‘Revenge Pornography’ (1213A/22)
Request
I request data on involving the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, which some call ‘revenge porn’. For clarity’s sake, this includes the disclosure of, threats to disclose, or attempts to disclose, private sexual photographs/film with intent to cause distress.
For this request, please provide the number of cases recorded by month, from January 2016 (or, earliest available date, whichever is sooner), up until the most current date at the point of production. In addition to the number of cases, please also provide:
- The monthly number of cases split by outcome.
- The monthly number of cases split by whether an arrest was made.
- The monthly number of cases split by available victim demographic information (such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, and other available demographic information).
- The monthly number of cases split by the suspect’s relationship to the victim
- The monthly number of cases split by the suspect’s demographic information (such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, and other available demographic information).
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 of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act (see ‘Reason for Decision’ below).
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 1213A_22_attachment.xlsx). 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.
REASON FOR DECISION
Although it has been possible to provide information regarding the number of offences, outcomes and victim demographics (see attached spreadsheet). It is not possible to provide the requested information regarding suspects (i.e., arrests, relationship and demographics), without manually going into each case. However, this would involve examining thousands of records and such a search would exceed the appropriate limit (FOIA, s.12).
This means that 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(1) 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.
Further information on section 12 of FOI is available here: