COPFS statistics on case processing in the last 5 years (2019-2024)
Reports received
Reports received1
| Statistics on Case Processing: Last 5 years | 2019 - 2020 | 2020 - 2021 | 2021 - 2022 | 2022 - 2023 |
2023 - 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal reports | 169,894 | 159,184 | 148,925 | 144,957 |
148,998 |
| Death reports | 10,921 | 15,739 | 15,377 | 14,147 |
13,218 |
| Total reports received | 180,815 | 174,923 | 164,302 | 159,104 |
162,216 |
Non-court disposals
Non-court disposals2
| Statistics on Case Processing: Last 5 years | 2019 - 2020 | 2020 - 2021 | 2021 - 2022 | 2022 - 2023 | 2023 - 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Action | 15,999 | 15,897 | 13,982 | 13,042 |
13,803 |
| Warning letters | 5,261 | 6,583 | 5,203 | 3,249 |
2,531 |
| Conditional Offers of Fixed Penalties Paid |
7,837 | 10,384 | 12,180 | 10,942 |
12,449 |
| Fiscal fines paid/accepted | 17,705 | 12,399 | 11,510 | 10,476 |
9,177 |
| Compensation Orders Accepted | 595 | 925 | 594 | 680 |
812 |
| Combined Fiscal Fines/Compensation Orders Accepted | 3,840 | 2,051 | 3,189 | 4,177 |
4,876 |
| Other Non-court disposals | 11,747 | 13,960 | 14,066 | 14,031 |
13,037 |
| Total Non-court disposals3 | 62,984 | 62,199 | 60,724 | 56,597 |
56,685 |
No Further Action
| Statistics on Case Processing: Last 5 years | 2019 - 2020 | 2020 - 2021 | 2021 - 2022 | 2022 - 2023 | 2023 - 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total No Further Action4 | 17,734 | 16,437 | 23,581 | 24,585 |
28,462 |
Information notes
(1) COPFS receives reports about crimes from the police and other reporting agencies and then decides what action to take, including whether to prosecute someone. We also look into deaths that need further explanation.
(2) Information on court disposals is available from the Management Information Analysis Team at the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS).
(3) There is a time lag between receipt of a case and final disposal so that, for example, some cases received in 2022-2023 will not result in a disposal until 2023-2024.
(4) No Further Action = Cases which were closed after action had been commenced or attempted (e.g. cases which were closed because the accused died, the accused could not be traced, a key witness was not available, etc.)
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