Arrest/ charges for possession of a sharp object (926A/21and 927A/21)
Request
REQUEST 926A/21
I would like to request the number of homicides, per year, in the West Midlands, caused by the use of sharp objects, including knives – during the period of 2017-2020 (March 2021 if available.)
REQUEST 927A/21
I would like to request a document that includes the average age of individuals whom are arrested and charged for possession of a sharp object (including knives) in the West Midlands – during the period of 2017-2020 (2021 if available.)
Can this also include the average age of individuals in the West Midlands whom are arrested and charged for using such sharp objects (including knives?) – During the same period noted above
Response
Please note that these data should be interpreted with caution. Average ages are not held, and we are not obliged to create data, but have been able to assist on this occasion.
Comparing numbers of incidents/crimes can be misleading and does not necessarily indicate the likelihood of someone being a victim of crime. In addition, the number of incidents/crimes recorded in an area over a period of time can be influenced by a number of factors. Consequently statistics on incidents/crimes for one period may not necessarily be a good indicator of future incidents in that area.
Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from a number of data sources used by forces for police purposes. The detail collected to respond specifically to your request is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when interpreting those data.
The figures provided therefore are our best interpretation of relevance of data to your request, but you should be aware that the collation of figures for ad hoc requests may have limitations and this should be taken into account when those data are used.
If you decide to write an article / use the enclosed data we would ask you to take into consideration the factors highlighted in this document so as to not mislead members of the public or official bodies, or misrepresent the relevance of the whole or any part of this disclosed material.
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