THE CRIME STATISTICS COVER ALL CRIMES IN NORWAY KNOWN TO THE POLICE, EXCEPT CRIMES AGAINST THE MILITARY LEGISLATION. SINCE MORE THAN ONE PERSON CAN BE CHARGED WITH THE ONE SPECIFIC CRIME, THE NUMBER OF CHARGES WILL BE LARGER THAN THE NUMBER OF PERSONS CHARGED. POLICE RECOMMENDATIONS SUBMITTED TO THE PROSECUTING AUTHORITY MAY TAKE ONE OF SEVERAL FORMS, INCLUDING DROPPING THE PROSECUTION BECAUSE THE OFFENDER IS MENTALLY ILL OR UNDER THE AGE OF CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY (AGE 14), AND THE RECOMMENDATION THAT THE OFFENDER BE COMMITTED TO TRIAL OR BE FINED. STATISTICS PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT CRIMES BY TYPE OF OFFENSE, POLICE DISTRICT, PLACE OF OFFENSE, YEAR OF OFFENSE, NUMBER OF ACCESSORIES, AND POLICE DECISION OF RECOMMENDATION. FURTHER, THE TABLES SHOW THE NUMBER OF PERSONS CHARGED WIGH CRIMES BY SEX, AGE, POLICE DISTRICT, TYPE OF OFFENSE, POLICE DECISION OR RECOMMENDATION, NUMBER OF OFFENSES, AND NUMBER OF ACCESSORIES. THE TABLES ALSO SHOW TO WHAT EXTENT THE CRIMES WERE COMMITTED UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL OR A DRUG. THE INVESTIGATION OF RECIDIVISM RELATES TO PERSONS CHARGED WITH CRIMES IN 1974. FOR PERSONS CHARGED IN THIS YEAR, NEW CHARGES DURING THE SUBSEQUENT 3-YEAR PERIOD HAVE BEEN REGISTERED. THE STATISTICS ARE BASED ON THE RETURNS COMPLETED BY THE POLICE IN CONNECTION WITH THE CRIME STATISTICS. THESE STATISTICS SHOULD BE VIEWED PRIMARILY AS AN INDICATION OF THE TRENDS IN RECIDIVISM WITHIN DIFFERENT GROUPS OF OFFENDERS. DATA SHOW THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, THE CRIMES INVESTIGATED BY POLICE PER 100,000 POPULATION ACTUALLY DECREASED FROM 1975 TO 1977, ALTHOUGH THE LARGEST CATEGORY OF CRIMES REMAINED PROPERTY OFFENSES. IN A TOTAL OF 75 PERCENT OF THE CASES, THE POLICE RECOMMENDED THAT THE PERSONS BE COMMITTED TO TRIAL; IN 14 PERCENT, POLICE RECOMMENDED THAT PROSECUTION BE SUSPENDED, AND IN 11 PERCENT OF THE CASES, THE POLICE RECOMMENDED THAT PROSECUTION BE DROPPED. IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY, A TOTAL OF 92,098 CRIMES WERE COMMITTED IN 1977 INCLUDING 3,258 OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER AND PEACE; 838 SEXUAL OFFENSES; 3,683 OFFENSES OF VIOLENCE AGAINST THE PERSON; 586 CRIMES OF EMBEZZLEMENT; 3,624 CRIMES OF FRAUD AND BREACH OF TRUST; 5,440 OFFENSES OF INFLICTING DAMAGE; AND 69,460 LARCENIES. APPENDIXES PROVIDE A DESCRIPTION OF OFFENSES AND A COPY OF A POLICE QUESTIONNAIRE. --IN NORWEGIAN AND ENGLISH.