Cuckooing (801A/22)
Request
Where possible, please could you provide me with the following figures for the year April 2021 – March 2022 (if you do not collect or cannot provide data for one of the categories below, please provide data for the categories that you do or can provide data for):
- How many people has the force identified as victims of ‘cuckooing’ i.e. the practice of taking over the home of an individual in order to establish a base for the purpose of criminal activity?
- Of those people identified as victims of cuckooing how many were:
(a) male
(b) female
(c) under the age of 18
(d) over the age of 65
(e) vulnerable adults
(f) dependent on drugs or alcohol
(g) disabled or learning disabled
(h) unemployed
- Of those people identified as victims of cuckooing how many have been
(a) arrested, and
(b) charged with criminal offences related to the activities taking place in their property.
- Of those people identified as victims of cuckooing who were subsequently arrested and charged with criminal offences related to the activities taking place in their property, which offences were they charged with?
- How many people has the force identified as perpetrators of ‘cuckooing’?
- Of those identified as perpetrators of ‘cuckooing’ how many were:
(a) male
(b) female
(c) vulnerable adults
(d) aged 16 – 17
(e) aged 15 or under
- Of those identified as perpetrators of ‘cuckooing’ how many have been:
(a) arrested, and
(b) charged with criminal offences related to the cuckooing activity?
- Of those people identified as perpetrators of cuckooing who were subsequently arrested and charged with criminal offences related to the cuckooing activity?:
- which offences were they charged with?
- how many people were charged under
- section 1 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 or
- section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015?
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 (see ‘Reason for Decision’ below).
I am unable to suggest any practical way in which your request may be modified in order to satisfy your query or bring it within the 18 hours stipulated by the Regulations. I am however willing to consider any refinements that you are able to make to your request, in accordance with Section 16 of the Freedom of Information Act. If you would like to look into refining your request please contact me.
REASON FOR DECISION
Please note that researching each individual case would exceed the appropriate limit (FOIA, s.12 (1)). There is no Cuckooing marker on our system and would potentially be classed as another / other crimes if discovered. We utilise many civil powers to address gang activity, but again don’t record that data in terms of cuckooing.
The cost of compliance with the whole of your request is above the amount to which we are legally required to respond, i.e. the cost of locating and retrieving the information would exceed the appropriate costs limit under section 12 of the FOI Act 2000. For West Midlands Police, the appropriate limit is set at £450, as prescribed by the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004, S.I. 3244.
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