Offences and victims reported to the police, 2009

During 2009, 277 000 crimes were reported to the police; 4.9 per cent more than the previous year, while the number of misdemeanours decreased by 1.3 per cent. Amongst the misdemeanours there is a particularly large decrease in traffic offences, by 6 per cent.

New increase in thefts and other offences for profit

For the first time since 2001/2002 there is an increase in the crime for profit reported to the police. In 2009, a total of 188 000 offences for profit were reported to the police; 12 400 more than in 2008. The level, particularly when demographic trends are taken into account, is, however, considerably lower than in all of the first fifteen years (1993-2006) of statistics on offences reported to the police (see figure).

Great regional variations

The counties of Hordaland, Oslo, Rogaland, and Akershus had, all together, an increase of almost 10 200 larcenies from 2008 to 2009. The biggest increase was in Hordaland; up by 3 700 (29 per cent). Buskerud, Østfold, Vestfold, Telemark and Aust-Agder all had a decrease in reported offences for profit every year in the 2006-2009 period.

More larcenies from dwellings...

A total of 21 300 aggravated and simple larcenies in connection with houses and holiday houses where reported in 2009 - over 9 per cent more than the previous year, and 16 per cent more than in 2007. In the last two years, aggravated larcenies from dwellings have increased the most (33 per cent), but the 9 000 incidents in 2009 are still only half the level of the mid 1990s (see figure).

... as well as bicycle thefts and shoplifting

From 2008 to 2009, the number of simple larcenies from shops and petty larcenies saw an overall increase of 15 per cent, to 20 100 incidents, and is consequently back on the level of 2004. The number of bicycle thefts was halved during the period 1995-2008. In 2009, 15 100 thefts of pedal cycles were reported to the police; 16 per cent more than the previous year. The new possibility to report offences online may to some degree have contributed to this increase (see textbox).

Fewer aggravated larcenies from cars

The downward trend in the number of aggravated larcenies from cars and other means of transport continued in 2009, to 10 900 incidents; down by more than 12 per cent compared to the previous year. The number of thefts of motor vehicles was, however, stable, and in 2009, 12 000 incidents were registered.

Stability in reported violent offences

A total of 26 100 threats and other violent offences were registered in 2009, approximately the same as the previous year. When population increase is taken into account, the extent of violent offences reported to the police has remained relatively stable in the last ten years, at about 5.5 per 1 000 population.

In 2009, nearly the same number of threats (7 200) and of physical violence (18 300) were reported to the police as in the previous year. The distribution by type of violent crime has, however, changed, and this has particularly been the case in recent years for the different types of physical violence. From 2008 to 2009, there was an increase in both the incidents of assaulting public servants and ill-treatment within family relations. Simultaneously, there was a decrease in the registered number of assaults and wounding or inflicting bodily harm. The redistribution in registration of types of violent offences thus seems to continue, subsequent to the new regulations on ill-treatment in family relations (from 2006). During 2009, a total of 2 100 cases of ill-treatment in family relations were reported (see figure).

Increase in narcotics crimes

In the first half of 2009, fewer narcotics offences were filed by the police compared to the previous years. However, during the remainder of the year the extent increased, and in total 1 800 more were registered than in 2008. All types of drug offences against the Penal code and the Act relating to medicinal goods increased, except for the most serious crimes of narcotics, which remain stable at 1 100 incidents. The 39 300 narcotics crimes registered by the police in 2009 is, however, lower than the levels in 2006 and 2007 (see figure).

1 000 reported rapes

A total of 4 200 sexual offences were reported to the police in 2009; 7 per cent more than the previous year. Compared to 2008, almost 6 per cent more rapes were reported in 2009. About 800 cases of sexual intercourse with children have been filed by the police each year since 2003.