FOI 0185-2025/26 Incidents Involving Barbecues

Request
I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding incidents involving barbecues (BBQs) over the past 3 years: 

Time Period: January 2022 to the most recent available month in 2025

Breakdown: Ideally by month and by city/town, or region if more appropriate

Q1. The number of call-outs where BBQs were a contributing factor (e.g., reports of fire, public disturbance, antisocial behaviour, etc.). If you can provide the call out type with this it would be great but total number if not.

Q2. The number of arrests or charges brought as a result of fires started by BBQs.

Q3. The number of arrests or charges brought in connection with disturbances at BBQs (e.g., alcohol-related, antisocial behaviour, fights, etc.).

Please provide any relevant caveats on how this data is recorded or retrieved.

Please provide the information in an Excel (.xls or .xlsx) or CSV format, if possible.

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 following information to you.

Q1. Please see the below table showing the number of incidents reported to North Yorkshire Police in the specified timeframe where the key words ‘Barbecue’ or ‘BBQ’ are recorded within the MO remarks/summary. Please note that a manual review has been undertaken to ensure that the reports fit your request. The data has been broken down by calendar year and Home Office Level 1 Description.

Q2. Nil.

Q3. 6 arrests, no charges.

North Yorkshire Police have noted your preference in receiving this information in CSV/Excel format however, it is our responsibility to protect the personal data and other sensitive information which may be contained within our data sheets. As you may be aware excel data sheets may contain hidden information which may contain personal or sensitive information that, if exposed, could lead to a data breach. It is for this reason we have decided to provide you with the requested information in an alternative format.

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.