Violence and sexual offences 636/2025

FOI Reference: 636/2025

Request

I wish to make a freedom of information request and would be grateful if you could supply the following information, broken down by nationality (note - in any instance where a certain nationality has fewer than 5 results, please use FOI best practice and simply provide the appropriate response of "<5") for the years 2018 - 2024

1. The total number of arrests (and broken down by nationality) for each detailed offence within the following the offence groups: "violence against the person" and "sexual offences".
2. The total number of arrests by your force (and broken down by nationality) that led to an individual being proceeded against for each detailed offence within the following offence groups: "violence against the person" and "sexual offences".
3. If possible, I would also be grateful if you could disclose the number of arrests (2018 - 2024) for violence against the person which are a knife crime (broken down by nationality) as well as the number of cases that led to an individual being proceeded against (broken down by nationality)

Response

Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 places two duties on public authorities. Unless exemptions apply, the first duty at Section 1(1) (a) is to confirm or deny whether the information specified in a request is held. The second duty at Section 1(1) (b) is to disclose information that has been confirmed as being held.

Where exemptions are relied upon Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires Dyfed Powys Police, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide you the applicant with a notice which:   (a) states that fact, (b) specifies the exemption in question and (c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information you have requested. However, we are withholding the whole of the requested information since we consider that the Section 12(1) exemption the Cost of Compliance exceeds the Appropriate Limit applies to it.

Section 12 (1) – The cost of compliance exceeds the Appropriate Limit

Section 12(1) states: “…Section 1 (1) does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit.”

The cost of providing you with the information requested in respect 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 exceeds the “appropriate level” as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004. It is estimated that it would exceed 18 hours (i.e. minimum of 9,411 hours) to comply with this part of your request. The regulations can be located @ https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3244

The Freedom of Information department has been advised that the information in respect of your request is not held in an easily retrievable format. In light of this and in order to accurately obtain the information relative to your answering question 1 & 2 of your request for the time frame stipulated would involve Dyfed Powys Police accessing and manually reviewing 51,377 records, due to the fact that we cannot keyword search on our system, to narrow down the search for the information requested for ‘arrests within the groups - violence against the person or sexual offences’ and broken down by nationality, in order to answer question one.  Neither can we narrow down the search for the information requested for arrests by the force (and broken down by nationality) that led to an individual being proceeded against for each detailed offence within violence against the person and sexual offences and broken down by nationality in order to answer question two. These types of incidents would be categorised as C-Assaults, C-Disorder or C-sexual on our system.

In order to accurately obtain the information relative to answer question 3 of your request for the time frame stipulated would involve Dyfed Powys Police accessing and manually reviewing 5,096 records.  This is due to not being able to keyword search on our system for the information requested for the number of arrests broken down by nationality, for knife crimes, in order to answer question three. These incidents would be categorised as C-weapons incidents on our system.

It has also been established that it would take a minimum of 10 minutes to review each record, and obtain the information in respect of your request. 

The process outlined results in the below time estimate in order to answer Q1 & Q2:-

2018        7520 incidents          

2019        7075 incidents          

2020        5773 incidents          

2021        7383 incidents          

2022        7640 incidents          

2023        8041 incidents          

2024        7945 incidents          

Total incidents =  51,377           

51,377 incidents x 10 minutes per record = 8,562 hours

The process outlined results in the below time estimate in order to answer Q3:-

2018     543 incidents     91 hours

2019     570 incidents     95 hours

2020     581 incidents     97 hours

2021     693  incidents    116 hours

2022     708 incidents     118 hours

2023     980 incidents     163 hours

2024     1021 incidents   170 hours

Total incidents = 5,096

5,096 inicidents x 10 minutes per record = 849 hours

Time estimate to complete whole task (8,562 hours  + 849 hours)  = 9,411 hours

In accordance therefore with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice for the Whole of this request under Section 17(5) A public authority which, in relation to any request for information, is relying on a claim that section 12 or section 14 applies must, within the time for complying with section 1(1), give the applicant a notice stating that fact.

You may wish to refine and resubmit your request so that it reduces the time shown above to fall within the 18 hours, should you require any further advice in relation to this matter please don’t hesitate to contact the Freedom of Information Unit. Please also be advised that should the request be refined, it does not remove the public authorities right to cite exemptions if relevant.

(This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on 27/06/2025)