FOI 1123-2023 / Dec 2023 / Romance fraud
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 1123-2023
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 13th December 2023 as follows:
I would like to know how many reports of romance fraud the force has received this year and broken down for 2022, 2021 and 2020 please.
This crime type is described as the engineering of a supposed friendship or relationship for fraudulent / financial gain.
For each case, can I see if any arrests / charges were brought please.
Response: Please be advised that the requested information is not held in a readily retrievable format. As ‘Romance Fraud’ is not a defined crime it would require a manual trawl through all fraud and blackmail offences, first to determine whether they fit the criteria of the request and then, where relevant, to determine if there had been any arrests. I can advise that during the period 1st January 2021 to 31st December 2022 there are 2546 records which would need to be reviewed, which, at an estimate of 4 minutes per record, equates to 170 hours. Therefore, the work involved in locating, retrieving and recording the information requested would exceed the cost threshold (£450), which equates to 18 hours work at a standard rate of £25 per hour, as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.
In accordance with s12(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice for this request.
In accordance with Section 16 of the Act I have a duty to provide advice and assistance in relation to your request; however, due to the volume of records involved, I am unable to suggest a way to revise your request to one which could be carried out within the fees limit.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is as accurate as possible.
Your attention is drawn to the below which details your right of complaint.
Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write or email the Freedom of Information Unit quoting the reference number above.
Yours sincerely
Freedom of Information Officer
Freedom of Information Unit
Warwickshire Police
PO Box 4
Leek Wootton
Warwickshire
CV35 7QB