FOI 95-2024 / Jan 2024 / Knife crimes

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 95-2024

 

I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 22^nd January 2024 as follows:

 

I would like to know what data Warwickshire Police holds on children that have been caught with a knife and/or been attacked with a knife.

 

I am looking for data pertaining to 6 to 13 year olds which is broken it down by age (ie individual stats for 6 year olds, 7 years olds, etc) on the following:

 

1. The number of children within that age bracket who have been found with a knife by the police.

 

2. The number of children within that age bracket that have been a victim of knife related crimes committed by other adults.

 

3. The number of children within that age bracket who have been a victim of knife related crimes by other children.

 

4. The number of children within the ages of 10 to 13 that have been arrested or charged for carrying a knife.

 

The date needed is from Jan 2019 to December 2023 (or the most recent available data - please make clear when this data runs up to) and would like the data broken down by year and age group.

 

Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in providing the response to your request and for any inconvenience this may have caused you.  Please find the Warwickshire Police response set out below. 

 

Response: I can advise that the requested information is held; however, not all is suitable for disclosure in the format requested.  Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires Warwickshire Police, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide you the applicant with a notice which:  

(a) states that fact,

(b) specifies the exemption in question and

(c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.

 

The exemption applicable in this case is:

 

Section 40(2) Personal Information

 

Section 40 is an absolute class-based exemption, which does not require evidence of the harm disclosure would cause and does not require consideration of a public interest test.  That being said, where Section 40(2) is engaged, in order to make the exemption absolute there needs to be evidence that a Data Protection Principle would be breached by disclosure. 

 

This exemption is engaged where disclosure of information relates to personal data of a third party or could lead to the identification of an individual, either from that information alone or combined with any other information from within the Police Service or public domain.  In this case, due to extremely low numbers, providing the information broken down by age of the suspect/victim, along with the year of the offence/arrest/charge, is likely to identify an individual and provide information in relation to an individual.  Such a disclosure would breach individuals’ rights under the Data Protection Act 2018, in particular Article 5(1) of the GDPR which states that personal data shall be processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to the data subject.

 

This letter serves as a refusal notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act in relation to the breakdown requested.  Instead, where the number of offences per age falls between 1 and 4, this has been shown as ‘<5’.

 

When reviewing the information please note the following:

 

• For Q1, searches were conducted of the Crime Recording System for all offences with Home Office Code 10D, recorded between 1^st January 2019 and 31^st December 2023, with a suspect aged between 6 and 13 at the time of the offence.

 

• For Q2, searches were conducted of the Crime Recording System for all offences with a Crime ASB keyword ‘Use of a knife or other sharp instrument’, recorded between 1^st January 2019 and 31^st December 2023, with a suspect aged 18 or over and a victim aged between 6 and 13 at the time of the offence.

 

• For Q3, searches were conducted of the Crime Recording System for all offences with a Crime ASB keyword ‘Use of a knife or other sharp instrument’, recorded between 1^st January 2019 and 31^st December 2023, with a suspect aged 17 or under and a victim aged between 6 and 13 at the time of the offence.

 

• For Q4, searches were conducted of the Custody System for all arrests and charges of children aged 10 to 13 for a possession of a knife/bladed article.  Please note that this is standalone information and does not correlate with the information provided from the Crime Recording System for the responses to Q1 to Q3.

 

 

Q1 response:

 

Crimes under Home Office Code 10D
Age of Child Suspect	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
7			<5
8	<5				<5
9	<5	<5		6	<5
10	<5	<5	<5		<5
11	<5	5	7	<5	7
12	7	<5	13	9	5
13	8	5	9	16	14

 

Q2 response:

 

Crimes with ASB keyword ‘Use of a knife or other sharp instrument’
Age of Child Victim	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
6	<5
8		<5		<5
9	<5		<5
10		<5		<5	<5
11	<5	<5		5	<5
12	<5	<5	<5		<5
13	<5		<5	<5	5

 

Q3 response:

 

Crimes with ASB keyword ‘Use of a knife or other sharp instrument’
Age of Child Victim	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
6	<5			<5	<5
7		<5	<5	<5	<5
8		<5			<5
9	<5	<5	<5
10	6	<5	<5	<5	<5
11	8	<5	<5	6	6
12	7	<5	9	6	10
13	11	<5	9	14	10

 

Q4 response:

 

Arrests for Possession of Knife/Bladed article
Age	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
10 to 13	0	<5	0	<5	0

 

Charges for Possession of Knife/Bladed article
Age	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
10 to 13	<5	0	0	0	0

 

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

[email protected]