FOI 911/25

Request

I would like to know the history of rape gang culture in  south Wales. Can you please confirm how many reported incidents of rape and sexual assault withing south Wales for under 16 year olds, the outcome is not required. If you do not collate age of victim then please forward all reported rapes

I would like to know the geographic location for each incident. I have no issues if you would like to generalise the results to just the postcode district or an easting or northing generalized to 1000m.

I effectively want a similar extra to the crime data you publish, however to only include suspected and reported rapes of under 16 year old boys and girls within your operational area.

Clarification: Specifically, I would like to request access to data covering the last 20 years or, alternatively, from the point at which reporting began in an electronic format that includes geolocation information. The longitudinal scope of such data is essential to the integrity of my analysis and would significantly enrich the depth and outcomes of my research.

Response 

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(2) – The cost of compliance exceeds the Appropriate Limit

Section 12(2) states: “…Subsection (1) does not exempt the public authority from its obligation to comply with paragraph (a) of section 1(1) unless the estimated cost of complying with that paragraph alone would exceed the appropriate limit.”

I can confirm that the cost of determining whether any information relative to this request is or isn’t held is above the amount to which we are legally required to respond therefore we are withholding the whole of the requested information since we consider that the Section 12 (2) exemption the Cost of Compliance exceeds the Appropriate Limit applies to it.

The regulations can be located using the link below.

www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2004/20043244.htm

A search has been conducted using our record Management System (Niche RMS) for all crimes recorded under ONS groups: ‘Rape’, ‘Other Sexual Offences’ and ‘Other Serious Sexual Offences’  For 2024 alone there are 1,434 records.

The data you have requested is not routinely collated in the format that would easily answer your query, therefore, to ascertain if we hold the information specified, we will need to individually interrogate all occurrences as Niche does not capture ‘gang’, as a crime category.  

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

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. Unfortunately, due to the way in which data is recorded, we can see no feasible way in which you could refine your request. 

The ability to react to incidents of abuse against children is of the highest priority for South Wales Police. We actively pursue every opportunity to identify children at risk, focussing our efforts in making sure victims are appropriately safeguarded through multi-agency involvement and offenders are brought to justice.

Every report of a rape or other sexual offence is taken at face value and recorded on the force recording crime system, irrespective of the source of the report. This includes reports made by third parties, through partnership working or from other agencies. In addition, some victims do not support police action in terms of engagement in the judicial process, however a referral will still be made to partner agencies to ensure that a victim receives support.

Staff who deal with cases of this nature undertake a comprehensive training and accreditation process to ensure a professional investigation and the best outcome for victims.

South Wales Police has dedicated rape investigation teams, consisting of 114 staff through the force. South Wales Police were a pathfinder force for Operation Soteria, and we remain committed to embedding the national operating model to improve our service to victims and judicial outcomes for suspects.