FOI 199091
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 199091
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 26th September 2022. Please find below the response to your request:
Can you please provide the following information as I am trying build a national picture of incidence and service provision.
Are you able to advise how many female suspects of sexual offences were detained in your custody suites over the years 2016 – 2021.
Of those women that were detained how many underwent a forensic medical examination.
Of those that did not was this because it was inappropriate, there was no consent, lack of suitably trained medical examiners, medical examiner of the wrong gender or for some other reason.
Reply
The number of females arrested & detained for sexual offences is :
2016 – 2
2017 – 6
2018 - 10
2019 – 13
2020 – 18
2021 – 35
No information held specifically for forensic medical examination.
The information below was a search on our systems for entries relating to intimate & non-intimate samples.
2016 – no samples recorded as taken
2017 – one non-intimate sample recorded as taken (1 detainee)
2018 - two non-intimate samples recorded as taken (2 detainees)
2019 - one non-intimate sample recorded as taken (1 detainee). There are two records where authorisation has been given for intimate samples to be taken but it is not clear from the record whether the samples have been taken
2020 - two non-intimate samples recorded as taken (2 detainees) & two intimate samples recorded as taken (1 detainee)
2021 - two non-intimate samples recorded as taken (2 detainees) & one intimate sample recorded as taken (1 detainee)
The attached provides details of the custody record numbers where there is an entry on the custody detention log relating to samples.