Murder and killings drop to lowest level on record

The number of murders and other killings in Scotland has dropped again to the lowest number since comparable records began in 1976.

The latest statistics show there were 53 recorded victims of homicide in 2021-22.

This was six fewer than the previous year, which was also a record low.

Of the 53 victims, 37 were male and 16 were female. All but two of the people accused of homicide were men, and all the associated cases were solved.

For each of the past 10 years, the most common method of killing was with a sharp instrument, which includes knives, broken bottles, swords and sharpened screwdrivers.

In 2021-22, a sharp instrument was the main method of killing for 47% of homicide victims.

The statistics showed that 61% of the male victims knew the person who killed them and 56% of the female victims were killed by a partner or ex-partner.