FOI 174-24 GPS Tracker
Enquiry Reference: FOI 174 -24
I write in connection with regards to your Freedom of Information request. Below is your request and our response.
This is a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. My request relates to the surge in GPS tracker usage involved in coercive control and stalking cases in 2023.
I would like to request the following information:
1) Can you please provide me with the total number of coercive control cases AND stalking cases that your police force has dealt with in 2023? Please display the total case numbers for coercive control and stalking separately.
- a) The table below contains the volume of crimes validated in 2023. These included 8M Racially or Religiously Aggravated Harassment as the crime description includes ‘or stalking’.
|
Crime Type and code |
Volume of crimes |
|
8M - Racially or Religiously Aggravated Harassment |
|
|
008/56 - Racially or religiously aggravated harassment or stalking without violence Crime & Disorder Act 1998 Sec 32(1)(a) And (4) (as added to the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 Sec 39). |
111 |
|
008/58 - Racially or religiously aggravated harassment or stalking with fear of violence. Crime & Disorder Act 1998 Sec 32(1)(b) or (4) as added to by Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 Sec 3 |
25 |
|
8Q - Stalking |
|
|
008/65 Stalking involving fear of violence. Protection from Harassment Act 1997 Sec 4A. |
561 |
|
008/66 Stalking involving serious alarm/distress. Protection from Harassment Act 1997 Sec 4A. |
289 |
|
195/12 Pursue course of conduct in breach of Sec 1 (1) which amounts to stalking. Protection from Harassment Act 1997 Sec 2 A. |
1700 |
|
8U - Controlling or Coercive Behaviour |
|
|
008/67 - Engage in controlling/coercive behaviour in an intimate / family relationship |
533 |
|
Grand Total |
3219 |
2) Can you also please provide me with the number of cases in 2023 that were dealt with by your police force where GPS tracking was used as a form of coercive control? This could include social media trackers, technology-based trackers, AirTags, trackers on apps etc.
- a) There have been no crimes of Controlling or Coercive Behaviour that includes the words “tracker” or “airtag” in the MO comments.
3) Can you also please provide me with the number of cases in 2023 that were dealt with by your police force where GPS tracking was used as a form of stalking? This could include social media trackers, AirTags, technology-based trackers, trackers on apps etc.
- a) Four crimes have been validated in 2023 within the Stalking crime type which included the word ‘tracker’ in the MO comments. This could be ‘GPS tracker’ or just ‘tracker’. The crimes are:
008/66 - Stalking involving serious alarm/distress. Protection from Harassment Act 1997 Sec 4A.
195/12 - 195/12 Pursue course of conduct in breach of Sec 1 (1) which amounts to stalking. Protection from Harassment Act 1997 Sec 2 A.
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