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Weekly Bulletin issue no. 43, 1997 <sti>Stikktittel

Offences reported to the police, 3rd quarter 1997:

Record number of drug trafficking offences

A total of 7,877 narcotics offences was reported in the third quarter in Norway. This is the highest number ever recorded in any one quarter. On the other hand, sexual crimes declined because there were fewer reports of pornography violations.
Recorded drugs crimes in the third quarter were up 26 per cent compared to the same period last year, while recorded narcotics felonies increased 45 per cent. The increase also applied to less serious drugs crimes, i.e. violations of the Medicinal Products Act. The use and possession of illicit drugs increased by 35 per cent during this period.

Fewer pornography violations

Reports of sexual crimes went down 25 per cent this year compared to the same period last year, mainly due to a 65 per cent decline in recorded violations of the Pornography Act. Thirty cases of incest were recorded, against 25 for the same period in 1996. Thirty-four cases of sexual assault against children under the age of 16 were reported, compared to 44 for the same period last year. One hundred and nineteen cases of sexual abuse of children under 14 years of age were reported, against 112 last year, and 51 cases of sexual abuse of children under 10 were recorded, up from 35 in the same period in 1996.

Less violent crime

The number of violent crimes reported sank by two per cent in the third quarter compared to the third quarter last year. Reported cases of assault and battery dropped four per cent while bodily harm cases were down five per cent.

New Statistics

Offences reported to the police, 3rd quarter, 1997:
Statistics are published every quarter in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics. More information: Arnt Even Hustad, tel. +47 21 09 46 45, e-mail: hsd@ssb.no.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 43, 1997