RIPA and Communications Data – Police Use

Research

The following table has been established using the Freedom of Information Act. We have sorted the data of those forces who have responded by the forces making the highest use of RIPA to access communications data between 2009-12.

Some forces have provided data in different ways, for example some forces have provided data broken down by financial year, others calendar year. Some forces have provided figures covering the three year period but no breakdown, while others have not provided the full data requested. Some forces did not respond to our request.

The significant variations in the level of use of communications data and the variations in the numbers of requests internally rejected starkly highlights a clear issue around training and education within forces about making best use of information available, where necessary and proportionate, and also raises questions about the consistency of oversight.

Single Point of Contacts being overruled

Following our oral evidence to the Joint Committee we asked for clarification from two forces who provided data and fell within the statutory appeal process for clarification.

Kent Police

1 April 2011 – 31 March 2012:

Total number of applications: 4,891

Those rejected internally:

By SpOC: 1,206

By Authorising Officer: 42

Essex police:

In 2011 Essex began using a new recording system in conjunction with . Data before the financial year 2011/12 is not available. From that period:

Total applications: 5164

Rejected by SPoC: 1478

Reject by Authorising Officer: 71

Offences being investigated with communications data

Humberside Police was also able to give us a breakdown of the offence categories it has used communications data for:

2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 Assault: 51 43 96 Auto Crime 10 8 20 Burglary: 121 118 223 Criminal Damage 7 15 25 Drugs: 544 445 371 Missing Persons 100 49 84 Murder: 196 165 183 Organised Immigration 28 56 43 Crime: Other Crime 340 385 458 Other Non-Crime 64 35 98 Rape: 24 36 26 Robbery: 99 98 195 Sex Offences 227 198 201 Theft: 125 90 239 Traffic Offences 71 70 54

Communications data requests and refusals by force

Comms Data Requested under RIPA Requests rejected internally Notes: 2009-10 2010-11 2011- Total 2009- 2010-11 2011- Total 12 10 12 13,227 16,787 18,837 48,851 298 206 153 657 Devon and Cornwall 8,506 11,150 12,044 31,700 Constabulary Strathclyde Police 8,490 8,364 8,848 25,702 198 178 185 561 5,030 8,027 10,842 23,899 123 101 240 464 West Mercia Constabulary 8,787 5,996 6,258 21,041 Leicestershire Constabulary 6,410 5,184 6,641 18,235 108 80 46 234 3,986 5,510 8,049 17,545 8 9 7 24 * Rejected by "designated person" Police Service in Northern 4,233 4,789 4,826 13,848 190 192 333 715 Ireland 3,503 2,825 4,319 10,647 52 93 68 213 3,393 3,244 3,695 10,332 0 1 4 5 2,644 3,099 4,083 9,826 110 14 18 142 3,278 2,947 2,752 8,977 1223 3,285 2,854 2,820 8,959 90 68 66 224 Lothian and Borders Police 3,189 2,511 2,053 7,753 Refusal data not recorded Kent Police 3,913 3,751 n/a 7,664 1571 1666 n/a 3237

Northamptonshire Police 2,009 2,402 2,229 6,640 58 42 46 146 2,822 1,683 1,695 6,200 151 89 164 404 Annual data Dumfries and Galloway 1,566 2,124 2,476 6,166 66 116 36 218 Constabulary 2,007 1,811 2,316 6,134 129 110 102 341 1,696 1,663 1,549 4,908 TOTAL APPLICATIONS INC REJECTIONS 1,792 1,382 1,625 4,799 Refusal data not provided 1,372 1,501 1,541 4,414 103 103 "In 2011, 1541 applications were processed, of which 103 were rejected internally." 1,154 1,493 1,626 4,273 30 53 35 118 1,241 1,327 1,386 3,954 78 71 73 222 Dyfed Powys Police 1,336 1,259 1,310 3,905 Refusal data not provided 919 907 1,016 2,842 24 Gloucestershire Constabulary 901 701 791 2,393 65 82 41 188 Police 670 710 736 2,116 11 10 32 53 Central Police 76 759 901 1,736 34 29 29 92 Constabulary 587 598 531 1,716 24 8 10 42 552 516 515 1,583 8 12 20 40 1040 1,040 3 3 Between 1/1/12 and 4/7/12 Cambridgeshire Constabulary 445 n/a n/a 445 36 n/a n/a 36 Refused by "designated decision maker"

Durham Constabulary Refused Refused - cost & - cost & time time Refused Refused - cost & - cost & time time