Watch Thefts (761A/22)
Request
1a. How many watch thefts were reported by individuals (not retails stores) in 2018?
1b. What was the total value of the watches stolen?
2a. How many watch thefts were reported by individuals (not retails stores) in 2019?
2b. What was the total value of the watches stolen?
3a. How many watch thefts were reported by individuals (not retails stores) in 2020?
3b. What was the total value of the watches stolen?
4a. How many watch thefts were reported by individuals (not retails stores) in 2021?
4b. What was the total value of the watches stolen?
5a. How many watch thefts were reported by individuals (not retails stores) in 2022 so far?
5b. What was the total value of the watches stolen?
Response
Our data are not organised in such a way as to allow us to provide all of this information within the appropriate (cost) limit within the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act (see ‘Reason for Decision’ below).
Additionally, with regard to “the total value of the watches stolen”, it is not possible to provide this information. Property value is an under-utilised data point and is rarely recorded or recorded accurately (e.g. a nominal value of £1 is often entered).
However, although excess cost removes the force’s obligations under the Freedom of Information Act, as a gesture of goodwill I have supplied information, relative to your request, retrieved before it was realised that the fees limit would be exceeded (see attached file 761A_22_attachment.pdf). I trust this is helpful, but it does not affect our legal right to rely on the fees regulations for the remainder of the request.
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.