Indecent Images (1425A/21)
Request
1a) The total number of recorded offences for indecent images (still or moving) of children, for the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019
1b) The total number of recorded offences for indecent images (still or moving) of children, for the period 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020
1c) The total number of recorded offences for indecent images (still or moving) of children, for the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021
1d) For each offence for the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 please break it down by the platform/s used to commit the offence where known (eg. text message, iMessage, Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Kik etc.)
2a) The breakdown of offences relating to possession, distribution and any other linked indecent image (still or moving) of children by for the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019
2b) The breakdown of offences relating to possession, distribution and any other linked indecent image (still or moving) of children offence for the period 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020
2c) The breakdown of offences relating to possession, distribution and any other linked indecent image (still or moving) of children offence for the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021
3a) The breakdown of offences relating to taking indecent images (still or moving) of children for the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019
3b) The breakdown of offences relating to taking indecent images (still or moving) of children for the period 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020
3c) The breakdown of offences relating to taking indecent images (still or moving) of children for the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021
Response
Our data are not organised in such a way as to allow us to provide this information within the appropriate (cost) limit within the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. This is because we do not have a marker on our crimes system that allows us to easily identify the forms of communication used in connection with recorded offences. Therefore, in order to determine the information for question 1d), we would need to conduct a manual review of every case. Researching each individual case however would exceed the appropriate limit (FOIA, s.12).
This means that the cost of providing you with the information is above the amount to which we are legally required to respond i.e. the cost of locating and retrieving the information exceeds the ‘appropriate level’ as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.
In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice for this part of the request and if one part of a request exceeds the fees limit then S12 of the Act applies to the whole request.
However, under Section 16 of the Act I have a duty to provide advice and assistance in relation to your request and can provide the information requested for the remainder of your request as this was retrieved during our initial research. Please see attached document.
This should not be taken as a precedent that additional information would be supplied outside of the time/fees legislation for any subsequent requests.
Further information on section 12 of FOI is available here: