Reported crime figures - 2022 (FOI)

Request

A

How many crimes have been reported during 2022?

B

How many reports of assaults have there been in 2022?

C

How many assaults have not met the threshold?

D

What is the threshold?

E

Why do the police determine what investigations they do?

F

Are the police now policing relationships and feelings? 

G

Are the police now the manners police?

H

Why do police get so excited to put anyone in handcuffs and get rough with children and adults alike? 

I

Since [named police officer] assaulted a youth how many incidents like that have taken place since? He arrested the youth for obstruction but turned out that he assaulted him according to a recording.

J

How many incidents of police officer using inappropriate language have been reported and what action was taken against the police officer?

K

Is idiot appropriate language to be used by a police officer?

L

Is it okay for police officers to swear in public.?

Response

A and B

To determine the number of “reported” crimes, including the number of assaults, during 2022 would require a manual inspection of several thousand incident logs. The time required to undertake this task would significantly exceed the 12.5 hours maximum time limit as provided by Article 16(1) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. A response for “reported” crime, including the number assaults, for 2022 is therefore declined. A more accurate representation of crime levels, and one that can be provided within the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 time constraints, is provided by an analysis of “recorded” crime at Crime-recording process - HMICFRS (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk). Please see the link below. The total recorded crime for 2022 (up to and including 19 December) is 2,956. The total number of recorded assaults (which includes common assaults, grave and criminal assaults, assaults on police or prison officers, offences under Article 35 Children’s (Jersey) Law 2002¹, and sexual assaults is assessable by other means on www.gov.je. Article 23 of Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has therefore been applied.  Please refer to a previous Freedom of Information response, available in the following link:

Crime-recording process - HMICFRS (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk)

Crime figures 2020 to 2022 (FOI) 

C

To determine the number of recorded assaults so far in 2022 that have not met the threshold for an individual to be invited to attend a parish hall enquiry, or charged and prosecuted would require a manual inspection of each record. The time required to undertake this task would significantly exceed the 12.5 hours maximum time limit as provided by Article 16(1) Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. A response to this question is therefore declined.  

D

Information on how a decision is made to charge and prosecute an individual is assessable by other means.  Article 23 of Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied. Full information is available in the following link:

Code on the decision to prosecute (Law Officers' Department) (gov.je) 

E

Please refer to the Crime Investigation Policy in the link below.

Crime Investigation Policy Sept 2021_Redacted.pdf

F

Please refer to the States of Jersey Police Domestic Abuse Policy in the link below. 

Domestic Abuse Policy_Redacted.pdf

G, H, K and L

A key principle of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 is to provide only information that is recorded. These questions are seeking opinions. Recorded information is not held. Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.

I

The States of Jersey Police neither confirm nor deny whether any information is held in relation to this matter, as to do so would breach the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018. Article 25(2) of Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 is therefore engaged and a response is declined. The number of complaints of excessive force used by police officers received during 2022 (up to and including 19 December) is 13. 

J

The number of complaints received of police officers using inappropriate language during 2022 (up to and including 19 December) is four. The outcomes are as follows:- two officers received words of advice, one officer faced a disciplinary hearing and received a caution from the Chief of Police, and one officer is still subject of investigation. 

¹Article 35   Children’s Law -  Causing harm to or neglecting children under 16

(1)     If any person who has responsibility for a child under the age of 16 intentionally or recklessly –

(a)     causes any harm to that child;

(b)     exposes the child to a risk of harm; or

(c)     neglects the child in a manner likely to cause the child harm,

the person shall be guilty of an offence and liable to imprisonment for a term of 10 years and to a fine.

(2)     For the purposes of this Article –

(a)     a person with responsibility for a child shall be deemed to have neglected the child in a manner likely to cause the child harm if he or she has failed to provide, or procure the provision of, adequate food, clothing, medical aid or lodging for the child; and

(b)     where it is proved that the death of a child under the age of 3 years was caused by suffocation (other than as a result of disease or the presence of a foreign body in that child’s throat or air passages) while that child was in bed with some other person over the age of 16 years who went to bed under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs, that other person shall be deemed to have neglected the child in a manner likely to cause the child harm.

(3)     A person may be convicted of an offence under this Article notwithstanding –

(a)     that harm or the likelihood of harm was obviated by the action of another person; or

(b)     that the child in question has died.

(4)     If, on the trial of any person on a charge of infanticide or manslaughter of a child under the age of 16 for whom he or she had responsibility, the court or the jury as the case may be, is of the opinion that the person was not guilty of the offence charged but was guilty of an offence under this Article, the person may be found guilty of such an offence and shall be liable to be sentenced accordingly.

(5)     [23]

(6)     For the purposes of this Article –

(a)     any person who has parental responsibility for a child or is otherwise legally liable to maintain a child; and

(b)     any person who has care of a child,

shall be presumed to have responsibility for the child.

Articles applied

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a)     it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b)     it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.

Article 10 - Obligation of scheduled public authority to confirm or deny holding Information

(1) Subject to paragraph (2), if –

(a) a person makes a request for information to a scheduled public authority; and

(b) the authority does not hold the information, it must inform the applicant accordingly.

(2) If a person makes a request for information to a scheduled public authority and –

(a) the information is absolutely exempt information or qualified exempt information; or

(b) if the authority does not hold the information, the information would be absolutely exempt

information or qualified exempt information if it had held it,the authority may refuse to inform the applicant whether or not it holds the information if it is satisfied that, in all the circumstances of the case, it is in the public interest to do so.

Article 16 - A scheduled public authority may refuse to supply information if cost excessive

(1) A scheduled public authority that has been requested to supply information may refuse to supply the information if it estimates that the cost of doing so would exceed an amount determined in the manner prescribed by Regulations. 

Article 23 - Information accessible to applicant by other means

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.

Article 25 - Personal information

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018.

(2) Information is absolutely exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018; and

(b) its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law.