FOI 294-2025 / Mar 2025 / Corrosive substance
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 294-2025
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 7th March 2025 as follows:
I would like to request the following data on corrosive offences between 1st January 2024 and 31st December 2024 inclusive.
- The number of offences that were recorded as physical corrosive substance/fluid attacks against the person.
- The number of threats of corrosive substance/fluid attacks against the person.
- The age and gender of victims of the said offences mentioned in 1 and 2.
- The age and gender of suspects of the said offences mentioned in 1 and 2.
- Outcomes of physical corrosive substance attacks against the person.
- Outcomes of threats of corrosive substance attacks against the person.
Please find the Warwickshire Police response set out below.
Response: 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 to some of the information 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 low numbers, providing a breakdown of victim/suspect ages for threat and attack separately, or combining a breakdown of victim/suspect ages for threat and attack together, is likely to lead to the identification of 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.
Pursuant to Section 17(1) of the Act this letter acts as a refusal notice under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in relation to these elements of your request and, instead, information I am able to provide is for victim and suspect ages in a combined format (both threats and attacks together) and then presented in age bands.
When reviewing the information, please note that it was obtained by conducting searches for offences, recorded between 1st January 2024 and 31st December 2024, where either:
- A Marker ‘Use of Corrosive Substance as Weapon’ is attached to the crime.
- Where the crime has been classified under Home Office codes:
- 008/76 – Threaten a person with an offensive weapon/corrosive substance in a private place; or
- 005/07 – Endangering Life – Causing explosions, sending explosive substance or throwing corrosive fluids with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
- Or where the keywords ‘acid’ or ‘corrosive’ (upper and lower case) are mentioned within the MO description.
The MO description for the resulting crimes were then manually reviewed to determine whether the circumstances were best described as a physical attack against the victim (for Q1), or a threat made to physically attack the victim (Q2).
Please note the following caveats:
- Where the circumstances were not considered to amount to either a physical attack of a person or a threat to physically attack a person, the data was removed.
- All results obtained from a manual review are down to the interpretation by the reviewing individual, and, as this process is subjective, the results should be treated with caution.
- Not all offences have a suspect role attached; therefore, the number of suspects will not match the number of offences.
Q1 response: 4
Q2 response: 4
Q3 response:
|
Victim Gender |
Female |
Male |
Total |
|
Physical attacks |
|
4 |
4 |
|
Threats of physical attacks |
1 |
3 |
4 |
|
Grand Total |
1 |
7 |
8 |
|
Victim Ages (Threats and Attacks) |
Total |
|
20 to 29 |
5 |
|
30 to 39 |
3 |
|
Grand Total |
8 |
Q4 response:
|
Suspect Gender |
Female |
Male |
Total |
|
Physical attacks |
|
2 |
2 |
|
Threats of physical attacks |
|
3 |
3 |
|
Grand Total |
|
5 |
5 |
|
Suspect Ages (Threats and Attacks) |
Total |
|
20 to 29 |
2 |
|
40 to 49 |
3 |
|
Grand Total |
5 |
Q5 response:
|
Outcome Type - Physical Attacks |
Total |
|
Type 1A - Charged/Summons - alternate offence. |
1 |
|
Type 14 - Evidential Difficulties Victim Based- Suspect Not Identified: Crime Confirmed But The Victim Either Declines Or Unable To Support Further Police Investigation To Identify The Offender |
2 |
|
Type 18 - Investigation Complete; No Suspect Identified. Crime Investigated As Far As Reasonably Possible-Case Closed Pending Further Investigative Opportunities Becoming Available |
1 |
|
Grand Total |
4 |
Q6 response:
|
Outcome Type - Threats of Physical Attacks |
Total |
|
Type 1 - Charged/Summonsed/Postal Requisition |
3 |
|
Type 18 - Investigation Complete; No Suspect Identified. Crime Investigated As Far As Reasonably Possible-Case Closed Pending Further Investigative Opportunities Becoming Available |
1 |
|
Grand Total |
4 |
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