Fewer adults and more children among offenders

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The police and prosecution authority completed the investigation of 288 100 offences in 2019. Among these, 141 100 were considered solved. This led to 143 400 charges against 69 350 different offenders, of which 2 928 were children under 15 years of age.

Over both shorter and longer periods of time, considerable prosecutorial changes are seen in the police and prosecution authority. Most notably so are changes in who are caught for which types of offences, according to new figures from the statistics on offences investigated.

The number of solved and unsolved offences in 2019 is about level with the year before, albeit on the back of a 25 per cent decline over the preceding ten-year period – as shown in figure 1.

Figure 1. Offences investigated, by police decision. Absolute figures

Prosecution dropped insufficient information about the offender Prosecution dropped deficient evidence Prosecution dropped deficient capasity and other unsolved Prosecution dropped, the offender not liable Transferred to Conflict Council Ticket fine Committed for trial Prosecution dropped and other solved
1998 195778 42280 5082 7680 2251 51605 73177 24242
1999 193843 44545 4372 8531 2109 56543 84165 24901
2000 199808 44253 4889 9024 2227 60830 78764 25531
2001 183762 44066 4214 9004 2272 69774 87466 25495
2002 182894 38280 7251 7894 1614 62054 77989 24068
2003 181182 40776 7998 7539 1883 64161 85101 26272
2004 169435 42718 6175 8718 2170 69839 86359 27792
2005 158296 40448 4602 9290 2624 70005 88962 24847
2006 153336 37385 4560 7974 2578 71971 82842 21797
2007 152919 37238 6663 9664 2620 75811 79794 21642
2008 147174 38562 6745 14116 2803 71941 79178 21883
2009 155804 37661 8436 8172 2737 68675 71082 21824
2010 142257 40081 9282 7838 2550 70783 74144 22967
2011 137436 39345 10185 7587 2426 68568 74957 22685
2012 139540 37706 12141 6600 2319 66960 69944 24593
2013 133482 38835 12774 6470 2381 69226 68598 25373
2014 120640 40997 13304 7148 2129 66691 70015 28401
2015 108735 40104 11237 7007 2079 66274 67131 26597
2016 100805 42141 10282 7305 2194 65032 68632 23012
2017 90282 41200 11241 7639 2147 56684 58691 20953
2018 91797 42562 12259 8103 1812 53039 57104 20971
2019 90575 42088 14358 8634 1747 50091 57955 22676

More offences of violence

In 2019, the police completed the investigation of 33 800 offences of violence, which is 4 per cent more than the year before and nearly 10 per cent more than in 2017. About half of all offences of violence settled by the legal system over the previous three years were considered solved.

Furthermore, an increasing number of reported offences are dropped due to deficient investigation capacity, in the new police districts (see text box). This is most common for theft and other types of offences for profit, like fraud. However, also reported violence, threats and other reckless behaviour are dismissed for the same reason.

Police districts

On 1 January 2016, Norwegian police were organised into new regional districts, where 27 police districts were reduced to 12. This new organisation was implemented gradually during the course of 2017 and 2018, and certain geographical changes causes time breaks for tables with police district breakdowns in the StatBank. For a detailed overview of the new police districts, including their relation to municipalities, see Statistical Classifications and Code Lists and About the statistics.

Smaller share of maltreatment and rape committed for trial

The number of completed investigations of maltreatment in close relations is somewhat level over the last four years. However, a simultaneous decrease is seen in such cases committed for trial or in other ways being settled as solved. In 2019, among the 2 742 completed investigations of maltreatment in close relations, 20 per cent were considered solved. 15 per cent were committed for trial and settled by the courts. In comparison, the clear-up rate and committed for trail rate for maltreatment in close relations were 27 and 22 per cent respectively in 2016.

In recent years, far more sexual offences have been reported and investigated than before. This has led to an increase in the number of charges and charged persons for different types of sexual offences, including rape. From the statistics on the criminal justice process, we know that the processing time may be substantial for cases ending up in court, and especially so for maltreatment in close relations and many types of sexual offences. With big increases in reported offences over short periods of time, the consequential effects on case processing time causes bigger variations in clear-up rates and committed for trail rates than usual. This may be the reason as to why the committed for trail rate for rape (§ 291 and § 294) is as low as 13 per cent over the past two years – and significantly lower than in previous years.

More children caught for offences, especially for petty theft and violence

In 2019, prosecution was dropped for more than 8 600 offences due to the offender not being legally liable. This is a 33 per cent increase from 2013, and can be explained by an increase in the number of children caught for offences in recent years.

Reported offences with offenders under the age of 15 are settled as solved, without the issuing of a penal sanction. In 2019, such offences led to over 4 400 charges against 2 928 children aged 5-14 years. This is a 13 per cent increase from the year before, and an increase of 66 and 52 per cent in charges and charged persons under 15 years respectively since 2015. To find a year with more children charged with offences we have to go as far back as 2010.

In 2019, a little more than 1 100 different children under 15 years accounted for 1 500 charges for property theft, of which the majority were for shoplifting. The number of children charged with theft was 10 and 32 per cent more than in 2018 and 2013 respectively.

A total of 867 children aged 5-14 years, mostly 13 and 14 year olds, were given 1 200 charges for violence and maltreatment. Among these 696 were for physical violence, 267 for threats and 124 for robbery and extortion. Thus, from the principal offence, 2019 saw more than twice as many charges and charged persons under 15 years old than 2015.

Different age profile for persons charged with violence

In recent years, also the age group 15-17 years has seen an increase in charges and charged persons, especially in the group of offence violence and maltreatment. In total, 950 different persons aged 15-17 years were given 1 600 charges for violence and maltreatment in 2019. This is 39 and 54 per cent more than in 2016 respectively.

However, the long term trend for older age groups with fewer charges and charged persons is evident both for all offences and violence and maltreatment. In few years, this has caused big changes in the overall age profile for persons charged with violence and maltreatment – as shown in figure 2.

Figure 2. Persons charged with violence and maltreatment as principal offence, by age. Selected years

2005 2010 2015 2019
5 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
6 0.02 0.00 0.02 0.00
7 0.00 0.02 0.11 0.00
8 0.03 0.10 0.05 0.00
9 0.05 0.08 0.03 0.08
10 0.19 0.35 0.10 0.30
11 0.27 0.61 0.44 0.49
12 0.73 0.95 0.63 1.56
13 1.77 2.63 1.79 3.37
14 4.33 5.44 2.65 6.31
15 4.78 4.59 3.19 4.23
16 6.38 4.90 2.90 4.14
17 6.80 5.68 3.37 4.32
18 8.32 6.40 5.13 4.67
19 8.26 6.72 4.77 4.24
20 7.59 5.95 4.85 3.83
21 7.21 5.20 4.30 3.99
22 6.00 5.02 4.44 3.80
23 5.86 5.06 4.50 3.45
24 4.52 3.65 3.59 3.35
25 4.03 4.33 3.48 3.43
26 4.13 3.53 3.23 3.36
27 3.49 3.55 3.26 2.70
28 3.37 3.06 2.98 2.93
29 3.41 2.79 2.83 2.69
30 3.04 2.93 3.32 2.40
31 2.98 2.63 2.74 2.52
32 2.64 2.59 2.63 2.67
33 2.69 2.37 2.25 2.26
34 2.57 2.59 2.52 2.08
35 2.75 2.61 2.01 2.19
36 2.64 2.39 2.30 2.28
37 2.61 2.10 2.34 2.28
38 1.87 1.62 2.25 2.21
39 2.09 2.36 1.91 1.88
40 2.26 2.08 2.25 1.93
41 2.01 1.90 2.10 1.97
42 2.07 1.82 1.84 1.48
43 2.22 1.88 1.94 1.93
44 1.91 1.54 1.78 1.86
45 1.81 1.57 1.79 1.52
46 1.40 1.43 1.78 1.73
47 1.32 1.43 1.59 1.71
48 1.22 1.46 1.61 1.43
49 1.26 1.50 1.22 1.54

Fewer charged with narcotic offences

The reduction in reported and prosecuted narcotic offences in recent years contributes to the overall decrease in charged persons among older juveniles and adults. Of the 24 000 solved narcotic offences in 2019, 8 000 were settled with a fine and 10 900 led to an in-court trail. This is a further decrease from the years before, and a reduction of 45 and 35 per cent respectively since 2014.

In 2019, a total of 19 500 different persons were charged with one or more incidents of drug and alcohol offences. Among these, 10 300 persons had a narcotic offence as their principal offence, which is 5 per cent fewer than the year before and 27 per cent fewer than in 2014. The last year there has been a decrease for all age groups under 60 years, but seen over the previous five years the biggest decreases are seen in age groups from 18-20 years and up to 40-49 years. This contributes to a further decline in the share of the adult population over 18 years which are charged with offences each year – as demonstrated in figure 3.

Figure 3. Persons charged, by age

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
5-14 years 6.73 6.57 6.21 5.34 4.39 3.89 3.19 3.38 3.07 3.17 4.29 4.07 4.57
15-17 years 39.46 37.54 33.50 30.77 27.44 24.24 24.11 22.52 20.67 20.86 22.79 23.79 23.89
18-20 years 63.74 58.52 55.92 55.29 50.76 49.80 51.00 47.20 44.10 42.26 38.18 36.94 36.32
21-24 years 52.90 48.06 45.42 44.73 42.76 41.17 42.01 40.50 38.87 37.02 32.62 30.62 29.41
25-29 years 38.36 36.05 34.89 35.42 34.55 33.34 33.91 32.13 30.89 29.58 26.48 24.74 23.88
30-39 years 27.51 26.21 25.02 25.26 25.23 25.03 25.29 24.42 24.53 24.36 21.58 20.34 19.44
40-49 years 19.40 18.93 18.60 18.71 18.42 18.32 18.14 18.36 18.42 18.64 16.93 15.66 15.40
50-59 years 10.40 10.84 10.14 10.69 10.72 10.90 11.10 11.58 11.91 12.27 11.14 10.66 10.66
60 years or older 4.10 4.01 3.76 3.96 3.95 3.99 4.05 4.13 4.38 4.56 4.19 4.17 4.00

New penal code and classification of offences

Statistics Norway is now releasing statistics according to the new Standard for types of offence. Types of offence 2015 was drawn up as a consequence of the penal code of 2005 and the new police codes for registering offences coming into effect on 1 October 2015. The standard includes new groupings of both Type of offence and Group of offence, while the offence categories crime and misdemeanour have been discontinued. The new classification of offences is available in StatBank for figures dating back to 2002. The old classification is still available for figures from all years up until 2014. A detailed overview, including how this corresponds to the police codes for offences, is now available in Statistical Classifications and Code Lists.

The 2015 changes made in penal legislation, offence registration and crime classification have led to partial breaks in the time series that use types of offence. These changes affect the different crime statistics and types of offences in different ways, and make the use and interpretation of these statistics more challenging.

Certain types of offences are reported a long time after they were committed. Thus, offences with basis in the penal legislation prior to the 2015 Penal Code are still a part of the statistics on offences investigated, 2019. For example, offences with a legal basis from the 1902 Penal Code is in majority among offences such as Rape, children under 14 years (formerly Sexual intercourse with children under 14 and 10 years) and Sexual intercourse within family relations (formerly Incest).