FOI 237-2024 / Feb 2024 / Homophobic attacks
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: FOI-237-2024
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 23rd February 2024, and clarification received on 1st and 12th of March, as follows:
Request received 23rd February 2024:
How many homophobic attacks or assaults (including sexual and verbal) have been reported in the last six years? Broken down into 12-month period.
2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Please can I know the amount reported per month from January 2023 – present?
Please can I know how many of these homophobic attack or assault reports resulted in an arrest and/or charge in the last six years? Broken down in a 12-month period.
2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Please can I know the number of arrests and/or charges per month from January 2023 – present?
Please can I know how many of these arrests/charges from reports of homophobic attacks or assaults resulted in trial and/or conviction in the last six years? Broken down in a 12-month period?
2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Please can I know the number of arrests/charges resulted in trial and/or conviction per month from January 2023 – present?
My request concerns hate crime. Not non-crime incidents
On 27th February 2024 we requested the following clarification:
Where you have stated ‘homophobic attacks or assaults (including sexual and verbal)’, please can you provide the exact offences that you are requiring the information on. Please find attached the Home Office Crime Rules for recorded crime to assist you.
On 1st March 2024 you provided the following clarification:
I don't have a specific crime to ask about, any attack (verbal, sexual, physical) towards any member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Just numbers of crimes reported, arrests, convictions.
On 5th March we contacted you as follows:
Just for clarity, we have interpreted your clarification as asking for information, based on all crimes with a homophobic hate marker attached. If this is incorrect, please advise further.
On 13th March you advised as follows:
Yes, this is correct
Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in providing the response to your request and for any inconvenience that this may have caused you. Please find the Warwickshire Police response set out below.
Response: Please be advised that due to the nature of our recording systems, the information requested in relation to arrests is not available in a readily retrievable format. The Crime Recording System and Custody System are separate and it would therefore be necessary to cross reference each and every offence with a marker present of ‘Hate Motivated – Sexual Orientation’, recorded during the stated period. The business area has advised that there are 824 such crimes recorded and at 4 minutes per record (minimum), this would equate to 55 hours of work to determine whether an arrest had been made. Therefore, the cost of providing you with the information in relation to arrests is 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 relation to your request; however, due to the volume of records involved I am unable to suggest a way to revise your request into one that could be answered within the fees limit.
I can advise that, were you to remove this element of your request, it may be possible to provide the following information within the fees limit:
- The number of crimes recorded with a marker present of ‘Hate Motivated – Sexual Orientation’ in the last six years? Broken down into 12-month period. (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
- The number of those in Q1 broken down by month from January 2023 to the date of the request.
- The number of those crimes in Q1 which resulted in an outcome of charge in the last six years? Broken down in a 12-month period. (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
- The number of those in Q3 broken down by month from January 2023 to the date of the request.
With regard to information in relation to convictions, this information falls within the remit of HM Courts and you may wish to contact them in this regard.
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