What can be read from the crime statistics?

The website uses data from the Central Police Recording System that was set up in February 2005.  All the Icelandic police forces record their crime data on to the central database where they can be accessed by all police officers.  Senior police officers and specialists within the National Commissioner of Police Statistical Department maintain and produce reports on crime trends for the whole country.  Crime statistics is a tool that is being used by the Icelandic Police to analyse crime patterns and monitor crime trends.

Displayed below are the main trends for each category. A table displaying the average number of reported offences each day in 2005 can be found at the bottom of this page.

Crime Figures    Crimes per Capita    Back to Main Page

Offences against public authorities	Fraud and forgery
In 2005 there was a 15% increase in offences against public authorities compared to the average 2000-2004.	There were a total number of 333 recorded offences of fraud and forgery by the Police in 2005. This represents a decrease of 18 per cent compared with the 2000-2004 average.
Sexual offences	Violence against the person
A total number of 288 offences were reported in 2005, which is slightly below the average for the previous 5 years. However there was an increase in a few sub-categories; sexual harassment, offences against children under the age of 14, possession of child pornography and rape.	There were a total number of 1,299 recorded offences of violence against the person recorded by the Police in 2005. This represents a decrease of 4 per cent compared with the 2000-2004 average.
Crimes against privacy laws	Enrichment offences
The offence rate was almost the same in 2005 compared with the average of the previous five years.	There were a total number of 6,082 recorded enrichment offences by the Police in 2005.  This represents a decrease of 24% per cent compared with the 2000-2004 average. There has been a substantial fall in the total number of enrichment offences since 2000. Numbers of recorded enrichment offences are affected by changes in recording practices. In 2005 certain recording offences changed with a new Central Police Recording System.
Vandalism	Unlawful use of property
There were a total number of 2,643 recorded offences of vandalism in 2005. This represents a sizable decrease compared with the average of the previous five years (4,041). This decrease can be accounted for by alterations in the police registry and can not be considered as an actual decrease in offending behaviour.	There were a total number of 348 recorded offences of unlawful use of property recorded by the Police in 2005. This represents a decrease of 23 per cent compared with the 2000-2004 average.
Narcotics offences	Alcohol offences
Since 2001 there has been an annual increase of the number of narcotic offences. Compared with the average of 2000-2004, narcotics offences increased by 58% in 2005. In total 1,396 individuals were charged by the police for narcotics offences in 2005, males accounting for 85% of them. Click here for figures displaying the total number of narcotic offences 2000 - 2005 by category. Click here for information on confiscated narcotics (opens in new window).	There were a total number of 1,762 recorded alcohol offences recorded by the Police in 2005. This represents a decrease of 16 per cent compared with the 2000-2004 average.
Traffic violations
There were a total number of 43,488 recorded traffic violations by the Police in 2005. This represents a decrease of 27 per cent compared with the 2000-2004 average. Numbers of recorded traffic violations are affected by changes in reporting and recording practices. Traffic accidents are no longer registered as traffic violations.

Crime rate in a different aspect:

 

Number of offences reported on average each day in 2005
Enrichment offences	16.7
Alcohol offences	4.8
Offences against privacy laws	2.1
Assaults	3.6
Sexual offences	0.8
Vandalism	7.2
Offences against public authorities	0.5
Narcotic offences	5.0
Forgery documents	0.9
Unlawful use of property	1.0
Traffic offences	119.1