FOI 210588

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 210588

I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 14^th November 2022.  Please find below the response to your request:

In the last 5 years from 2016 to 2021, how many cases of individuals who have attempted to take their own life prior to police intervention, have been charged with a) intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance, the public nuisance act b) obstructing engine or carriage on railway, the penalty for wilful obstruction highways act 1980 or c) the public order act?

Secondly, how many of these individuals have been convicted?

Police intervention is once the police are called to the scene of the individual whom is attempting to take their own life and begin assisting the individual – either through liaison and diversion, or charging the individual.

Reply

In the last 5 years from 2016 to 2021, how many cases of individuals who have attempted to take their own life prior to police intervention, have been charged with

1. a) intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance, the public nuisance act  -

• No information held. Intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance didn’t come into force until 28/06/22

1. b) obstructing engine or carriage on railway, the penalty for wilful obstruction highways act 1980

• Nil return. Please note that these offences are more likely to be recorded by British Transport Police as the offence location is the railway. You may, therefore, wish to re-direct your request for this data to them. 

1. c) the public order act? 

• Public order offences – any offence with a crime category recorded as public order offence. Please see table below with results for between the dates of 1 April 2016 – 31 March 2021 which have a charge outcome. The free text field of these results have been searched for the words ‘suicide’, ‘suicidal’, ‘life’ & ‘kill’.  The records which contain one of more of these words have been reviewed for those which relate to an individual attempting to take their own life.

Secondly, how many of these individuals have been convicted?

• See above table (applicable to c) only)