Domestic Violence - Abuse - Sexual Violence - Stalking - Harassment & the Police

The request was successful.

Dear Kent Police,

We are writing to make an open Government request for all the information to which we are entitled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

With this in mind could you please provide to SAFE CPS the following information:

1. Total number of calls for assistance to Kent Constabulary for Domestic Violence related incidents for the period 1st January 2015 - 31st December 2015.

2. Total number of call for assistance to Kent Constabulary for Domestic Abuse related crimes for the period 29th December 2015 - To date 01.06.16.

3. Total number of calls for assistance to Kent Constabulary for Domestic Abuse related sexual offences for the period 1st January 2015 - 31st December 2015.

4. Total number of calls for assistance to Kent Constabulary for Domestic Abuse related assault with injury crimes for the period 1st Janaury 2015 - 31st December 2015.

5. Total number of calls for assistance to Kent Constabulary for Domestic Abuse related harassment crimes for the period 1st January 2015 - 31st December 2015.

6. Total number of calls for assistance to Kent Constabulary for Domestic Abuse related stalking crimes for the period 1st January 2015 - 31st December 2015.

7. Total number of DVPO issued by Kent Constabulary in the period 1st January 2015 - 31st December 2015.

8. Total number of DVPN issued by Kent Constabulary in the period 1st January 2015 - 31st December 2015.

9. Total number of specialist Domestic Abuse Police Officers at Kent Constabulary.

10. Total number of DASH risk assessments carried out for Domestic Violence related incidents for the period 1st January 2015 - 31st December 2015, also:

a. Total number of DASH risk assessments STANDARD RISK for the period 1st January 2015 - 31st December 2015

b. Total number of DASH risk assessments MEDIUM RISK for the period 1st January 2015 - 31st December 2015

c. Total number of DASH risk assessments HIGH RISK for the period 1st January 2015 - 31st December 2015.

11. Total number of Domestic Violence incidents/crimes were Restorative Justice was used for the period 1st January 2015 - 31st December 2015

a. How many of the crimes recorded were graded STANDARD risk on DASH?
b. How many of the crimes recorded were graded MEDIUM risk on DASH?
c. How many of the crimes recorded were grades HIGH risk on DASH?

12. Total number of Domestic Abuse incidents/crimes were Restorative Justice was used for the period 1st January 2015 - 31st December 2015

a. How many of the crimes recorded were graded STANDARD risk on DASH?
b. How many of the crimes recorded were graded MEDIUM risk on DASH?
c. How many of the crimes recorded were grades HIGH risk on DASH?

13. Total number of Stalking incidents/crimes were Restorative Justice was used for the period 1st January 2015 - 31st December 2015

a. How many of the crimes recorded were graded STANDARD risk on DASH?
b. How many of the crimes recorded were graded MEDIUM risk on DASH?
c. How many of the crimes recorded were grades HIGH risk on DASH?

14. Total number of Harassment incidents/crimes were Restorative Justice was used for the period 1st January 2015 - 31st December 2015

a. How many of the crimes recorded were graded STANDARD risk on DASH?
b. How many of the crimes recorded were graded MEDIUM risk on DASH?
c. How many of the crimes recorded were grades HIGH risk on DASH?

15. Total number of Sexual Violence incidents/crimes were Restorative Justice was used for the period 1st January 2015 - 31st December 2015

a. How many of the crimes recorded were graded STANDARD risk on DASH?
b. How many of the crimes recorded were graded MEDIUM risk on DASH?
c. How many of the crimes recorded were grades HIGH risk on DASH?

We would like the above information to be provided to us as paper or electronic copies, audio tape version or an opportunity to view.

If this request is too wide or unclear, we would be grateful if you could contact us as we understand that under the Act, you are required to advise and assist requesters. If any of this information is already in the public domain, please can you direct us to this with page references and URLs if necessary.

We understand and recognise the need to safeguard and protect, we ask that if this information cannot be in the public domain then it is shared privately by email - [email address]. If the release of any of this information is prohibited on the grounds of breach of confidence, we ask that you supply us with copies of the confidentiality agreements and remind you that information should not be treated as confidential if such an agreement has been signed.

We understand that the Freedom of Information request SAFE CPS recently submitted contains multiple questions, this exact request is being made to all UK Police Forces and has been successfully completed with some of these forces.

If it is viewed by Kent Police that the request is too lengthy we can divide it into more manageable requests, this would of course though lead to multiple Freedom of Information requests being made by SAFE CPS, something we wish to avoid.

We would appreciate notification if there is to be a problem so we may assist Kent Police with the breakdown.

The successfully FOI's so far can be viewed here on What Do They Know.

We understand that you are required to respond to this request within the 20 working days after you receive this letter.

We would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Kindest Regards

Eve Thomas
Chief Executive Officer
SAFE CPS Limited
The Victim Protection Service

Freedom of Information Kent,

2 Attachments

Dear Ms Thomas,

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REF 16/07/745

 

Thank you for your request received by Kent Police on 6 July 2016. I note
you seek access, in summary, to information relating to:

 

Domestic Abuse

 

As stated within the Freedom of Information Act 2000 we will endeavour to
provide a response promptly and in any event within the statutory twenty
day deadline, the twentieth working day being 5 August 2016.

 

Your interest in Kent Police is appreciated and pending a specific
response to your request, I enclose a sheet, which summarises your rights.
Should you have any further inquiries concerning this matter, please write
or contact us via the following telephone numbers 01622
654429/654413/652304 quoting the reference number above.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Debbie Potter

 

Freedom of Information Team

Legal Services Department

Kent Police

 

 

This email and any other accompanying document(s) contain information from
Kent Police and/or Essex Police, which is confidential or privileged. The
information is intended to be for the exclusive use of the individual(s)
or bodies to whom it is addressed. The content, including any subsequent
replies, could be disclosable if relating to a criminal investigation or
civil proceedings. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that
any disclosure, copying, distribution or other use of the contents of this
information is prohibited. If you have received this email in error,
please notify us immediately by contacting the sender or telephoning Kent
Police on 01622 690690 or Essex Police on 01245 491491, as appropriate.

Freedom of Information Kent,

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Thomas,

 

We are working on providing a response to your request, however at present
it engages the exemption at Section 12(1) of the Freedom of Information
Act 2000.  Section 12 provides an exemption from a public authority’s
obligation to comply with a request for information where the cost of
compliance is estimated to exceed the appropriate limit.  The Freedom of
Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations
2004 state that the appropriate cost limit is 18 hours in the case of the
Police Service.

 

The reason for this is the question:

10. Total number of DASH risk assessments carried out for Domestic
Violence related incidents for the period 1st January 2015 - 31st December
2015, also:

a. Total number of DASH risk assessments STANDARD RISK for the period 1st
January 2015 - 31st December 2015

b. Total number of DASH risk assessments MEDIUM RISK for the period 1st
January 2015 - 31st December 2015

c. Total number of DASH risk assessments HIGH RISK for the period 1st
January 2015 - 31st December 2015.

 

It is standard practice for a DASH risk assessments to be completed for
all domestic abuse incidents, for the date period requested there were
14,376 crime reports with a ‘Domestic Abuse’ marker. However the results
of the DASH Risk Assessments are not automatically retrievable from our
system. To ascertain the outcome of each individual domestic abuse
incident would require a manual review of the thousands of records
returned in the initial search. It is estimated that this manual review
would exceed the 18 hours of work limit and thus engages the Section 12(1)
exemption.

For questions 11-15 the numbers are far fewer and therefore we can conduct
the manual review to determine the outcome of the DASH Risk Assessment for
each incident.

 

Section 16 of the act requires that we offer advice and assistance to
bring a request within cost. In this instance I would suggest the removal
of question 10, to allow us to answer the remaining 14 questions.

 

Please let me know if you will agree to this refinement? Your request will
be placed on hold until I hear from you, if I do not hear from you within
20 working days your request will be withdrawn.

 

Kind regards,

Richeal Grant

 

Freedom of Information Team

Legal Services Department

Kent Police

 

 

 

show quoted sections

Dear Freedom of Information Kent,

Many thanks for your reply to the Freedom of Information request submitted by SAFE CPS.

We note your comments and agree to the removal of parts a. b. and c. of question 10.

In addition could you please provide details of how Kent Constabulary collate the intel and information from DASH Risk Assessments.

Kindest Regards

SAFE CPS

Freedom of Information Kent,

2 Attachments

Dear Ms Thomas,

 

With reference to the Freedom of Information request, that we received
from you on 6^th July 2016, please find attached the response letter.

 

Should you have any queries relating to this then please do not hesitate
to contact us.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Freedom of Information Team

Legal Services Department

Kent Police

 

This email and any other accompanying document(s) contain information from
Kent Police and/or Essex Police, which is confidential or privileged. The
information is intended to be for the exclusive use of the individual(s)
or bodies to whom it is addressed. The content, including any subsequent
replies, could be disclosable if relating to a criminal investigation or
civil proceedings. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that
any disclosure, copying, distribution or other use of the contents of this
information is prohibited. If you have received this email in error,
please notify us immediately by contacting the sender or telephoning Kent
Police on 01622 690690 or Essex Police on 01245 491491, as appropriate.