Mr Scott Winters
Telephone:
101
Direct Line:
0300 122 8752
Ask For:
Freedom of Information
Our Ref:
003139/19
Your Ref:
Fraud - Catfishing
Date:
18 July 2019
Dear Mr Winters
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST - REFERENCE NO: 003139/19
I write in connection with your request for information which was received by
Derbyshire
Constabulary on 20/06/2019.
I note you seek access to the following information:
I am collating statistics from all 43 police forces in England and Wales regarding the surge in
‘Romance Fraud’, that is, fraud committed by targeting and preying on vulnerable women.
Please the below BBC article for reference. On many occasions fraud is committed under
the Fraud Act 2006 where the perpetrator obtains a gain and the victim a loss.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-48639372
Additionally, perpetrators create and utilise fake accounts on certain dating sites and begin
intimate relationships with their targets where no notifiable crime is committed under NCRS.
Using your search filters, could you please provide the following information under the
FOIA?
Number of notifiable crimes under heading, including any reports of rape subject to a crime
report for:
2014 - 15 / 2015 - 16 / 2016 - 17 / 2017 - 18 / 2018 - 2019
Number of non-crime incidents, including rape for:
2014 - 15 / 2015 - 16 / 2016 - 17 / 2017 - 18 / 2018 - 2019
Result of Searches
Following receipt of your request, searches were conducted within Derbyshire Constabulary
to locate any relevant information. The searches located / did not locate information relevant
to your request.
Constabulary Headquarter s Butterley Hall Ripley Derbyshire DE5 3RS
Incoming telephone calls and data communications may be monitored and recorded
Decision
I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full. Please see the below
table.
Year Incident Closure Type Name
2015 SK3: Suspicious Circumstances/Insecure Premises/Vehicles
2017 SK3: Suspicious Circumstances/Insecure Premises/Vehicles
SK3: Suspicious Circumstances/Insecure Premises/Vehicles
2018 SK3: Suspicious Circumstances/Insecure Premises/Vehicles
SK3: Suspicious Circumstances/Insecure Premises/Vehicles
CJ: Fraud *C*
2019 CJ: Fraud *C*
In relation to this data please note the following:
The data has been extracted from the Constabulary’s Crime System which is, to all intent
a ‘living’ system in that it is constantly being updated. As such the data can only be
verified for the date/time extracted.
Police forces in the United Kingdom are routinely required to provide crime statistics to
government bodies and the recording criteria is set nationally. However, the systems
used for recording these figures are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in
capturing the crime data. It should be noted that for these reasons this Constabulary’s
response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other
response you may receive.
Right to Request a Review (Complaint)
Your attention is drawn to the attached sheet, which details your right of complaint.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in Derbyshire Constabulary.
Constabulary Headquarter s Butterley Hall Ripley Derbyshire DE5 3RS
Incoming telephone calls and data communications may be monitored and recorded
Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write or contact the
Freedom of Information Officer, on the above telephone number quoting the reference
number in the header.
Yours sincerely
Kevin Lea
Freedom of Information Officer
Enc
Constabulary Headquarter s Butterley Hall Ripley Derbyshire DE5 3RS
Incoming telephone calls and data communications may be monitored and recorded