Mr Tom Barton

Freedom of Information Section

Nottinghamshire Police

Telephone:- 0115 9672507

Facsimile:- 0115 9672896

E-mail: [email address]

[FOI #2885 email]

26^th September 2008

Dear Mr Barton,

Request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA)

Reference No: FOI08-1722

I write in connection with your request for information dated 5^th September 2008, which was received by Nottinghamshire Police on 5^th September 2008, and acknowledged by email on 9^th September 2008. I note you seek access to the following information:-

Police forces make a record of the ethnicity of all people

arrested. I would like to know the numbers of people of each

different ethnicity arrested from 2003 up to the present, or as

recent as is practicable.

By the way of clarification I would also be grateful for the

following pieces of information-

1. The CATEGORIES Nottinghamshire Police use to record ethnicity.

2. Any records Nottinghamshire Police has taken of the NATIONALITY

of people arrested in the same period, 2003 up to the present.

So the form I envisage the data being presented in is a table. On

one axis are the dates, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008. On the

other axis are your categories of ethnicity, eg Caucasian, Afro

Caribbean, Asian, Hispanic....

(These example categories do not reflect any prejudice or

preference, they are merely indicative. Please use whatever your

categories are)

The numbers in the table will refer to the number of arrests in

each category.

Following receipt of your request searches were conducted within Nottinghamshire Police to locate information relevant to your request.

Decision

Please see enclosed response

Complaints Rights

Your attention is drawn to the enclosed review procedure, which details your right of complaint.

Copyright

Nottinghamshire Police in complying with their statutory duty under Sections 1 and 11 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) to release the enclosed information will not breach the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

However, the rights of the copyright owner of the enclosed information will continue to be protected by law. Applications for the copyright owner's written permission to reproduce any part of the attached information should be addressed to the Force Solicitor, Nottinghamshire Police, Force Headquarters, Sherwood Lodge, Arnold, Nottinghamshire, NG5 8PP.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in Nottinghamshire Police.

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write or contact the Freedom of Information Officer on telephone number 0115 9672507 or e-mail [email address] quoting the above reference number.

Yours sincerely

Freedom of Information Officer

Enc

RESPONSE

Under S 1 (1) (a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), I can confirm that Nottinghamshire Police does hold the information you have requested.

Police forces make a record of the ethnicity of all people

arrested. I would like to know the numbers of people of each

different ethnicity arrested from 2003 up to the present, or as

recent as is practicable.

By the way of clarification I would also be grateful for the

following pieces of information-

1. The CATEGORIES Nottinghamshire Police use to record ethnicity.

2. Any records Nottinghamshire Police has taken of the NATIONALITY

of people arrested in the same period, 2003 up to the present.

So the form I envisage the data being presented in is a table. On

one axis are the dates, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008. On the

other axis are your categories of ethnicity, eg Caucasian, Afro

Caribbean, Asian, Hispanic....

(These example categories do not reflect any prejudice or

preference, they are merely indicative. Please use whatever your

categories are)

The numbers in the table will refer to the number of arrests in

each category.

Please find attached spreadsheets.

Note: In 2005 and 2006, the custody system was changed, therefore there are two recorded lists of Nationality and Ethnicity; one from the old custody system and one from the new custody system. These should be taken as combined totals of arrests for those years.

Note: In the Column for `Self-Defined Ethnicity Description' for 2003 and 2005, there is a category of `Public Order'. This is where a person has been arrested for Public Order and is not in a position to be asked what they believe their ethnicity is due to their behaviour in the custody suite.