Victims of offences reported to the police, 2013

Of the 388 500 offences reported to the police in 2013, 185 800 offences – nearly half – were registered with a person as the victim. Of these, 128 400 were thefts or other offences for profit. In 2013, the number of offences for profit against persons is 4.8 per cent fewer than in 2012, and this decrease contributed to an overall decrease of 6 400 victims of offences committed against persons.

Also fewer enterprises victims of offences for profit

In 2013, enterprises or other juridical units were reported to be victims of 56 300 offences. Offences for profit made up 63 per cent of these, and the 35 500 thefts or other offences for profit against enterprises are 2 700 fewer ¹ than the year before. The decrease in offences for profit contributes to an overall decrease of 6 per cent in offences against enterprises from the year before – and a drop of as much as 23 per cent compared to 2009.

A higher share of offences reported without a victim

In 2013, 146 500 offences were reported to the police without a registered victim, and as shown in figure 2, narcotic offences are most often registered without victims. In recent years, there has been an increase in offences reported without victims, which is mainly due to an increase in reported narcotic offences .

Smaller share of victims in the population

Seven out of ten persons registered as victims by the police were victims of thefts or other offences for profit. In 2013, the number of victims of offences for profit was fewer than the year before, but still more than in 2010 and 2011. Relative to the population, the volume of victims of offences for profit – and the total volume of persons as victims of offences – was lower than in all previous nine years in this type of statistics. In 2013, there were 24,0 victims of offences for profit per 1 000 population, and the decrease from last year caused a reversal of the 2011 to 2012 increase in victims of offences for profit . As shown in figure 1, the decrease within this group of victims also contributed to the overall level of persons as victims of crime being smaller than in all previous years

Fewer victims of offences for profit for most age groups

A total of 121 000 persons were reported to be victims of thefts or offences for profit in 2013. This was 4.4 per cent down from the year before, and there was a decrease for nearly all ages from 15 years and over.

Young adults are still more exposed to these kinds of offences than the other age groups. In 2013, 33 200 of the victims of offences for profit were aged 20-29 years, and they make up 27 per cent of all persons victimised by these kinds of offences. Persons aged 30-39 years and 40-49 years are somewhat less exposed, but in 2013, 39 per cent of all victims of offences for profit were in these age groups.

Fewer women victims of offences for profit than the year before

The 68 400 men and 52 600 women registered as victims of offences for profit in 2013 were 2 per cent and 7 per cent fewer ¹ than the year before respectively. Despite the relatively large decrease in female victims from 2012 to 2013, the number of female victims of offences for profit in 2013 was comparatively larger than in most previous years. However, the number of male victims of offences for profit in 2013 was fewer than in all previous nine years with comparable statistics.

Young adults most exposed in Oslo

In 2013, nearly one out of four victims of offences for profit resided in Oslo. From the population size, there were 45.8 victims of offences for profit per 1 000 population in Oslo. Compared to the population in Sogn og Fjordane, the county with the lowest share, the Oslo population was four times more exposed. Most exposed were young adults aged 20-29 years residing in the capital, of which 8 per cent were registered as victims of at least one offence for profit during 2013.

The Akershus population most exposed out of county

Generally, the risk of being a victim of offences for profit increases with the number of inhabitants in the municipality of residence, as shown in figure 4. The municipality’s centrality , however, as well as the places in which people dwell, also influence the risk of victimisation.

For example, the volume of offences for profit reported as taking place in Akershus county is relatively small compared to many other counties. Out of all counties of residence, however, Akershus has the highest share of population reporting to be the victim of offences for profit, with 25.3 victims of offences for profit per 1 000 population in 2013.

Thus, the population of Akershus county is far more exposed to offences for profit outside of its county of residence compared to the population in other counties. In 2013, 56 per cent of all victims of offences for profit residing in Akershus reported being victimised outside their municipality of residence. This is a far larger share than in most other counties. Out of the Akershus population aged 20-29 years in 2013, as much as 5.2 per cent was registered as victims of an offence for profit. When we arrange these victims by age groups and county of residence, only the Oslo population aged 20-49 years has a higher victimisation rate.

Fewer victims of aggravated larceny

From the principal offence , nearly 119 800 persons were registered as victims of theft and other types of offences for profit in 2013. This is 4.4 per cent less than in 2012, and correlates with the decrease in the number of persons who were victims of all types of aggravated larceny.

In 2013, there was a continued decrease in the number of victims of thefts of and from motor vehicles and other means of transport. From the principal offence, there were 15 800 victims of these types of theft in 2013, which is as much as 16 per cent less than the year before and under half as much as the 2004 figure.

2013 also saw a continued decrease in persons who were victims of thefts from dwellings and holiday homes . From the principal offence, 8 800 victims of these kinds of aggravated larcenies were registered in 2013, which is almost 8 per cent less than in 2012. However, the 6 900 victims of minor larceny from dwellings and holiday homes was an increase of nearly 6 per cent from the year before. The total decline in victims of these kinds of thefts was, therefore, more moderate, with slightly more than a 2 per cent drop in the number of victims compared to 2012.

Fewer women victims of aggravated larceny in public places in Oslo

Of all victims with aggravated larceny from a person in a public place as their principal offence, two out of three reported to be victimised in Oslo. The almost 13 700 persons who were victims of this kind of theft in Oslo in 2012 was 3 100 fewer than the year before, and the decrease is mainly for female victims. The 2 700 drop in women reported as victims of this kind of theft in Oslo in 2013 therefore contributed to the overall decrease of 2 200 victims from 2012 to 2013. This decrease, however, is comparatively smaller than the 2011-2012 increase. Thus, the total of 21 200 victims of aggravated larceny from a person in a public place in 2013 is vastly more than in all years in the period 2004-2011.

Same number of victims of threats and physical violence

From offences reported to the police in 2013, 23 600 persons were registered as victims of offences of violence . In terms of numbers, this is level with 2012, and is equivalent of 4.7 victims of violent offences per 1 000 population. When taking the population growth into consideration, the total volume of offences of violence is at about the same level in the whole of the ten-year period with comparable statistics.

From the principal offence, 6 100 persons were victims of threats and 15 300 of physical violence in 2013, both level with the year before. Of the victims of physical violence, 9 000 were registered as victims of assault, 2 450 of the more severe type of violence wounding or inflicting bodily harm, and almost 3 400 persons were victims of ill-treatment within family relations.

In 2013, 46 persons were victims of murder, of which 26 were men and 20 were women. For both sexes, these numbers are significantly higher than in 2012, and in all years in the period 2004-2010.

New groups of victims of violence

Compared to the year before, there were 7 per cent fewer registered victims of offences wounding or inflicting bodily harm and 16 per cent more victims of ill-treatment within family relations. These changes therefore continue the trend from previous years, partly due to offences reported to the police being rearranged by type of offence, and partly due to an addition of new groups of victims of violent offences.

More women and children in reported cases

The 6 400 women registered as victims of physical violence in 2013 is nearly 6 per cent more than in 2012. The 8 900 male victims, however, was a drop of more than 2 per cent from the year before.

As shown in figure 5, since the introduction of the law against ill-treatment within family relations in 2006, there has been an increase in the number of women who are victims of violent offences. Among the female population of 2013, there were 4.1 victims of offences of violence per 1 000 population, which is a greater share compared to all years in the period 2004-2012. The 5.3 male victims of violent offences per 1 000 population in 2013, however, is a smaller share than in all previous years with comparable statistics.

In 2005, the police registered very few children as victims of offences of violence. After this year, there has been a significant increase in the number of boys and girls registered as victims of ill-treatment within family relations, and in 2013 there were a total of 1 800 victims of offences of violence in the age group 0-9 years. Of all women registered as victims of ill-treatment within family relations in 2013, 41 per cent were under 20 years of age. The corresponding share for male victims was as high as 90 per cent.

Lower share of young adult victims of violent offences

As in previous years, and as shown in figure 6, offences reported to the police clearly show that young adults are at greater risk of being the victims of violence than persons of other ages. However, the 4 600 victims of violence in the age group 18-23 years is a drop of 8 per cent from 2012 and lower than in all previous years.

Finnmark population most at risk of violence

The risk of being a victim of violence varies by where in the country a person resides. In 2013, 7.8 victims of violent offences per 1 000 population were registered in Finnmark. The resident population of Oslo was second most at risk, with a registered 6.1 victims per 1 000 population. As shown in figure 7, the Finnmark and Oslo populations are far more at risk than, for example, the populations of Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane, with 3.3 and 2.9 victims ² of violence per 1 000 population in 2013 respectively.

Female victims in nearly nine out of ten sexual offences

In 2013, a total of 3 686 persons were registered as victims of at least one sexual offence, which is 121 more than the year before. The 1 059 registered victims of rape in 2013 are 71 more than in 2012. Furthermore, there were 738 victims of sexual intercourse with children in 2013, which is 72 less than the year before. Of all registered victims of sexual offences in 2013, 86 per cent were female.

¹ Changed from "more" to "fewer", 16 September 2014, at 12.30 pm.

² The two figures were corrected, 16 September 2014, at 12.30 pm.