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FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 471-2024
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 30th April 2024 as follows:
This is a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. My request relates to your forces’ arrest figures for drivers under the influence of drugs and alcohol
I would like to request the following information:
The number of drink driving arrests
The number of drug driving arrests
Please can you provide the numbers broken down year-by-year, featuring monthly data for those years. Up to 30 March 2024, including 2024 data, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019.
If possible, please also indicate which drug was present in the bloodstream for each drug driving arrest.
Response: Please be advised that not all of the information requested is centrally recorded and is therefore not held in such a way to allow retrieval. There are the following offences which would fall within the remit of your request: ‘Driving – Excess Alcohol’ / ‘Driving - In Charge - Excess Alcohol’, ‘Driving – Excess Drugs’ and ‘Driving - Unfit Through Drink/Drugs’ / ‘Driving - In Charge - Unfit Through Drink/Drugs’. In the case of the latter categories ‘Driving - Unfit Through Drink/Drugs and Driving - In Charge - Unfit Through Drink/Drugs, it is not possible to determine whether the arrest is related to drink or drugs without reviewing each and every record on an individual basis. During the period 01/01/2019 to 31/03/2024 there are 1155 arrests recorded and, at an estimate of 3 minutes per record, this would equate to in excess of 57 hours of work.
Further, with regard to determining the type of drug present in the bloodstream for each drug driving arrest, it would be necessary to review each of the 649 Driving – Excess Drugs arrests on an individual basis, which would equate to 33 hours of work alone. However, it would also be necessary to check those Driving - Unfit Through Drink/Drugs / Driving - In Charge - Unfit Through Drink/Drugs arrests, first to determine which are drug related, and then to identify the drug. This would mean reviewing a total of 1804 arrests on an individual basis. For these reasons the searches are above the amount to which we are legally required to respond i.e. the cost of locating and retrieving the information exceeds the ‘appropriate level’ as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.
In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice for this part of the request and, if one part of a request exceeds the fees limit, then S12 of the Act applies to the whole request.
In accordance with Section 16 of the Act I have a duty to provide advice and assistance in refining your request where possible; however, due to the amount of records that would need to be reviewed, I am unable to suggest a way to reduce this element of your request into one which could be provided within the fees limit unless you were to reduce the time period to, say, one or two years.
As a gesture of goodwill I have provided below, a breakdown of the arrests, per month, for the above offences.
Arrests - Driving - Excess Alcohol / Driving - In Charge - Excess Alcohol |
|||||||
Month |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
Total |
Jan |
44 |
34 |
22 |
39 |
39 |
23 |
201 |
Feb |
41 |
45 |
20 |
35 |
33 |
22 |
196 |
Mar |
50 |
36 |
19 |
36 |
22 |
22 |
185 |
Apr |
29 |
23 |
23 |
25 |
35 |
|
135 |
May |
40 |
26 |
43 |
41 |
33 |
|
183 |
Jun |
29 |
24 |
39 |
25 |
30 |
|
147 |
Jul |
32 |
43 |
31 |
31 |
33 |
|
170 |
Aug |
49 |
41 |
32 |
30 |
42 |
|
194 |
Sep |
42 |
27 |
38 |
38 |
23 |
|
168 |
Oct |
36 |
40 |
44 |
25 |
18 |
|
163 |
Nov |
45 |
30 |
37 |
41 |
22 |
|
175 |
Dec |
56 |
31 |
36 |
34 |
42 |
|
199 |
Grand Total |
493 |
400 |
384 |
400 |
372 |
67 |
2116 |
Arrests - Driving - Excess Drugs |
|||||||
Month |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
Total |
Jan |
8 |
5 |
7 |
5 |
20 |
10 |
55 |
Feb |
12 |
4 |
12 |
4 |
16 |
8 |
56 |
Mar |
8 |
9 |
13 |
12 |
5 |
8 |
55 |
Apr |
8 |
11 |
11 |
8 |
9 |
|
47 |
May |
12 |
14 |
9 |
3 |
11 |
|
49 |
Jun |
17 |
11 |
14 |
8 |
6 |
|
56 |
Jul |
7 |
10 |
10 |
7 |
17 |
|
51 |
Aug |
5 |
12 |
13 |
9 |
8 |
|
47 |
Sep |
9 |
9 |
12 |
10 |
8 |
|
48 |
Oct |
4 |
11 |
15 |
16 |
5 |
|
51 |
Nov |
8 |
16 |
5 |
16 |
3 |
|
48 |
Dec |
11 |
26 |
17 |
21 |
11 |
|
86 |
Grand Total |
109 |
138 |
138 |
119 |
119 |
26 |
649 |
Arrests - Driving - Unfit Through Drink/Drugs / Driving - In Charge - Unfit Through Drink/Drugs |
|||||||
Month |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
Total |
Jan |
14 |
15 |
17 |
15 |
24 |
14 |
99 |
Feb |
7 |
15 |
6 |
21 |
10 |
24 |
83 |
Mar |
18 |
11 |
10 |
20 |
20 |
14 |
93 |
Apr |
25 |
14 |
17 |
22 |
28 |
|
106 |
May |
18 |
22 |
14 |
26 |
15 |
|
95 |
Jun |
26 |
15 |
22 |
22 |
19 |
|
104 |
Jul |
20 |
15 |
28 |
22 |
22 |
|
107 |
Aug |
20 |
15 |
19 |
19 |
19 |
|
92 |
Sep |
21 |
13 |
25 |
24 |
17 |
|
100 |
Oct |
13 |
21 |
27 |
22 |
22 |
|
105 |
Nov |
20 |
9 |
15 |
20 |
13 |
|
77 |
Dec |
21 |
11 |
19 |
20 |
23 |
|
94 |
Grand Total |
223 |
176 |
219 |
253 |
232 |
52 |
1155 |
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