Home > Statistics > Statistics on offences and coercive measures > 2019 > 2nd quarter > Drunken driving focuses on summer months

Published: 12 July 2019

Drunken driving focuses on summer months

According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, a total of 206,300 offences against the Criminal Code were recorded by the police, customs and border guard during January to June 2019, which is 2,400 cases (1.1 per cent) fewer than in January to June 2018. A total of 94,700 offences against property were recorded, which figure is unchanged from the year before. In all, 20.4 per cent more rapes were reported than in the corresponding period in the previous year.

Drunken driving offences after intoxicant by month 2009 to 2019

A majority of the reported offences are recorded by the police. During January to June 2019, a total of 320,100 offences were recorded by the police, which is 23.2 per cent down from 2018. The number of offences against the Criminal Code recorded by the police was 201,900, which is one per cent lower than in January to June 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 June 2019, a total of 3,900 offences were recorded by the customs and 2,500 by the border guard. Compared with the corresponding period in 2018, the offences recorded by the customs decreased by 15.1 per cent and those recorded by the border guard by 6.4 per cent. The number of offences against the Criminal Code recorded by the customs was 3,300 and by the border guard 1,200.

Offences against the person

The recorded number of assaults in January to June was 15,800, which was 1.2 per cent fewer than in January to June 2018. A total of 782 aggravated assaults were recorded, which is 13 cases more than one year earlier. The recorded number of offences against life was 41, which is seven cases more than in January to June 2018. Attempted homicides numbered 137, which is 15 cases fewer than in the year before.

In all, 715 rapes were recorded, which was 121 cases (20.4 per cent) more than in January to June 2018. The recorded number of sexual abuses of a child was 813, which is 22.8 per cent more than in the year before. Aggravated rape of a child was added to the Criminal Code on 15 April 2019. Thirteen cases of aggravated rape of a child have been reported. In the statistics, aggravated rape of a child is included in the figures on cases of sexual abuse of a child. In addition, 508 other sexual offences were reported. Of them, 256 were cases of sexual harassment, which is 26 cases (11.3 per cent) more than in January to June 2018 .

During the 2010s , most cases of sexual harassment 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

During the first quarter of 2019, a total of 94,700 offences against property were recorded, which was as many as in the corresponding period of the previous year.

A total of 13,100 frauds (fraud, petty fraud, aggravated fraud; Criminal Code, Section 36, Paragraphs 1 to 3) were recorded, which is 9.4 per cent more than in January to June of the previous year. A total of 940 aggravated frauds were recorded, which is 5.1 per cent more than one year earlier.

During January to June 2019, means of payment frauds numbered 2,900, which is 100 cases (4.3 per cent) fewer than in the previous year. The number of aggravated means of payment frauds was 105. 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.

The number of robberies reported was 803, which is the same as in January to June 2018. Of robberies, 149 were aggravated.

A total of 54,400 theft offences (thefts, petty thefts and aggravated thefts) were reported in January to June 2019, which was 400 cases (0.7 per cent) fewer than in 2018. The number of aggravated thefts recorded was 1,260, which is down by 2.5 per cent from the year before. The recorded number of break-ins into houses was 2,000 which is 8.9 per cent fewer than in 2018. Altogether, 21,800 thefts and petty thefts from shops were recorded, which is 1.8 per cent more than in the year before. Compared with 2009, the number of thefts and petty thefts from shops has fallen by about 15 per cent.

In January to June 2019, the recorded number of unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle and thefts of a motor vehicle for temporary use was 2,600, which is 5.4 per cent more than in the year before. From the early 2000s, the number of these offences has fallen to under one half.

In January to June 2019, the recorded number of damages to property was 13,600, which is 800 cases (5.8 per cent) fewer than in the previous year. Altogether, 121 aggravated damages to property were reported. The number of damages to property has primarily been falling since 2009, when 24,700 of them were recorded in January to June.

Other offences

The number of drunken driving recorded was 9,400 in the first half of 2019, which is 2.8 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 3,400 aggravated drunken driving cases were recorded, which is 2.0 per cent lower than in 2017. Basic drunken driving cases increased by 5.7 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 14,250, which is down by 1.3 per cent from the year before. The number of aggravated narcotics offences went up by 12.5 per cent. A total of 722 of them were recorded. Around two out of three narcotics offences were use offences. The recorded number was 9,700, which is 3.3 per cent more than in January to June 2018.

In January to June 2019, a total of 2,100 cases of identity theft were recorded, which is close on 200 cases (9.0 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, 31,400 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 3,000 cases (8.7 per cent) fewer than in January to June 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.

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 April, May and June and in January to June 2019 and change from the corresponding period of the previous year

Offence	April		May		June		January-June
	2019	Change	2019	Change	2019	Change	2019	Change
1) Offences and infractions total 1)	54,314	-16,284	46,644	-31,470	42,767	-36,172	326,543	-97,676
2) Offences against the Criminal Code	36,465	1,829	38,453	-857	35,183	-3,045	206,291	-2,378
Offences against property	17,243	1,495	19,076	284	16,167	-1,197	94,726	58
Burglary	2,473	307	2,588	124	2,323	-25	12,683	-90
Unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle, thefts of use of a motor vehicle	457	48	578	101	587	40	2,577	132
Robbery	164	26	157	-	129	1	803	-1
Damage to property	2,660	296	2,853	-291	2,603	-73	13,586	-841
Offences against life and health	2,852	-72	3,134	-59	2,822	-301	16,879	-219
Manslaughter, murder and killing	5	2	8	1	8	-1	41	7
Assault	2,699	-66	2,935	-27	2,643	-265	15,845	-189
Sexual offences	322	11	348	56	285	43	2,036	304
Rape	100	-15	104	6	107	23	715	121
Drunken driving	1,570	100	1,652	-65	1,953	97	9,385	252
Narcotics offences	2,341	35	2,270	-56	2,295	-119	14,250	-182

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, 2. quarter

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

Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma

Publication in pdf-format (250.5 kB)

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Development of certain types of offences in January to June 2015 to 2019 (preliminary data) (12.7.2019)

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Updated 12.07.2019