2025/29081 - Outstanding Warrants

REQUEST

This request concerns outstanding arrest warrants issued due to failure to appear in court, breach of bail, pre-trial absconding, or post-conviction absconding.

To minimise cost/time burden and avoid broad searches, all questions request existing, routinely held datasets or policy documents only.

Please provide the following:

1. Current Outstanding Warrants (as of your latest available month) The total number of individuals with outstanding arrest warrants.

A breakdown of these warrants by:

1. Offence category (e.g., murder, rape/sexual assault, child sexual offences, GBH, fraud, domestic abuse, drugs offences) b. Warrant type (failure to appear / breach of bail / pre-trial / post-conviction) c. Year of issue (e.g., pre-2000, 2000-2009, 2010-2019, 2020-present)

The year of the oldest currently outstanding warrant and the offence category associated with it (no personal identifiers required).

1. Trends (Existing, Recorded Data Only) For each of the past five calendar years (2019-2023), please provide:
2. Number of warrants issued
3. Number of warrants executed

(If exact annual figures are not held, please supply the closest equivalent routinely held statistic.)

1. Policies, Risk Assessments & Procedures Does your force have a formal policy or SOP for reviewing, prioritising or executing outstanding warrants?

If yes, please provide the document or the relevant excerpt.

What risk assessment criteria are used to determine warrant priority? (e.g., offence severity, threat to life, repeat offending, safeguarding concerns)

Does your force maintain a dedicated team/unit for locating individuals with outstanding warrants?

If yes, please state its name and staffing level (if recorded).

1. Use of Databases and Inter-Agency Cooperation Are all outstanding warrants routinely entered onto the Police National Computer (PNC)?

Does your force use external databases (e.g., NHS, DVLA, credit reference agencies, Passport Office, benefits databases) for warrant tracing where legally permitted?

Please summarise any policies or agreements concerning information-sharing with other UK forces, NCA, or Interpol, where relevant.

1. Victim Communication and Safeguarding Does your force have a policy for notifying victims when a suspect or convicted offender subject to a warrant remains unlocated?

How many individuals with outstanding warrants (current total) are convicted but not yet sentenced?

Format and Clarifications

I am not requesting names, DOBs or any personal identifiers.

RESPONSE