Chamber and committees

Information about patients treated in primary care for these types of injury is not centrally available. Similarly, central information on the reason for attendance at accident and emergency departments is not available at present.

The following tables show the number of patients discharged from acute hospitals in NHS Lothian as a result of:

Injury from a sharp object (knife, sword, dagger or other sharp object) due to accidental contact OR contact of other intent (assault, intentional self-harm or undetermined intent) (table 1a).

Injury from a sharp object due to assault (table 1b) [Note - this is a subset of the statistics shown in table 1a].

Injury from firearm discharge due to accidental contact OR contact of other intent (table 2a).

Injury from firearm discharge due to assault (table 2b) [Note - this is a subset of the statistics shown in table 2a].

In order to protect patient confidentiality, cells with small numbers (one to four cases) have been suppressed. To prevent suppressed cells being disclosed through differencing, some additional cells with greater than four cases have also been suppressed.

Table 1a: Number of patients admitted to an NHS Lothian hospital due to accidental contact with sword, knife or dagger OR other contact (due to assault, intentional self-harm or undetermined intent) with sharp object broken down by year of discharge, sex, type of admission and hospital:

Notes:

There were <five patients admitted to:

Astley Ainslie Hospital in 2002-03, 2003-04, 2005-05, 2005-06 and 2007-08.

City Hospital in 1999-2000 and 2000-01.

Liberton Hospital in 2000-01 and 2004-05.

Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in 2007-08.

-Zero value.

*Figures suppressed due to small numbers.

1. WGH “ Western General Hospital, RHSC “ Royal Hospital for Sick Children, RIE “ Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, SJH “ St. Johns Hospital.

Table 1b: Number of patients admitted to an NHS Lothian hospital due to assault by sharp object broken down by year of discharge, sex, type of admission and hospital:

There were <five patients admitted to:

Astley Ainslie Hospital in 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2007-08.

City Hospital in 1999-2000.

Liberton Hospital in 2000-01 and 2004-05.

Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in 2007-08.

-Zero value.

*Figures suppressed due to small numbers.

1. WGH “ Western General Hospital, RHSC “ Royal Hospital for Sick Children, RIE “ Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, SJH “ St. Johns Hospital

Table 2a: Number of patients admitted to an NHS Lothian hospital due to firearm discharge (due to accident, assault, intentional self-harm or undetermined intent) broken down by year of discharge, sex, type of admission and hospital:

There were <five patients admitted to:

Astley Ainslie Hospital in 1999-2000 and 2001-02.

City Hospital in 1999-2000 and 2000-01.

-Zero value.

*Figures suppressed due to small numbers.

1. WGH “ Western General Hospital, RHSC “ Royal Hospital for Sick Children, RIE “ Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, SJH “ St. Johns Hospital.

Table 2b: Number of patients admitted to an NHS Lothian hospital due to assault by firearm discharge broken down by year of discharge, sex, type of admission and hospital:

Notes:

There were <five patients admitted to NHS Lothian Hospitals in 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2003-04 and 2007-08.

-Zero value.

*Figures suppressed due to small numbers.

1. RHSC “ Royal Hospital for Sick Children, SJH “ St. Johns Hospital, RIE - Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Lothian and Borders Police Force, 1998-99 to 2007-08

Source: Scottish Government annual collection of Recorded Crimes and Offences involving firearms.

Note: 1. Does not include miscellaneous firearms offences such as possession, handling and distribution of weapons and ammunition.

Recorded Miscellaneous Firearms Offences¹, Lothian and Borders Police Force, 1998-99 to 2007-08

Source: Scottish Government Recorded Crimes and Offences data collection.

Note: 1. Mainly offences related to possession, handling and distribution of weapons and ammunition.

The statistics dealing with recorded crime and court proceedings are not directly comparable as a person may be proceeded against for more than one crime involving more than one victim and there is the possibility that the crime recorded by the police may be altered in the course of judicial proceedings. A crime may be recorded by the police in one year and court proceedings concluded in a subsequent year. Crimes committed by children aged under 16 are also generally dealt with through the children''s hearings system rather than the courts.

Number of Domestic Abuse, Rape, Crimes of Violence and Housebreaking Recorded by the Police in the Lothian and Borders Police Force Area, 1999-2000 to 2007-08

Source: Justice Analytical Services, Scottish Government.

Notes:

1. Includes group 1 crimes of violence (minus robbery), as well as the group 4 crime of reckless driving at common law and the group 5 crimes involving possession/restriction of offensive weapons.

2. Includes dwellings, non-dwellings and other premises.

Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts for Crimes of Domestic Abuse, Rape, Crimes of Violence, Housebreaking in Lothian and Borders police Force Area, 1999-2000 to 2007-08

Source: Justice Analytical Services, Scottish Government.

Notes:

1. Includes all persons where a domestic abuse aggravator has been recorded against the main offence. Where the main offence was rape, crimes of violence or housebreaking they will also be included in the figures for the specific crime category in the remainder of the table. 2005-06 is the first year where it has been considered that the use and recording of domestic abuse aggravator codes from the Scottish Government Court Proceedings Database has been of sufficient coverage to be used.

2. Where main offence. The figures for persons proceeded against may exclude some acquittals due to recording delays.

3. Includes group 1 crimes of violence (minus robbery), as well as the group 4 crime of reckless driving at common law and the group 5 crimes of handling and possession of offensive weapons.

The following is the original answer (published on 15 May 2009); see below.

Data on numbers of arrests and charges are not held centrally. The recorded crime statistics held centrally do not contain information about the details of a crime, for instance the relationship between the victim and the accused for crimes of violence. The available information on recorded crime and on prosecutions and convictions is given in the following tables. Information in relation to prosecutions arising from incidents of domestic violence is not separately identifiable in the available statistics.

The statistics dealing with recorded crime and court proceedings are not directly comparable as a person may be proceeded against for more than one crime involving more than one victim and there is the possibility that the crime recorded by the police may be altered in the course of judicial proceedings. A crime may be recorded by the police in one year and court proceedings concluded in a subsequent year. Crimes committed by children aged under 16 are also generally dealt with through the children''s hearings system rather than the courts.

Number of Domestic Abuse, Rape, Crimes of Violence and Housebreaking Recorded in the Lothian and Borders Police Force area, 1999-2000 to 2007-08.

Notes:

1. Includes group 1 crimes of violence (minus robbery), handling and possession of offensive weapons and reckless driving at common law.

2. Includes dwellings, non-dwellings and other premises.

Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts for Crimes of Domestic Abuse, Rape, Crimes of Violence, Housebreaking in Lothian and Borders Police Force Area, 1999-2000 to 2007-08

Notes:

1. Includes all persons where a domestic abuse aggravator has been recorded against the main offence. Where the main offence was rape, crimes of violence or housebreaking they will also be included in the figures for the specific crime category in the remainder of the table. 2005-06 is the first year where it has been considered that the use and recording of domestic abuse aggravator codes from the Scottish Government Court Proceedings Database has been of sufficient coverage to be used.

2. Where main offence. The figures for persons proceeded against may exclude some acquittals due to recording delays.

3. Includes group 1 crimes of violence (minus robbery), handling and possession of offensive weapons and reckless driving at common law.

Bail Offences¹ with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts, Lothian and Borders Police Force Area 2003-04 to 2007-08

Note: 1. Excludes reoffending while on bail.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/ExclusionHistoricalDat.

The information on reasons for exclusion in the case of removals from register, for the Lothian area, has been has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 48108).

Please note that prosecution is not the sole course taken in dealing with these offences. Where persons under 18 possess alcohol in a public place, the police have powers under section 61 of the Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Act 1997 to confiscate this alcohol and dispose of it. If the alcohol is surrendered to the police, it is not an offence and so is not included in the recorded crime statistics. It is, however, an offence to fail to comply, for example by failing to surrender the alcohol or by failing to give his name and address if requested. Figures relating to confiscation of alcohol in the table therefore relate to persons under 18 failing to comply with this requirement.

Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts for Alcohol Offences Related to Persons Under 18¹, Lothian and Borders Police Force, 2003-04 to 2007-08

Source: Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services.

Notes:

1. Where main offence.

2. Covers the crime categories sale of drink to person under 18 and wholesaler selling liquor to person under 18, although no prosecutions have been recorded under the latter in the years reported.

With regard to this answer, and the answer to question S3W-23004 on 11 May 2009, it should be noted that statistics dealing with court proceedings and recorded crime are not directly comparable as a person may be proceeded against for more than one crime involving more than one victim and there is the possibility that the crime recorded by the police may be altered in the course of judicial proceedings. Also a crime may be recorded by the police in one year and court proceedings concluded in a subsequent year.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Where persons under 18 possess alcohol in a public place, the police have powers under section 61 of the Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Act 1997 to confiscate this alcohol and dispose of it. If the alcohol is surrendered to the police, it is not an offence and so is not included in the recorded crime statistics. It is, however, an offence to fail to comply, for example by failing to surrender the alcohol or by failing to give his name and address if requested. Figures relating to confiscation of alcohol in the table therefore relate to persons under 18 failing to comply with this requirement.

Number of Alcohol Offences Relating to Persons Under 18, Lothian and Borders Police Force, 2003-04 to 2007-08

Source: Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services.

Note: 1. Covers the crime categories sale of drink to person under 18 and wholesaler selling liquor to person under 18, although no prosecutions have been recorded under the latter in the years reported.

With regard to this answer, and the answer to question S3W-23005 on 11 May 2009, it should be noted that statistics dealing with recorded crime and court proceedings are not directly comparable as a person may be proceeded against for more than one crime involving more than one victim and there is the possibility that the crime recorded by the police may be altered in the course of judicial proceedings. Also a crime may be recorded by the police in one year and court proceedings concluded in a subsequent year.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.