FOI 862/25

Request

1. Please provide the total number of recorded strangulation offences [Domestic Abuse Act (2021, section 70) and the Serious Crime Act (2015, section 75A)] from 7th June 2024-6th June 2025 (inclusive), with the below details (as many as are recorded on your systems) for each case: Victim sex and gender Victim age Victim ethnicity Victim disability Suspect sex and gender Suspect age Suspect ethnicity Suspect disability
2. Relationship between victim and suspect j. Context of the strangulation offence k. Any additional offences at the time of the strangulation offence l. Whether these cases are domestic abuse-flagged m. Whether these cases are part of a rape or serious sexual offence investigation n. Police assigned outcome and additional rationale where available
3. Please also provide as many of the above details (a-n) as possible for any additional cases involving non-fatal strangulation, where this has been flagged/ featured within an alternative offence, but not recorded specifically as an offence of strangulation.

Request

Your request for information has now been considered and I am not obliged to supply the information you have requested.         

In relation to your request, the following exemption applies:  

Section 12 – Exemption where cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit. 

A search has been completed using our crime and incident recording system (NICHE RMS) for all offences recorded between 7^th June 2024 and 6^th June 2025 using the following Home Office Code, ‘8/77: Non-fatal strangulation and suffocation’. This search retrieved 1095 occurrences.

At South Wales Police we monitor and collate statistical data on crimes, incidents and other data relevant to our daily business. The predominant purpose of this is to identify patterns and trends, so resource allocation and policies can be managed to ensure public safety.

Only part of the data you have requested is routinely collated in a format that would easily answer your query, therefore, to accurately answer your request we would need to individually interrogate each occurrence.

Question 1

We estimate it would take approximately 15 minutes to interrogate each occurrence to identify:

• Whether the victim or suspect had a disability,
• Relationship between victim and suspect,
• Context of the strangulation offence,
• Any additional offences at the time of the strangulation offence and
• Whether these cases are part of a rape or serious sexual offence investigation

Question 2

Whether an offence of strangulation has occurred as part of another recorded offence would require us to interrogate all crimes recorded of a more ‘serious’ nature within the same frame, in line with the National Crime Recording Standards.  

Whilst therefore I cannot quantify exactly how long this would take it would most certainly exceed the 18 hours stipulated by the regulations.

It is estimated that 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 the case of the police service, the appropriate limit is £450 which has been calculated to equate to a total of 18 hours of work. 

If any part of the request exceeds the fees limit, then Section 12 applies to the whole request. 

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a refusal notice. 

Excess cost removes the forces obligation under the Freedom of Information Act, however under Section 16 – Duty to provide advice and assistance, an authority is required to offer an applicant the opportunity to redefine their request within the cost limit. If you were to remove parts, 1d, 1h, 1i, 1j, 1k, 1m and 2, then we may be able to assist with your request.