FOI 0481-2026/27- Ram raid crimes

Request:

Please provide the following information for each calendar year 2021-2025 (or financial years 2021/22-2025/26 if that is how data is held; please state which basis is used). Counts based on offence recording date are acceptable.

Q1. This request is for aggregate counts only from structured fields within your crime recording system. No manual review of individual records/case files is required. "Structured code" means a structured MO, method-of-entry, attack-method, asset-type or equivalent code.

(a) Vehicle-enabled crime against business/commercial premises Please provide separately:

(i) Number of recorded Burglary (Business & Community) offences where a structured code indicates a vehicle was used to breach the premises; &

(ii) Number of recorded Robbery of Business Property offences where a structured code indicates a vehicle was used to breach the premises.

If these cannot readily be separated, a combined figure is acceptable if identified as such.

Where a structured premises/asset-type code allows retail premises to be identified separately, please also provide the retail subset. If not, the broader business/commercial figure is acceptable provided the scope is stated.

(b) ATM-targeted crime

Number of recorded offences, under whatever classification your force uses for ATM attacks (e.g. Theft, Burglary, Criminal Damage or Robbery of Business Property), where a structured code indicates a vehicle was used, whether to breach premises, physically attack the ATM, or remove/attempt to remove it.

(c) EV charging infrastructure

Number of recorded Criminal Damage offences where a structured code indicates damage to an electric vehicle charge point caused by vehicle impact. If this cannot be identified from structured fields without reviewing individual records, please state that the information is not retrievable from structured fields. No alternative or keyword-based figure is requested for this part.

(d) Only if (a) and/or (b) cannot be retrieved using structured codes, please provide for each year the number of distinct recorded offences returned by a free-text search of MO fields, crime notes or equivalent searchable fields using one or more of:

"ram raid", "ram-raid", "ramraid", "rammed the shutter", "rammed the door", "drove through the shopfront", "drove through the shop front", "vehicles used to gain access", "vehicles used in the commission of the crime".

If records matching multiple terms cannot be de-duplicated, raw hit counts by term are acceptable if you state records may be counted more than once. No manual validation is requested. I accept that results may contain false positives or incidents outside scope, provided this limitation is stated. If searching all fields would exceed the cost limit, an MO/method-field search alone is acceptable. A single combined count covering both (a) & (b) is acceptable where the search cannot distinguish between them.

If compliance would exceed the Section 12 cost limit, please apply this refinement order: (a), then (b), then (d), then (c), with the most recent years first. If further refinement is required, please provide advice & assistance under Section 16 before refusing the request.

I am content for counts below 5 to be reported as "<5". Where annual figures are reported as "<5", please also consider providing an unsuppressed total for the full 2021-2025 (or 2021/22-2025/26) period where disclosure would not create identification or other disclosure risks.

If easily stated without further searching, please also indicate:

* Which offence classification(s) each count falls under; and

* Whether "ram raid" incidents are recorded under a specific MO, attack-method or method-of-entry code.

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 following information to you.

Q1c.  Information is not retrievable from specified field and would require a manual review of all criminal damage crimes.

Q1d. A search has been carried out between 01 January 2021 and 31 December 2025 using the keywords listed in the request, to which 3 reports match that of the scope of the request. All 3 relate to crime type of Burglary. Due to low figures, I am exempting the yearly breakdown pursuant to Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act). Please see the exemption explanation below.

Please note this data was obtained by completing a MO summary search for the terms listed in the request. The accuracy and reliability of these searches cannot be guaranteed as only the MO / summary field of the report is searched. If this term is mentioned elsewhere (i.e. within the call log, crime report, statements etc) these will not be returned in the results. Additionally, if the term is misspelt within the MO / summary field, this will not be returned.

Exemption Explanation

Section 40 – Personal Information

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.