Homicide victim numbers on rise in Scotland – new figures

The number of murder and culpable homicide victims in Scotland has risen by 10%.

Official figures show there were 64 homicide victims cases in 2016/17 compared to 58 the previous year.

Three of the cases were unsolved as of March 31 2017.

Justice secretary Michael Matheson said Police Scotland would continue attempts to “drive down violence” and said each death is a “tragic loss of life”.

His comments followed the publication of the latest Scottish Government homicide data which indicates a rise in killings with multiple victims.

One in five of the killings in 2016/17 took place in Glasgow, nearly double its share of population at 11%.

However, homicides in Glasgow have fallen 60% in the past 10 years with the city accounting for one third of the overall national drop.

Across Scotland, 77 people were accused of homicide in 2016/17, 22 (29%) of which were reported to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

A total of 88% were male and three-quarters of the victims, 48, were also male.

Most victims were known to the main person accused of their killing at 67% of cases solved in that time span.

The majority of killings in the same year, 67%, took place in homes, gardens or in a common close with 18 (30%) and two (3%) in indoor public places.

The most common method of killing was stabbing using a sharp instrument, the main method of killing for 30 victims (47%) in 2016/17 – all but two of which involved a knife.

Twenty-one people were reported to have been killed over drugs in 2016/17 while two died in racial killings.