2022/24979 - Vehicle Theft

REQUEST

Please supply the number of reported offence code 48 offences (Theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicle) for the period 1st January 2021 - 31st December 2021 (inclusive) in your force area.

Please break the total figure down by vehicle body type as defined in DfT transport statistics - i.e., Cars, Motorcycles, Light Goods Vehicles, Heavy Goods Vehicles, Buses and coaches, other vehicles (Includes rear diggers, lift trucks, rollers, ambulances, Hackney Carriages, three wheelers and agricultural vehicles).  Ref DfT statistics: Table VEH0101: Licensed vehicles by body type (quarterly): Great Britain and United Kingdom)

Please also supply the number of reported offence code 44 offences (Theft or unauthorised taking of a pedal cycle) for the period 1st January 2021 - 31st December 2021 (inclusive) in your force area.

RESPONSE

Please supply the number of reported offence code 48 offences (Theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicle) for the period 1st January 2021 - 31st December 2021 (inclusive) in your force area.

Please break the total figure down by vehicle body type as defined in DfT transport statistics - i.e., Cars, Motorcycles, Light Goods Vehicles, Heavy Goods Vehicles, Buses and coaches, other vehicles (Includes rear diggers, lift trucks, rollers, ambulances, Hackney Carriages, three wheelers and agricultural vehicles).  Ref DfT statistics: Table VEH0101: Licensed vehicles by body type (quarterly): Great Britain and United Kingdom)

Unfortunately, we cannot answer this request as it will exceed the 18-hour time limit to complete the request. In 2021, there were 730 recorded crimes under the HODH offence category code 48 (Theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle).  In order to retrieve the data, each record would need to be reviewed. It would take approximately five minutes to review each individual record, which would equate to 60+ hours of research. Therefore, a Section 12 Excess Cost exemption has been applied.

 Section 12 – Excess Cost

The exemption applicable to the information you have requested for this question can be found at Section 12(1) of the Act and this refusal notice is issued under Section 17.

Section 12(1) “does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit.” 

In the case of a police force, the appropriate limit is set at £450, which is calculated at £25 per hour (i.e., 18 hours). Gwent Police would have to conduct a manual search to find and extract the information for this question. This would take more than 18 hours of staff time therefore we are unable to answer this question and the exemption is engaged.

Please also supply the number of reported offence code 44 offences (Theft or unauthorised taking of a pedal cycle) for the period 1st January 2021 - 31st December 2021 (inclusive) in your force area.

In 2021 there were 309 recorded crimes under the HODH offence category code 44 (Theft of a pedal cycle).