Football Arrests (524A/24)
Request
1) From August 12th 2023 up to the date of this email, please tell me how many arrests were made at
- Molineux Stadium: Waterloo Rd, Wolverhampton WV1 4QR
- Villa Park Stadium: Trinity Rd, Birmingham B6 6HE
on suspicion of causing “racially or religiously aggravated public fear, alarm or distress”, a Public Order Offence under the Crime & Disorder Act 1998 Sec 31(1)(b) & (4).
For question 1, please clearly break down by location and date.
2) For each incident identified in question 1, please provide me with a verbatim copy of the “investigation summary field” and/or the modus operandi (MO)/any written summary of the incident details for each arrest. Please specify if possible the date and location where each arrest was made. Redact any details that would otherwise prevent you from releasing the information.
CLARIFICATION
I do require arrest and incident data, please.
Response
We can confirm that relevant information is held by West Midlands Police. However, while the majority of the information is attached to this email, I am not required to release all of the information requested. Please find attached a redacted document.
REASONS FOR DECISION
The redacted information is exempt by virtue of the following exemptions:
Section 31(1) – (Law enforcement)
Section 40(2) – (Personal Data)
These exemptions and explanatory notes are shown here:
In line with the above, I am required to complete a Prejudice Test/Public Interest Test (PIT) on disclosure. Please find this PIT attached (524A_PIT).
Section 40(2) is an absolute and class-based exemption if to release the information exists would breach the third party’s data protection rights. In this case to release this personal information would not constitute fair processing of the data. As this exemption is class based I am not required to identify the harm in disclosure and in this instance, I believe that the right to privacy outweighs any public interest in release.