Sunderland Domestic Violence Stats - 1023/22

Provision of information held by Northumbria Police made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the 'Act')

As you may be aware the purpose of the Act is to allow a general right of access to information held at the time of a request, by a Public Authority (including the Police), subject to certain limitations and exemptions.

You asked:

I’m writing to you to request information through the Freedom of Information Act regarding domestic violence in Sunderland. I would like to know the number of domestic violence incidents reported in the last 12 months (01/07/2021 to 01/07/2022). This can include reports that were retracted and incomplete.

The term ‘domestic violence’ can include any situation that reported any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality.

I would also like this information to explain the following:
• The month in which it was reported
• The age and gender of who it was reported by
• The outcome of the report

In Response:

Following receipt of your request, searches were conducted with the Corporate Development Department of Northumbria Police. I can confirm that the information you have requested is held by Northumbria Police.

I am able to disclose the located information to you with all the below noted.

• Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from a number of data sources used by forces for police purposes. The detail collected to respond specifically to your request is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when interpreting those data.

• The figures provided therefore are our best interpretation of relevance of data to your request, but you should be aware that the collation of figures for ad hoc requests may have limitations and this should be taken into account when those data are used.

• The data has been taken from the incident, Suspect/victim and Crime tables in recording systems, where the incident table has a flag for Domestic Violence within the timeframe requested.

• We can only determine the age and gender where the victim is the person reporting the offence as third party reports do not have their personal data recorded, this accounts for the reduction in the number of incidents reported in the age and gender tables.

• There are 12 incidents where the victims gender has been reported but the age has not, hence the difference in the numbers reported in those two tables.

• The outcome of the incident can only be reported where a crime has been created from the incident and the outcome of that crime is recorded.

• The data has been presented in such a manner as to avoid the application of relevant exemptions to withhold due to low numbers, and these will not be

With all the above noted I can respond as per the attached document.