Crimes against children 774/2025
FOI Reference: 774/2025
Following submission of a previous FOI request (674/2025), where the extent of the request was considered too large, please can you provide the information below in order to allow us to refine the request;
- Categories of crimes against children and young people (<18) utilised by Dyfed Powys Police. (Allowing for easier searching within your internal systems)
- Practicality of providing statements, and similar details, with personally identifying information redacted. (Is such information digital text or scanned documents?)
- Feasibility of consulting with an advisor at Dyfed Powys Police in order to effectively refine search parameters; reducing time needed for FOI while meeting our research needs.
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 4,792 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 Question 2 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 request for the time frame stipulated would involve Dyfed Powys Police accessing and manually reviewing 28,750 records.
It has also been established that it would take a minimum of 10 minutes to review and obtain the information for a single record in respect of your request.
The process outlined results in the below time estimate:-
Volumes below are all crimes where the victim is under 18 (age at offence date) –
2018 – 3,049
2019 – 3,334
2020 – 3,065
2021 – 4,148
2022 – 5,315
2023 – 2,060 + 2906
2024 – 4,873
This totals at 28,750 records.
28,750 records x 10 minutes per record = 4,792 hours
Time estimate to complete task = 4,792 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.
Although excess cost removes the forces obligations under the Freedom of Information Act to provide any further information, as a gesture of goodwill, I have provided information, relative to question 1 & 3 of your request which has been easily retrievable and outlined below. I trust this is helpful, but it does not affect our legal right to rely on the fees regulations for the remainder of your request.
Categories
Arson & Criminal Damage
Burglary - Business and Community
Burglary - Residential
Drug Offences
Miscellaneous Crimes Against Society
Possession of Weapons
Public Order Offences
Robbery
Sexual Offences
Theft
Vehicle Offences
Violence Against the Person
Sub-categories
Arson
Bicycle Theft
Burglary - Business and Community
Burglary - Residential
Criminal Damage
Homicide
Miscellaneous Crimes Against Society
Other Sexual Offences
Other Theft
Possession of Drugs
Possession of Weapons
Public Order Offences
Rape
Robbery of Business Property
Robbery of Personal Property
Shoplifting
Stalking & Harassment
Theft from the Person
Trafficking in Controlled Drugs
Vehicle Offences
Violence with Injury
Violence without Injury
We can filter these offences by those where the victim is under 18 to get the volume of crimes against children and young people (<18) within the 18 hours. The sub-categories can be broken down further into individual offences, but these slightly differ due to a change in our NICHE Police recording systems, which occurred in May ’23.
We can only provide data from 2018 onwards.
In relation to Question 3, a member of our FOI team has offered to discuss this question with you, should you so wish. Please let us know if this is something that you wish to proceed with.
(This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on 28/08/2025)
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