FOI 1100-2024/25 Crime in Schools

Request
Q1a) Number of violent crimes recorded in schools in each calendar year (separately) from 2014 to 2024.

Q1b) Number of arrests for violent crimes recorded in schools in each calendar year (separately) from 2014 to 2024.

Q2a) Number of knife crimes recorded in schools in each calendar year (separately) from 2014 to 2024.

Q2b) Number of arrests for knife crimes recorded in schools in each calendar year (separately) from 2014 to 2024.

Q3a) Number of knife crimes with injury recorded in schools in each calendar year (separately) from 2014 to 2024.

Q3b) Number of arrests for knife crimes with injury recorded in schools in each calendar year (separately) from 2014 to 2024.

By 'Violent crime', (questions 1a and 1b) I mean broadly the crimes set out by the CPS as violent crime here.

I suggest defining this as any offences under the offence groupings 'violence against the person', 'possession of weapons', or 'robbery', plus the specific public order offences of affray, riot or violent disorder.

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 table below showing the number of violent crimes* and arrests in schools in the period 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2024, broken down by calendar year.

*Data includes possession of weapons, violence against the person, robbery and public order offences of affray, riot or violent disorder.

Q2. Please see the table below showing the number of crimes and arrests recorded where the weapon used field is populated with ‘bladed implement’. Whilst I have broken an annual breakdown of crimes,  I am exempting an annual breakdown of arrests pursuant to Section 40 (2) Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act). Please see the below exemption explanation.

Q3. Please see the below table showing the number of crimes and arrests involving a bladed implement and injury in schools. Please note that the victim injury field is not mandatorily recorded and therefore relies on an officer populating this field. I am exempting an annual breakdown of arrests involving injury pursuant to Section 40 (2) Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act). Please see the below exemption explanation.

Categories of injury can include emotional, financial, physical, psychological or slight.

Exemption Explanation

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) – Personal information
I am exempting an annual breakdown of some information to refrain from particular incidents becoming identifiable and consequently the personal details of any persons involved being disclosed.

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 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.