Registered Sex Offenders (RSO’s) Statistics January 2021/RSO Internet Monitoring Software/RSO’s Missing & Notifications to Travel Abroad 2019 to 2021
Keywords
Registered, Sex, Offenders, RSO’s, Category, One, 1, Level, Two, 2, Three, 3, Responsibility, Referred, Not, Have, Up-to-Date, Address, Known, Missing, Living, Designated, Managed, Name, Provider, Software, Installed, Internet, Device, Monitor, Activity, Offender, Online, On-Line, Scope, Information, Collected, Stored, Access, Retention, Period, Legislation, Authorizing, Authorizing, Install, Reoffending, Re-offending, Individuals, Register, Absconded, Whereabouts, Unknown, Notifications, Intention, Travel, Abroad.
Publication Number
PUB 1265
FOI Reference Number
16134
Request Title
Registered Sex Offenders Statistics
Date Range
January 2021
Information Requested
1. Please state how many Registered Sex Offenders (Category 1) your force had responsibility for as at 1.1.21?
2. How many of these RSOs (Category 1) referred to in Question 1 did you NOT have an up-to-date address for in that you did NOT know where they were living?
3. Of those ‘missing’ RSOs (Category 1) referred to in Question 2 how many were designated as being managed at (i) Level 1, (ii) Level 2 and (iii) Level 3?
Disclosure with Exemptions
Part Disclosure with Section 12(1) and 17(1) Exemptions
Information Correct as at
20 September 2021
Date of Disclosure
12 October 2021
Related Documents/Links
https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/most-wanted-search
https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/most-wanted
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sex-offenders-removed-from-the-sex-offenders-register
FOI 16134 Response
Having completed enquiries within Essex Police in respect of Section 1(1)(a), Essex Police does hold information relating to your request, however, the obligation of Section 1(1)(b) cannot be met as Essex Police does not hold all the information requested in a format that allows it to be retrieved within the time and cost limits of FOI.
When responding to a request for information under the terms of the FOIA, a public authority is not obliged to provide information if the authority estimates that the cost of the retrieval of the information requested would be in excess of £450 (equivalent to 18 hours work). The costs criteria relates to a request in its entirety, which means that if we cannot retrieve all of the information requested within the costs limit, we are not obliged to retrieve any of the information requested.
Section 12(1) of the FOIA states that a public authority is not obliged to:
“…comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit.”
The following explanation outlines the difficulty Essex Police has in answering your request:
Essex Police are unable to accurately extract the level of detail in relation to your request from our current systems. Essex Police systems are designed primarily for the management of individual cases and not primarily for the production of statistical information for FOI responses. The VISOR system cannot provide historical data for a specific day. As the numbers are fluid on a daily basis, we can only give data for the current date i.e. the date and time the search is run. This request would entail manually extracting the requested data and then reviewing each case on by one to establish the information. To establish if information is held would, therefore, exceed the time and cost limits under the FOIA and would qualify as the creation of data as the results cannot be processed by means of purely sorting or filtering data sources or running a database query tool. There is no requirement under the act to create data purely to answer FOI requests.
Consequently, and to this extent, Essex Police are exempt from the duty to provide information you have requested under the provisions of Section 12(1) of the FOIA. Therefore, and in accordance with Section 17(1) of the FOIA, this communication must act as a refusal notice to provide all of the information that could be interpreted as being captured by this part of your request.
Having said that and in an effort to assist, although excess cost removes the force’s obligations under the FOIA, Essex Police can confirm the following:
Caveats:
The data is correct as at 20 September 2021.
Please note that Registered Sex Offenders (RSO’s) statistics fluctuate and will change as arrests are made or new cases come to light through proactive intelligence led policing or routine visits to registered offenders.
The breakdown provided is a snapshot and only correct at that point in time.
Essex Police have responsibility for 2183 RSO’s.
There are currently 10 RSO’s Wanted/Missing/Location Currently Unknown.
The 10 cases are managed at Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) Level 1, there are no cases at Level 2 or 3.
Every effort is made to ensure that the data provided by Essex Police is accurate and complete. However, Essex Police systems are designed primarily for the management of individual cases and not for the purposes of providing data to answer specific FOI enquiries. Please note although data can be extracted from a number of sources via database queries, the results may be subject to inaccuracies. Care should be taken to understand our return when considering the interpretation or further use of the data.
The Force Information Management Board chaired by the Deputy Chief Constable has oversight of the Force wide programme of work to improve the quality of Force data. This work has identified data quality leads in all key areas of the business including the Crime and Public Protection Command. Liaison between the Force Data Quality Team and the Crime and Public Protection Command lead for data quality will identify and resolve issues through a variety of mechanisms to ensure regular and appropriate supervisory oversight.
Section 16(1) of the FOIA provides that a public authority is required to provide advice and assistance, Essex Police can confirm that a snapshot at a current date can be provided if required.
The intention of Section 16 is to provide assistance in resubmitting a valid request. Please note that any advice and assistance under Section 16 regarding resubmission of a request does not indicate that resubmission will provide a full disclosure, each submission will be assessed and if a disclosure is deemed harmful, then the appropriate exemptions will apply.
Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) publish reports for Essex on Registered Sex Offenders (RSO’s) – please see below link, which you may find of interest:
https://mappa.justice.gov.uk/connect.ti/MAPPA/view?objectId=5686832
FOI Reference Number
15915
Request Title
Sex Offenders - Internet Monitoring Software
Date Range
N/A
Information Requested
I wish to make a Freedom of Information request regarding the software used to monitor a Sex Offenders internet activity.
Could you please outline:
1. The name and provider of any software installed on a Sex Offenders internet device by Essex Police to monitor the activity of the Offender online.
2. The scope of such software.
3. What information it collects.
4. How the information is collected and stored.
5. Who has access to this information.
6. The retention period for the information that is collected.
7. Relevant legislation authorising Essex Police to install such software on an Offenders device.
8. The rights of the offender to remove this software from their device.
9. How this information is used to manage the Offenders risk of reoffending.
Disclosure with Exemptions
Part Disclosure with Section 31(1) Exemption
Information Correct as at
02 September 2021
Date of Disclosure
14 October 2021
Related Documents/Links
FOI 15915 Response
Having completed enquiries within Essex Police in respect of Section 1(1)(a), Essex Police does hold information relating to your request, Essex Police can confirm in respect of Section 1(1)(b) the following data:
Caveat: The data is correct as at 02 September 2021.
1. The name and provider of any software installed on a Sex Offenders internet device by Essex Police to monitor the activity of the Offender online.
Essex Police currently use ESAFE.
7. Relevant legislation authorising Essex Police to install such software on an Offenders device.
Monitoring software will be installed by the Police where there is a prohibition contained on a Court Order such as a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. The prohibition imposes upon the offender that they either must have monitoring software (normally at their own expense) or the Police can direct that monitoring software can be installed. The wording may differ for each order. Offenders may also volunteer to have the software installed.
8. The rights of the offender to remove this software from their device.
This is dependent on the Court Order. If the software is installed as a direct result of an order it is likely that there will be a prohibition restricting the deletion, removal, bypassing or interference of such software.
9. How this information is used to manage the Offenders risk of reoffending.
Please provide clarification as the scope of this question is too vast to answer. On a general note, Police will assess behaviour taking into account individual risk assessments.
In relation to Questions 2 to 6, no further information will be provided by virtue of the following exemption:
Section 31(1)(a)(b) – Law Enforcement
Overall Harm
As you will be aware, any release under the FOIA is a disclosure to the world, not just to the individual making the request. Whilst not questioning the motives of the applicant, the disclosure of specific detail about the software used, for example the scope of the software (i.e. functionalities and artefacts to be delivered as a part of the software) what it collects, how it is collected would place into the public domain information that could be used by offenders to circumvent the system and evade detection.
Public Interest Considerations
Factors favouring disclosure of information for Section 31
The public are entitled to know how public funds are spent and by disclosing this information the public would be able to see where public money is being spent and know that Essex Police are doing as much as they can to monitor Registered Sex Offenders.
Factors against disclosure of information Section 31
Essex Police has a duty of care to the community at large and public safety is of paramount importance. If an FOI disclosure were to reveal information to the world, it would not only compromise and undermine the Police’s ability to prevent and detect crime and apprehend offenders, but also the effective delivery of operational law enforcement as offenders, could use this knowledge to their advantage which would compromise public safety and more worryingly encourage offenders to carry our further crimes.
There is also the potential that providing technical specifications could leave programmes vulnerable to cyberattack.
Balancing Test
The points above highlight the merits of not disclosing information pertinent to this request. The Police Service is charged with enforcing the law, preventing and detecting crime and protecting the communities we serve.
Whilst there is a strong public interest in the transparency of policing technology, Essex Police will not divulge information if it is likely that it will compromise the work of the Police Service or place members of the public at risk. Disclosure of the requested information would highlight areas that could be exploited by criminal organisations and individuals.
This will adversely affect Essex Police’s ability to detect and prevent crime, as it may alter the behaviours of those intent on criminal activity. This in itself could put members of the public at risk and hinder law enforcement. It is, therefore, our belief that the balance test lies in favour of not disclosing the information.
FOI Reference Number
16172
Request Title
Sex Offenders Register - Missing & Notifications to Travel Abroad
Date Range
2019-2021
Information Requested
1. At the time of writing how many individuals are on the sexual offenders register?
2. Of the individuals identified in the answer to Q1, how many are missing, absconded or whereabouts unknown?
3. How many notifications did your force receive of the intention of registered sex offenders to travel abroad in each of the following calendar years:
a. 2019
b. 2020
c. 2021 to date
Disclosure with Exemptions
Part Disclosure with Section 12(1) and 17(1) Exemptions
Information Correct as at
20 September 2021
Date of Disclosure
19 October 2021
Related Documents/Links
https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/most-wanted-search
https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/most-wanted
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sex-offenders-removed-from-the-sex-offenders-register
FOI 16172 Response
Having completed enquiries within Essex Police in respect of Section 1(1)(a), Essex Police does hold information relating to your request, however, the obligation of Section 1(1)(b) cannot be met as Essex Police does not hold all the information requested in a format that allows it to be retrieved within the time and cost limits of FOI.
When responding to a request for information under the terms of the FOIA, a public authority is not obliged to provide information if the authority estimates that the cost of the retrieval of the information requested would be in excess of £450 (equivalent to 18 hours work). The costs criteria relates to a request in its entirety, which means that if we cannot retrieve all of the information requested within the costs limit, we are not obliged to retrieve any of the information requested.
Section 12(1) of the FOIA states that a public authority is not obliged to:
“…comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit.”
The following explanation outlines the difficulty Essex Police has in answering your request:
In relation to Question 3, Essex Police are unable to accurately extract the level of detail in relation to your request from our current systems. Essex Police systems are designed primarily for the management of individual cases and not primarily for the production of statistical information for FOI responses. This request would entail manually extracting the current nominal data and then reviewing over 2000 nominal records one by one to identify previous nominals to establish if the information is held. To establish if information is held would, therefore, exceed the time and cost limits under the FOIA and would qualify as the creation of data as the results cannot be processed by means of purely sorting or filtering data sources or running a database query tool. There is no requirement under the act to create data purely to answer FOI requests.
Consequently, and to this extent, Essex Police are exempt from the duty to provide information you have requested under the provisions of Section 12(1) of the FOIA. Therefore, and in accordance with Section 17(1) of the FOIA, this communication must act as a refusal notice to provide all of the information that could be interpreted as being captured by this part of your request.
Having said that and in an effort to assist, although excess cost removes the force’s obligations under the FOIA, Essex Police can confirm the following:
Caveats:
The data is correct as at 20 September 2021.
The breakdown provided is a snapshot and only correct at that point in time.
Essex Police have responsibility for 2183 RSO’s.
In relation to the number of RSO’s whose whereabouts are unknown, Essex Police have as of 20 September 2021, 10 RSO’s currently recorded as wanted because their whereabouts are unknown. This total is only valid for the date in question because the information is dynamic and will change as arrests are made or new cases come to light through proactive intelligence led policing or routine visits to registered offenders.
The 10 cases are managed at Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) Level 1, there are no cases at Level 2 or 3.
There is not a Sexual Offenders Register as such, however, under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (part 2) there is a requirement for individuals who have been convicted of certain sexual offences to notify their name, address, date of birth, national insurance number and travel outside of the United Kingdom of a period of 3 days or more to the Police annually or whenever their details change. This requirement is case specific and, therefore, some individuals may need to notify the Police on a weekly or monthly basis. Further information can be found here.
Every effort is made to ensure that the data provided by Essex Police is accurate and complete. However, Essex Police systems are designed primarily for the management of individual cases and not for the purposes of providing data to answer specific FOI enquiries. Please note although data can be extracted from a number of sources via database queries, the results may be subject to inaccuracies. Care should be taken to understand our return when considering the interpretation or further use of the data.
The Force Information Management Board chaired by the Deputy Chief Constable has oversight of the Force wide programme of work to improve the quality of Force data. This work has identified data quality leads in all key areas of the business including the Crime and Public Protection Command. Liaison between the Force Data Quality Team and the Crime and Public Protection Command lead for data quality will identify and resolve issues through a variety of mechanisms to ensure regular and appropriate supervisory oversight.
Section 16(1) of the FOIA provides that a public authority is required to provide advice and assistance, Essex Police can confirm in relation to Questions 1 and 2 that only a snapshot at a current date can be provided as the VISOR system cannot provide historical data for a specific day.
The intention of Section 16 is to provide assistance in resubmitting a valid request. Please note that any advice and assistance under Section 16 regarding resubmission of a request does not indicate that resubmission will provide a full disclosure, each submission will be assessed and if a disclosure is deemed harmful, then the appropriate exemptions will apply.
Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) publish reports for Essex on Registered Sex Offenders (RSO’s) – please see below link, which you may find of interest:
https://mappa.justice.gov.uk/connect.ti/MAPPA/view?objectId=5686832