FOI Crimes Against Emergency Workers (808-2023/24)
Request
Amended request receibved 15112023
Please find the following amended FOI request after a clarification request was received from one force. Below is the new, amended request (with the request sent on Monday copied below that for reference).
Please can you provide me with the following information relating chiefly to the offence type of Assault on an Emergency Worker for each of the last 5 calendar years (beginning with 2019 and also including 2023, up until the date this request is answered). There are two supplementary questions which relate to a different offence type, Assaulting a Police Constable. Please provide figures for the same period.
Q1. The annual number of recorded offences of Assault on an Emergency Worker?
Q2. The annual number of charges recorded for the offence of Assault on an Emergency Worker?
Q3. The annual number of recorded offences of Assault on an Emergency Worker where that worker was a police officer?
Q4. The annual number of charges recorded for the offence of Assault on an Emergency Worker where that worker was a police officer?
Q5. The annual number of recorded offences of Assaulting a Police Constable in the execution of their duty (often known as Assault PC)?
Q6. The annual number of charges recorded for the offence of Assaulting a Police Constable in the execution of their duty?
It is understood that Assault of a Police Constable is used less as an offence type after the legislation change concerning Assault on an Emergency Worker in 2018.
Q1-4 relate to https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2018/23
Q 5-6 relate to https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/16/section/89
Clarification: For charges data, it is accepted that there may occasionally be a lag with the charging of some offences and so please provide only the specific number of charges decided on that year - and not tied to the offences they relate to.
If further clarification is needed on the offence of AEW, please refer to the below which includes (for instance) a definition of an emergency worker:
https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/assaults-emergency-workers-offences-act-2018
Response
Extent and Result of Searches to Locate Information
To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted within North Yorkshire Police. I can confirm that the information you have requested is held by North Yorkshire Police.
Decision
I have today decided to disclose the located information to you.
Q1, Q3 & Q5. Please see the table below which details the number of Assault on an Emergency Worker crimes recorded by North Yorkshire Police from 01 January 2019 to 23 November 2023, broken down by year and offence.
|
Offence |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
Total |
|
Assault With Injury On A Constable |
107 |
145 |
122 |
115 |
111 |
600 |
|
Assault Without Injury On A Constable |
250 |
435 |
329 |
294 |
401 |
1709 |
|
Emergency Worker (other Than A Constable) |
10 |
11 |
21 |
17 |
8 |
67 |
|
Total |
367 |
591 |
472 |
426 |
520 |
2376 |
Q2, Q4 & Q6. Please see the table below which details the number charges for Assault on an Emergency Worker crimes recorded by North Yorkshire Police from 01 January 2019 to 23 November 2023, broken down by year and offence.
|
Charges |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
Total |
|
Assault With Injury On A Constable |
84 |
100 |
81 |
76 |
58 |
399 |
|
Assault Without Injury On A Constable |
193 |
281 |
200 |
172 |
209 |
1055 |
|
Emergency Worker (other Than A Constable) |
4 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
22 |
|
Total |
281 |
385 |
285 |
253 |
272 |
1476 |
Please note that systems used for recording information are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the data. It should be noted therefore that this force’s response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other responses you may receive.