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Published: 17 April 2019

Nearly 30 per cent more rapes and sexual abuses of a child were recorded

According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, a total of 93,800 offences against the Criminal Code were recorded by the police, customs and border guard during the first quarter of 2019, which is 2,700 cases (2.8 per cent) fewer than in January to March 2018. Offences against property numbered 41,000, which is 4.2 per cent fewer cases than in the year before. In all, 27.6 per cent more rapes were reported than in the corresponding period in the previous year.

Rape and sexual abuse of a child by month 2010 to 2019

A majority of the reported offences are recorded by the police. During January to March 2019, a total of 126,100 offences and infractions were recorded by the police, which is 34.6 per cent down from 2018. The number of offences against the Criminal Code recorded by the police was 91,600, which is 2.6 per cent lower than in January to March 2018. 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 2019, a total of 2,000 offences were recorded by customs and 1,100 by the border guard. Compared with the first quarter of 2018, the offences recorded by the customs decreased by 17.1 per cent and those recoded by the border guard by 7.5 per cent. The number of offences against the Criminal Code recorded by the customs was 1,700 and by the border guard 600.

Offences against the person

The recorded number of assaults in January to March was 7,400, which was 0.6 per cent more than in 2018. A total of 380 aggravated assaults were recorded, which is good 20 cases more than one year earlier. The recorded number of offences against life was 23, which is eight cases more than in January to March 2018. Attempted homicides numbered 65, which is eight cases fewer than in the year before.

In all, 379 rapes were recorded, which was 82 cases (27.6 per cent) more than in January to March 2018. The recorded number of sexual abuses of a child was 417, which is 28.7 per cent more than in the year before. In addition, 264 other sexual offences were reported. Of them, 122 were cases of sexual harassment, which is six cases (5.2 per cent) more than in 2018. In the 2010s, most sexual abuses of a child have been reported 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

During the first quarter of 2019, a total of 41,000 offences against property were recorded, which was 1,800 (4.2 per cent) fewer than in the corresponding period of the previous year.

A total of 6,900 frauds (fraud, petty fraud, aggravated fraud; Criminal Code, Section 36, Paragraphs 1 to 3) were recorded, which is 10.2 per cent more than in January to March of the previous year. A total of 440 aggravated frauds were recorded, which is 12.7 per cent fewer than one year earlier.

During January to March 2019, means of payment frauds numbered 1,300, which is 200 cases (13.9 per cent) fewer than in the previous year. The number of aggravated means of payment frauds was 43. The number of means of payment frauds has been on the decline for the past few years. In particular, means of payment frauds committed abroad or from abroad have fallen.

Altogether 355 thefts were reported, which was 6.8 per cent down from the beginning of 2018. Of robberies, 69 were aggravated. A total of 800 embezzlements and aggravated embezzlements were reported, which is 9.1 per cent more than in January to March 2018.

A total of 22,400 theft offences (thefts, petty thefts and aggravated thefts) were reported in January to March 2019, which was 1,300 cases fewer (5.4 per cent) than in 2018. The number of aggravated thefts recorded was 550, which is down by 4.5 per cent from the year before. The recorded number of break-ins into houses was 800, which is 10.3 per cent fewer than in 2018. Altogether, 10,100 thefts and petty thefts from shops were recorded, which is 0.5 per cent fewer than in the year before. Compared with 2009, the number of thefts and petty thefts from shops has fallen by about 15 per cent.

At the beginning of 2019, the recorded number of unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle and thefts of a motor vehicle for temporary use was 960, which is 5.2 per cent fewer than in the year before. From the early 2000s, the number of these offences has fallen to under one half.

In January to March 2019, the recorded number of damages to property was 5,400, which is 900 cases (14.1 per cent) fewer than in the previous year. Altogether, 48 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.

Other offences

The number of drunken driving recorded was 4,300 in the first quarter of 2019, which is 4.5 per cent up on the corresponding period in 2018. Good 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 1.7 per cent lower than in 2017. Basic drunken driving cases increased by 8.1 per cent. Around 65 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 7,200, which is down by 2.5 per cent from the year before. The number of aggravated narcotics offences went up by 16.3 per cent. A total of 400 of them were recorded. Around two out of three narcotics offences were use offences. The recorded number was 4,800, which is 1.3 per cent more than January to March 2018.

In January to March 2019, a total of 1,100 cases of identity theft were recorded, which is 80 cases (7.9 per cent) more than in 2018. 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, 14,200 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 1,500 cases (9.4 per cent) fewer than in 2018. 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 for the latter part of the year.

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 2019 and change from the corresponding period of the previous year

Offence	January		February		March		January-March
	2019	Change	2019	Change	2019	Change	2019	Change
1) Offences and infractions total 1)	45,204	-21,600	39,022	-20,490	45,065	-25,187	129,291	-67,277
2) Offences against the Criminal Code	30,813	-2,689	29,714	-221	33,312	254	93,839	-2,656
Offences against property	13,599	-1,849	13,142	77	14,229	-22	40,970	-1,794
Burglary	1,686	-394	1,620	-186	1,891	-18	5,197	-598
Unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle, thefts of use of a motor vehicle	330	-62	328	22	301	-13	959	-53
Robbery	92	-49	113	-9	150	32	355	-26
Damage to property	1,906	-647	1,584	-166	1,874	-66	5,364	-879
Offences against life and health	2,647	-142	2,506	21	2,791	207	7,944	86
Manslaughter, murder and killing	12	7	4	-1	7	2	23	8
Assault	2,474	-154	2,354	10	2,613	186	7,441	42
Sexual offences	355	125	319	-34	386	82	1,060	173
Rape	138	64	106	-5	135	23	379	82
Drunken driving	1,317	-5	1,313	68	1,646	123	4,276	186
Narcotics offences	2,401	-207	2,277	-93	2,520	112	7,198	-188

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 2019, 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 2015 to 2019 (preliminary data) (17.4.2019)

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Updated 17.04.2019