FOI 160-24 Knife Crime
Enquiry Reference: 160-24
I write in connection with regards to your Freedom of Information request. Below is your request and our response.
For each question, I would like data for each of the following time periods:
January 2021 – December 2021
January 2022 – December 2022
January 2023- December 2023
Question 1:
How many minors under the age of 18 have been arrested for possession of a knife blade or
pointed article?
- a) Below are how many arrests were made where the arrest reason was either possession of a weapon (bladed only) or where it was identified to be a knife crime where weapon possession wasn’t the main arrest reason:
2021 - 49
2022 - 92
2023 – 118
If it is within the time/cost limit set by the FOI Act, please provide a break down by age.
|
Year/Age |
13 & Under |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
|
2021 |
>5 |
9 |
6 |
10 |
22 |
|
2022 |
5 |
7 |
18 |
33 |
27 |
|
2023 |
>5 |
15 |
20 |
42 |
37 |
Question 2:
How many minors under the age of 18 have been charged specifically with murder or
manslaughter, as a result of a knife blade or pointed article being used?
If it is within the time/cost limit set by the FOI Act, please provide a break down by age.
- a) Less than 5.
Question 4:
What is the age of the youngest detainee to be charged with murder or manslaughter for the years provided?
- a) 15 years old.
Question 5:
How many minors under the age of 18 have been recorded as being a seriously injured by a minor carrying a blade or sharply pointed article.
- a) Below shows the number of victims of serious violent crime where the victim and suspect are under 18 and where a blade/knife was used:
2021 - 26
2023 - 46
2023 - 42
Question 6:
How many minors under the age of 18 have died as a result of seriously injured by a minor carrying a knife or sharply pointed article.
- a) No information held.
Having made enquiries within the Force above is all the information we have retrieved, and we would also rely on the following:
Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 places two duties on public authorities. Unless exemptions apply, the first duty at Section 1(1) (a) is to confirm or deny whether the information specified in a request is held. The second duty at Section 1(1) (b) is to disclose information that has been confirmed as being held. Where exemptions are relied upon, Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act requires that I provide the applicant with a notice which: a) states that fact b) specifies the exemption(s) in question and c) state (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.
Cleveland Police can confirm it holds any other information pertinent to this request as the duty in Section 1(1) (a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 does not apply, by virtue of the following exemption:
Section 40(2) Personal Information
Section 40(2) is an absolute exemption which does not require me to evidence the harm that disclosure would cause and does not require consideration of a public interest test in justification of its use.
This exemption is engaged where disclosure of information could lead to the identification of an individual, either from that information alone or combined with other information. Providing a further breakdown because of the small numbers there is a possibility that it could lead to the identity of the individuals concerned. Such a disclosure would breach an individual's rights to privacy.
Please note that all statistical data supplied in relation to Freedom of Information requests is a snapshot of data held at the time the request was received by the Freedom of Information office and is subject to constant change/updates.
The Cleveland Police response to your request is unique and it should be noted that Police Forces do not use generic systems or identical procedures to capture and record data therefore responses from Cleveland Police should not be used as a comparison with any other force response you receive.
If you are not satisfied with this response or any actions taken in dealing with your request, you have the right to request an independent internal review of your case under our review procedure. The APP College of Policing guidance states that a request for internal review should be made within 20 working days of the date on this response or 40 working days if extenuating circumstances to account for the delay can be evidenced.
Yours sincerely
Information Rights Decision Maker