FOI Harrogate Knife Crime (889-2023/24)

Request

Following Dylan Cranfield’s sentencing, I’d like to do a piece on knife crime in Harrogate and whether it poses a serious threat to the community.
 
Please may you send me the below statistics to get a further idea of local knife crime and how it is defined:
 
Q1. How many people were charged with possession of a knife and/or bladed article between January 1 2019 to, if possible, December 2023. If not, please may you send stats the latest stats you have.
Q2. How many people were charged with violent knife-related crimes in that same period?
Q3. Please define and breakdown these offences – i.e. assault, aggravated assault, GBH etc.
Q4. How many people were charged with knife/bladed article-related murders within that same period?

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. Please see the table below which details the number of charges for possession of a knife crimes recorded by North Yorkshire Police from 01 January 2019 to 31 December 2023, broken down by year.

Q2 & Q3. Please see the table below which details the number of charges for violent knife crimes recorded by North Yorkshire Police from 01 January 2019 to 31 December 2023, broken down by crime type. I am exempting an annual breakdown of these offences pursuant to section 40(2) of the Act. Please see the exemption explanation below.

Q4. Between 01 January 2019 to 31 December 2023 the number of people charged for a knife related murder is 1. Further information can be found on the below link.

Harrogate teen given life sentence for murder of Seb Mitchell | North Yorkshire Police

Exemption Explanation

Section 40 – Personal Information

I am exempting providing you with the annual breakdown pursuant to Section 40(2) Freedom of Information Act (the Act).  This is to ensure anonymity for those involved in each case. I have, however, provided other details to assist in your request, but maintain the elimination of any identification.

Where an individual can be identified by such data, releasing it would clearly breach the first data protection principle of being ‘fair’ to the data subject.

Section 17 of the Act requires North Yorkshire 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.

Section 40(2) is an absolute class based exemption, which does not require a public interest test, but requires the balancing of the legitimate interests of the public against the interests of the individual under the first Data Protection Principle; in that processing of personal data must be lawful and fair (DPA 2018 35(1), EUGDPR Article 5(1)).

This exemption applies because the right given under the FOI Act to request official information held by public authorities does not apply to the personal data of third parties where disclosure of that information would not be fair to the individual, and where there is no legitimate public interest in disclosure.

In all the circumstances of the case it has been determined that the duty to the individual under the Data Protection Act 2018 & EU General Data Protection Regulations, and the public interest in maintaining the exemption from disclosure of personal information held by the force in such instances, outweighs the public interest in disclosure.  In this instance, personal information can only be disclosed to the individual concerned. 

Releasing personal details to a person other than the data subject would not only breach the data subject’s Data Protection rights it may also breach the obligations placed on an authority under the European Convention on Human Rights

Pursuant to Section 17(1) of the Act this letter acts as a refusal notice under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in relation to your request.

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.