FOI 12650
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 12650 – FOI-6169-19-2200-000
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 25th September 2019. Please find below the response to your request:
- Total number of West Mercia Police Officers and Staff assaulted whilst on duty - please give information for the last 5 years.
- Total number of NHS worker assaults reported to West Mercia Police for the same period.
- Total number of Prison Service Staff assaults reported to West Mercia Police for the same period.
Reply:-
1) The extracted data is only available based on financial years and back to 1st April 2015. Therefore only a partial year for 2015 would have been available. To provide a full calendar year for 2015 would require a manual check of the data which would exceed the fees limit of 18 hours. Therefore the cost of providing you with the information is above the amount to which we are legally required to respond i.e. the cost of locating and retrieving the information exceeds the ‘appropriate level’ as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.
In accordance with the Act, please treat this letter as the Refusal Notice that I am required to provide to you in respect of this part of your question. Under Section 16 FOIA I am obliged to provide advice and assistance in relation to a request. In this case I have provided a response for the years 2016 – 2019 (up to 30/09/2019).
Please note that this relates to the force location of the crime not necessarily which force the officer works for. Also, this count is based on assaults rather than offences, as it is possible for an assault offence to have more than one victim recorded.
2016: 564
2017: 639
2018: 555
2019: 324
2) Please note that this count is based on assaults rather than offences, as it is possible for an assault offence to have more than one victim recorded. Figures are for on duty NHS staff who would include paramedics, doctors, nurses, hospital porters and hospital security staff. On duty NHS staff also cover GP surgeries, Dentists.
2015: 104
2016: 153
2017: 173
2018: 116
2019: 142
3) Please note that this count is based on assaults rather than offences, as it is possible for an assault offence to have more than one victim recorded. Figures are for on duty Prison staff who would include: Prison Officers, Prison Medical staff, Prison Court transport officers.
2015: 45
2016: 50
2017: 67
2018: 77
2019: 67