School break-ins 248/2026
FOI Reference: 248/2026
Request
Please treat this as a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I am researching recorded “school break-ins” over the past five years.
Definition
For the purpose of this request, please interpret “school break-ins” as:
Recorded burglary or attempted burglary offences (business and community / non-residential burglary) where the recorded premises or location type is a school or educational establishment (including primary, secondary, and sixth-form/FE colleges where identifiable).
If your recording system uses alternative location classifications, please use the closest equivalent and briefly explain how this maps to the definition above.
Time period
Please provide data for the last five complete calendar years:
2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 (inclusive).
If only available by financial year, please provide the closest five-year period and specify which period has been used.
For each year in scope, please provide:
1. Recorded offences
- Total number of recorded offences matching the definition above within your force area.
In addition, where held in a structured format:
- Number of completed burglaries
- Number of attempted burglaries (or nearest equivalent classification)
2. Geographic area (structured fields only)
For each offence (or aggregated annually if preferred), please provide the structured geographic field(s) already held in your crime recording system, such as:
- Local authority area
- Postcode outward code (e.g., “OX1”)
I understand that full addresses or full postcodes may engage personal data exemptions; I am only requesting structured geographic identifiers held in your system that can be disclosed.
If specific fields cannot be released, please specify which are held but exempt.
3. Outcomes
For the same offences, please provide the number assigned to each recorded outcome type per year (e.g., charge/summons, investigation complete – no suspect identified, evidential difficulties, etc.).
If Home Office outcome types are used, please specify the outcome categories.
4. Stolen property
Where held in structured format, please provide:
- The categories of stolen property recorded
- The total number of offences per category (annual totals acceptable)
If property value is recorded in a structured field, please also provide:
- Total recorded estimated value of stolen property per year
- Number of offences with a value recorded
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 21 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 4 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 126 records, in order to establish the type of stolen property and / or attempted stolen property, as well as the estimated value, as these are not recorded fields on our system.
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:-
126 x 10 minutes = 21 hours
Time estimate to complete task = 21 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 questions 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.
Response Q1
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below:-
|
Year |
Attempted Burglary in Schools |
Burglary in Schools |
Grand Total |
|
2021 |
1 |
22 |
23 |
|
2022 |
5 |
15 |
20 |
|
2023 |
4 |
36 |
40 |
|
2024 |
4 |
23 |
27 |
|
2025 |
0 |
16 |
16 |
|
Grand Total |
14 |
112 |
126 |
Response Q2
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below:-
Attempted Burglary in Schools
|
Year |
Carmarthenshire |
Ceredigion |
Pembrokeshire |
Powys |
|
2021 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
2022 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
2023 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
|
2024 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
2025 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Burglary in Schools
|
Year |
Carmarthenshire |
Ceredigion |
Pembrokeshire |
Powys |
|
2021 |
6 |
3 |
2 |
11 |
|
2022 |
8 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
|
2023 |
11 |
6 |
11 |
8 |
|
2024 |
4 |
2 |
11 |
6 |
|
2025 |
7 |
3 |
6 |
0 |
Response Q3
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below:-
Attempted Burglary in Schools
|
Outcomes |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
1A: Alternate offence summonsed/postal requisition |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
|
8c Youth Restorative Disposal |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
|
10 Formal action not in public interest (Police) |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
|
14 Victim declines/unable to support action - named suspect not identified |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
16 Victim does not (or has withdrawn) support - named suspect |
- |
1 |
1 |
- |
- |
|
18 Investigation Complete: No suspect identified |
- |
2 |
3 |
1 |
- |
|
22: Diversionary, educational or intervention activity, has been undertaken and there is no public interest to continue |
- |
2 |
- |
- |
- |
Burglary in Schools
|
Outcomes |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
8c Youth Restorative Disposal |
- |
1 |
1 |
1 |
- |
|
10: Police - formal action not in public interest |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
|
14: Victim declines/unable to support action to identify offender |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
|
15 Victim supports action but evidential difficulties |
2 |
3 |
6 |
5 |
1 |
|
16 Victim does not (or has withdrawn) support - named suspect |
1 |
2 |
4 |
- |
1 |
|
17: Suspect identified but prosecution time limit expired |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
|
18 Investigation Complete: No suspect identified |
19 |
8 |
24 |
15 |
12 |
|
Investigation Ongoing |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
2 |
(This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on 11/03/2026)
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