of the previous year. In addition, 230 other sexual offences were reported, of which 111 were cases of sexual harassment. Compared with January to March 2017, the cases of sexual harassment increased by 18 cases (19.4 per cent). 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

During January to March 2018, a total of 42,200 offences against property were recorded, which is 4,050 (8.8 per cent) fewer than in the corresponding period of the previous year.

During the first quarter of 2018, a total of 5,900 frauds (fraud, petty fraud, aggravated fraud; Criminal Code, Section 36, Paragraphs 1 to 3) were recorded, which is 3.7 per cent fewer than in the year before. A total of 443 aggravated frauds were recorded, which is 33 per cent more than one year earlier.

During January to March 2018, means of payment frauds numbered 1,500, which is 200 cases (13.5 per cent) fewer than in the corresponding period in the previous year. The number of aggravated means of payment frauds was 43. Of all means of payment frauds, 350 (23.7 per cent) were carried out abroad, while in the previous year, the share of means of payment frauds abroad was 28 per cent. Compared with previous years, particularly many means of payment frauds were recorded between August 2015 and August 2016.

The number of robberies recorded was 376, which was nine per cent up from January to March 2017. Of robberies, 72 were aggravated. A total of 760 embezzlements and aggravated embezzlements were reported, which is 5.8 per cent fewer than in the first quarter of 2017.

A total of 23,700 theft offences (theft, aggravated theft, petty theft) were reported, which is 2,300 cases (8.8 per cent) fewer than in January to March 2017. The number of aggravated thefts recorded was 580 in January to March 2018, which is down by 8.4 per cent from the year before. The number of break-ins into houses recorded was 900, which was 120 cases (12 per cent) lower than in January to March 2017. Altogether, 10,100 thefts and petty thefts from shops were recorded, which is 1,000 cases fewer than in the corresponding period of the previous year. Compared with 2009, the number of thefts and petty thefts from shops has fallen by about 15 per cent.

The recorded number of unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle and thefts of use of a motor vehicle was 1,000, which is 1.4 per cent lower than in January to March 2017. From the early 2000s, the number of these offences has fallen by around one fifth.

During January to March 2018, damages to property numbered 6,200, which is 950 cases (13.3 per cent) fewer than in the previous year. Altogether, 42 aggravated damages to property were reported. The number of damages to property has primarily been falling since 2009, when 10,500 of them were recorded.

Other offences

The number of recorded drunken driving cases was 4,100 in January to March 2018, which is 11.1 per cent up from the corresponding period in 2017. Around 36 per cent of the recorded drunken driving cases were aggravated drunken driving. A total of 1,500 aggravated drunken driving cases were recorded, which was 1.1 per cent down on January to March 2017. Basic drunken driving cases increased by 19.5 per cent. Close on 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 7,300, which is up by 17.3 per cent on January to March in the year before. The number of aggravated narcotics offences went up by 13.5 per cent. A total of 350 of them were recorded. Close on two out of three narcotics offences are use offences. The recorded number was 4,650, which is 22.5 per cent more than January to March 2017.

In January to March 2018, a total of 1,000 cases of identity theft were recorded, which is 300 cases (22.5 per cent) less than in 2017. 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, 96,300 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 35,700 cases (27 per cent) fewer than in the first quarter of 2017. Of these offences, 68,100 were cases of exceeding speed limits. Exceeding of speed limits declined by 34.2 per cent. 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

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 January, February and March and in January to March 2018 and change from the corresponding period of the previous year

Offence	January		February		March		January-March
	2018	Change	2018	Change	2018	Change	2018	Change
1) Offences and infractions total	66,215	-11,884	58,315	-10,304	55,182	-16,615	179,712	-38,803
2) Offences against the Criminal Code	33,253	418	29,754	32	32,433	-3,266	95,440	-2,816
3) Offences A to F	29,811	512	26,194	71	28,029	-3,660	84,034	-3,077
Burglary	2,075	-138	1,810	15	1,915	-363	5,800	-486
Unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle, thefts of use of a motor vehicle	391	40	316	25	313	-80	1,020	-15
Robbery	139	33	123	38	114	-40	376	31
Damage to property	2,553	285	1,740	-471	1,935	-760	6,228	-946
Manslaughter, murder and killing	5	3	5	-	6	-4	16	-1
Assault	2,605	-188	2,312	-40	2,358	-531	7,275	-759
Rape	75	-27	107	-16	112	22	294	-21
Drunken driving	1,326	40	1,258	93	1,533	279	4,117	412
Narcotics offences	2,602	432	2,362	491	2,367	160	7,331	1,083
4) Endangerment of traffic safety, hit-and-run, traffic infraction, violation of social welfare legislation on road traffic and motor vehicle infraction	36,404	-12,396	32,121	-10,375	27,153	-12,955	95,678	-35,726
-exceeding speed limits 1)	27,707	-12,578	24,060	-10,213	16,327	-12,588	68,094	-35,379

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 2018, 1. quarter

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

Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Number of certain types of offences in January to March 2014 to 2018 (preliminary data) (14.6.2018)

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Updated 14.6.2018