Date Responded 21 February 2022

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:

Mobile Fingerprint Scanners

1. The number of Mobile Fingerprint Scanners owned by your force in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive).

2. The number of times Mobile Fingerprint Scanners were used by officers in your force in each year from 2015 to 2021.

3. The number of people who were scanned using mobile fingerprint scanners in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive). If you record the data, please break this down by age, gender and ethnicity.

4. Please list the databases against which your Mobile Fingerprint Scanners check for matche and (if you hold the data) the number of matches against each database recorded in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive).

 

Knife Arches

5. The number of (i) Knife Arches and (ii) Knife Wands owned by your force in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive).

6. The number of times Knife Arches were used by officers in your force in each year from 2015 to 2021.

7. The number of people who were scanned using (i) Knife Arches and (ii) Knife Wands in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive). If you record the data, please break this down by age, gender and ethnicity.

8. The number of offensive weapons discovered hrough the use of (i) Knife Arches and (ii) Knife Wandsin each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive)

 

Mobile Phone Data Extraction

9. The number of Mobile Phone Data Extraction devices owned by your force in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive).

10. The number of times Mobile Phone Data Extraction devices were used by officers in your force in each year from 2015 to 2021.

11. The number of people whose phones were subject to Mobile Phone Data Extraction devices in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive). If you record the data, please break this down by age, gender and ethnicity.

In Response:

Following receipt of your request, searches were conducted with the Operations Department and all Area Commands of Northumbria Police.  I can confirm that the information you have requested is held in part by Northumbria Police.

 

I am able to disclose the located information to you as follows.

 

Mobile Fingerprint Scanners:

1. Northumbria Police have not owned any mobile fingerprint scanners between these dates.  However, we have 3 devices on trial from The Met Police, owned by them.

2–3. No information held.  This information is held by The Met Police.

4. The two databases used are IDENT1 (Police database) and IABS (Immigration database).  We do not hold the matches, this again is held by The Met Police.

 

Knife Arches:

5. i) 2

5. ii) 7

6-8. No information held.

 

Mobile Phone Data Extraction:

9. Northumbria Police own the following numbers of devices used to perform Mobile Phone Data Extractions, which include kiosk-style devices used by operational officers, in addition to the workstations utilised within the Digital Forensic Unit (DFU) and other specialised departments:

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

38

38

38

38

40

40

40

 

10. The following table captures the usage of Mobile Phone Data Extraction devices by the Force:

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

No data held

*8,177

14,516

10,263

8,818

7,750

This data includes the extractions performed by the Digital Forensics Unit, POLIT, and the extractions performed using the Kiosks.  Information in relation to other specialist departments is not held.

* This data does not include the number of extractions performed by the DFU as this data not held.

11. No information held – this information is not recorded.

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