Our Ref: 2009/00531 19 August 2009 - Bedfordshire Police

Our Ref: 2009/00531

19 August 2009

Dear Member of the Public,

REQUEST UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT Reference No F-2008-00531

With reference to your request for information received on 13th July 2009, I note you seek access to
the following information:

The number of children aged 15 and under a) suspected of supplying drugs and b) convicted
in each of the past 5 years broken down if available by class of drug supplied and the age of
the child.

Details of the items of property stolen from the police force in each of the past 5 years
including the total worth of stolen property stolen in each year.

Please see attached sheet. Bedfordshire Police started to formally record stolen police
property in 2006 therefore we do not hold information previous to 2006.

The number of children aged a)15 and under and b) 9 and under who were suspected of
committing a sexual offence in each of the past 5 years

The number of sexual offences committed against children a) 15 years old and under and b) 9
years old and under.

The number of children a) 15 years old and under and b) 9 years old and under found in
possession of knives, blades or firearms in each of the past 5 years broken down by type of
weapon.

How many crimes were committed in your area where the offender was aged under 10 in
each of the past 5 years? Please provide a breakdown of these offences showing the nature
of the crime and the age of the offender if available.

How many children under the age of 10 were found to be in possession of illegal drugs in
each of the past 5 years?

How many murders which occurred in your force area in each of the past 10 years remain
unsolved?

The amount of money paid by the force to informants in each of the past 5 years

The amount of money paid by the force in rewards for information in each of the past 5 years

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

The number of children aged 15 and under a) suspected of supplying drugs and b) convicted
in each of the past 5 years broken down if available by class of drug supplied and the age of
the child.

a) Suspected of supplying drugs in the last 5 years
Please note, the data supplied is the number of crimes involving a suspect under 15 or under 9. A
crime may have multiple suspects or may have multiple suspect records relating to the same person.
Crimes have only been counted once if they involve multiple offenders.
It is not possible to class of drug.

b) Convicted of supplying drugs in the last 5 years
We do not hold data on convictions.

Count of Column Labels 2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010
CrimeRef 2005/2006 2006/2007
Row Labels 3 3 1
12 2 3 2 1
13 1 5 2
14 12
15 11

Grand Total 53

The number of children aged a) 15 and under and b) 9 and under who were suspected of
committing a sexual offence in each of the past 5 years

NB Please note, the data supplied is the number of crimes involving a suspect under 15 or under 9. A
crime may have multiple suspects or may have multiple suspect records relating to the same person.
Crimes have only been counted once if they involve multiple offenders.

Count of Column Labels 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010
CrimeRef 2005/2006
Row Labels 2 1 1 2 3
6 3 3 4 2
10 4 1 3 4 2
11 6 16 3 10 3
12 6 7 18 10 10
13 4 13 6 30
14 10 41 34
15 32

Grand Total

Crimes with 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010
Suspect... 32 41 34 30 10
2
Under 15
Under 9

Details of the items of property stolen from the police force in each of the past 5 years
including the total worth of stolen property stolen in each year.

Please refer to the attached sheet.

The number of sexual offences committed against children a) 15 years old and under and b) 9
years old and under.

Please note, the data supplied is the number of crimes. Under Home Office counting rules a single
crime may consist of multiple incidents or a single incident.

(see Section E, Finished Incident Counting Rule of the Home Office Counting Rules:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/countgeneral09.pdf )

Crimes have only been counted once if they involve multiple victims (e.g. an Indecent Exposure may
involve multiple victims).

UNDER 15 Column Labels 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010
2005/2006 1 1 1
Count of CrimeRef 1 1
Row Labels 2 1 1 2 1
0 5 3 4 2 1
1 7 1 1 4 2
3 8 3 2 3
4 10 6 4 2 3
5 7 6 4 6
6 16 4 5 9 7
7 15 10 3 12 9
8 18 12 5 12 12
9 27 29 18 11
10 37 33 15 26 47
11 66 45 33 43
12 45 35 33 38
13 263 189 25 178
14
15 137
Grand Total

Crimes with Victim... 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010
Under 15
Under 9 263 189 137 178 47

55 25 23 29 5

The number of children a) 15 years old and under and b) 9 years old and under found in
possession of knives, blades or firearms in each of the past 5 years broken down by type of
weapon.

Please note, the data supplied is the number of possession offences recorded where a child under 15
or under 9 is the person accused of committing the crime. Some crimes will have more than one
weapon. Only one weapon type per crime has been counted. Crimes have only been counted once if
they involve multiple offenders.

15 and Under (All)
Youngest Suspect Age

Count of CrimeRef Column Labels 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010
Row Labels 2005/2006 1 1
AIR WEAPON - HANDGUN 1 1 1
AXE 1 1 5
BALL 1 1 1 1
BASEBALL BAT 1 1 1
BROKEN GLASS OBJECT 1 1 1
DISGUISED KNIFE 1 2
DIY TOOL 1 1 22 1 2
DOG LEAD 3 1 11 1
FLICK KNIFE 1 1
HAMMER 19 1 2
HANDGUN - DETAILS UNKNOWN 14 1 3
HANDGUN - IMITATION 1
HOOKED POLE/BAR 1
IMITATION OTHER
IMITATION RIFLE 1
KITCHEN KNIFE
KNIFE/DAGGER 12
KNUCKLEDUSTER/RING 1
MARTIAL ARTS WEAPON
METAL BAR 1 1
OTHER SHARP/POINTED 11 9
INSTRUMENT 1
OTHER WEAPON OR TYPE OF
VIOLENCE 1
PAINT BALL GUN 2222
RIFLE - SINGLE SHOT 5121
(CENTREFIRE)
SAW 1
SCISSORS 14
SCREWDRIVER 3321
SOFT AIR WEAPON/BB GUN
STANLEY KNIFE/BLADE 38 39 45 24
SWORD/BAYONET
WEAPON DETAILS UNKNOWN
WOODEN BAR/BATON

Grand Total

9 and Under 8
Youngest Suspect Age

Count of CrimeRef Column Labels
Row Labels 2005/2006
KNIFE/DAGGER 1

Grand Total 1

How many crimes were committed in your area where the offender was aged under 10 in each
of the past 5 years? Please provide a breakdown of these offences showing the nature of the
crime and the age of the offender if available.

Please note, the data supplied is the number of detected crimes where an offender was aged under
10. Prior to April 1st 2007, the following detection method was available to the police:

D5. It is ascertained that a crime has been committed by a child under the age of
criminal responsibility

This detection method is no longer available and data post 1st April 2007 will not be comparable to
data prior to this date.

Financial Youngest HO Crime Description
Year Offender
2005/2006 Age SHOPLIFTING
2005/2006 SHOPLIFTING
2005/2006 9 SHOPLIFTING
2005/2006 7 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
8 RACIALLY OR RELIGIOUSLY AGGRAVATED PUBLIC FEAR ALARM OR
2005/2006 9 DISTRESS
2005/2006 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
2005/2006 9 CRIMINAL DAMAGE - TO VEHICLES
2005/2006 8 CRIMINAL DAMAGE - TO VEHICLES
2005/2006 8 CRIMINAL DAMAGE - TO VEHICLES
2005/2006 4 CRIMINAL DAMAGE - TO VEHICLES
2005/2006 9 POSSESSION OF ARTICLE WITH BLADE OR POINT
2005/2006 7 CRIMINAL DAMAGE- TO DWELLINGS
2005/2006 8 CRIMINAL DAMAGE - TO VEHICLES
2005/2006 6 ASSAULT WITHOUT INJURY
2005/2006 6 OTHER OFFENCE AGAINST THE STATE OR PUBLIC ORDER
2005/2006 8 ASSAULT WITHOUT INJURY
2005/2006 8 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
2005/2006 9 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
2005/2006 8 CRIMINAL DAMAGE - TO VEHICLES
2005/2006 9 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
2005/2006 7 OTHER THEFT OR UNAUTHORISED TAKING
2005/2006 9 SHOPLIFTING
2005/2006 9 THEFT OF PEDAL CYCLE
2005/2006 9 THEFT OF PEDAL CYCLE
9 RACIALLY OR RELIGIOUSLY AGGRAVATED PUBLIC FEAR ALARM OR
2005/2006 9 DISTRESS

9

2005/2006 7 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
2005/2006 6 CRIMINAL DAMAGE- TO DWELLINGS
2005/2006 9 SHOPLIFTING
2005/2006 8 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
2005/2006 9 SHOPLIFTING
2005/2006 8 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
2005/2006 5 CRIMINAL DAMAGE- TO DWELLINGS
2005/2006 9 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
2005/2006 9 CRIMINAL DAMAGE - OTHER
2005/2006 9 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
2005/2006 6 OTHER THEFT OR UNAUTHORISED TAKING
2005/2006 9 THEFT OF MAIL
2006/2007 9 POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED DRUGS (CANNABIS)
2006/2007 8 SHOPLIFTING
2006/2007 9 BURGLARY IN A DWELLING
2006/2007 9 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
2006/2007 9 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
2006/2007 9 CRIMINAL DAMAGE - TO VEHICLES
2006/2007 9 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
2006/2007 7 SHOPLIFTING
2006/2007 9 CRIMINAL DAMAGE- TO DWELLINGS
2006/2007 9 CRIMINAL DAMAGE - TO VEHICLES
2006/2007 9 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
2006/2007 7 ASSAULT WITHOUT INJURY ON A CONSTABLE
2006/2007 7 CRIMINAL DAMAGE - TO VEHICLES
2006/2007 9 CRIMINAL DAMAGE- TO DWELLINGS
2006/2007 7 BURGLARY IN A DWELLING
2006/2007 9 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
2006/2007 6 CRIMINAL DAMAGE - TO VEHICLES
2006/2007 8 SHOPLIFTING
2006/2007 8 CRIMINAL DAMAGE- TO DWELLINGS
2006/2007 9 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
2006/2007 8 SHOPLIFTING
2006/2007 9 ASSAULT WITHOUT INJURY
2006/2007 8 SHOPLIFTING
2006/2007 9 SHOPLIFTING
2006/2007 9 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)
2007/2008 6 ROBBERY OF PERSONAL PROPERTY
2007/2008 9 ROBBERY OF PERSONAL PROPERTY
2008/2009 9 PUBLIC FEAR ALARM OR DISTRESS (POA 1986 SECS 4,4A&5)
2008/2009 7 ACTUAL BODILY HARM AND OTHER INJURY (EXCLUDES GBH UNDER 8F)

How many children under the age of 10 were found to be in possession of illegal drugs in each
of the past 5 years?

Bedfordshire Police’s crime system can retrieve statistics from 2006 and does not hold information in
a retrievable format previous to this. However, I can confirm that there are no incidences of children
under 10 found to be in possession of illegal drugs since 2006.

How many murders which occurred in your force area in each of the past 10 years remain
unsolved?

1. Pursuant to the provisions of Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I have
decided to refuse access to the information you have requested.

Reason for Decision

Section 21 of the Act provides:

Information which is reasonably accessible to the application otherwise than under Section 1 is
exempt information …

For the purposes of subsection 1, information which is held by a public authority and does not fall
within subsection 2b is not to be regarded as reasonably accessible to the applicant merely because
the information is available from the public authority itself on request, unless the information is made
available in accordance with the authority’s publication scheme and any payment required is specified
in, or determined in accordance with, the scheme.

The information you have requested is available from
http://www.bedfordshire.police.uk/foi/disclosure_log/documents/april/Response%20Letter%202009-
00303.pdf

The amount of money paid by the force to informants in each of the past 5 years

The use of informants by the police service is well known and is governed by the Regulation of
Investigatory Powers Act, 2000.

In relation to your request, Bedfordshire Police can disclose that we use Covert Human Intelligence
sources and the recorded amount that was spent by this force on the obtaining of information to
combat crime, over the last 5 financial years (see Note below), was as follows:

2008-09 £30,980
2007-08 £33,970
2006-07 £29,820
2005-06 £23,670
2004-05 £23,430

The amount of money paid by the force in rewards for information in each of the past 5 years
Bedfordshire Police have not paid money in rewards for information other than the above figures.