FOI 981/25
FOI 981/25
Request
- In the financial years 2020/21, 21/22, 22/23, 23/24, 24/25, how many people aged 16 or under were arrested by your force for creating indecent images of children? Please provide breakdown by year.
- In the same financial years, how many people aged 16 or under were arrested by your force for distributing indecent images of children? Please provide a breakdown by year.
- In the same financial years, how many people aged 16 or under were arrested by your force for viewing indecent images of children? Please provide a breakdown by year.
- Of these arrests, how many were convicted? Please provide a breakdown by offence.
Response
Questions 1-3
We consulted our analysts who have provided the below response to your request.
Please note that this search has been conducted using the below HO (Home Office) codes that resulted in arrests of people under the age of 16:
86/86/2: Take/make/distribute indecent photographs/pseudo-photographs of children (Protection of Children Act 1978 S1,6)
86/86/10: Possession of an indecent or pseudo-photograph of a child (Criminal Justice Act 1988 S160)
Please see the below data which answers your request:
|
Arrest Reason HO Code |
Arrest Reason Description |
2020-21 |
2021-22 |
2022-23 |
2023-24 |
2024-25 |
2025-26 |
Total |
|
086/02 |
Distribute an indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (recordable) |
1 |
|
|
2 |
1 |
|
4 |
|
086/02 |
Make indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (recordable) |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
|
086/02 |
Possess to show / distribute - indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (recordable) |
|
|
1 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
|
086/10 |
Possess indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (recordable) |
2 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
16 |
|
Total |
|
3 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
2 |
2 |
23 |
Question 4
South Wales Police do not hold data on convictions. Under S16 our duty to advise and assist you may wish to submit this part of your request to CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) using the link provided below:
Freedom of Information | The Crown Prosecution Service (cps.gov.uk)
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.
South Wales Police continues to place the protection of children and adults from sexual offences as a priority and is actively engaged with partner agencies in raising awareness amongst vulnerable groups and wider community to increase the reporting of such offences.
In particular South Wales Police routinely undertake proactive action to raise awareness in Schools, Colleges and University on the dangers of taking images, and criminal offences committed by those sharing and distributing indecent images.
Specialist officers have been trained as Digital Media Investigators to assist the collection of evidence and prosecution of offenders