Ages of the females identified in the MPS' Gangs Violence Matrix quarterly reports

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.22.023710

I note you seek access to the following information:

I was hoping you could inform me of the ages of the females identified in your online Gangs Violence Matrix quarterly reports.

I would like to know the ages of the females in the 2019/2020, 2020/2021, and 2021/2022 quarter three reports.

If specific ages aren't possible, then an age range would be sufficient!

Also, if possible, I was hoping you could tell me whether the females in the above 3 reports are identified gang members, or whether they are repeat victims of violence and require safeguarding.

Again, if this can't be disclosed then a general overview would be brilliant!

Decision

I have today decided to disclose some of the requested information. Some data has been withheld as it is exempt from disclosure and therefore this response serves as a Refusal Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) by virtue of the following exemptions:

Section 40(2)&(3) - Personal Information

Reason for decision

I have decided to exempt the ages owing to S.40 of the Freedom of Information Act governing personal information.

Section 40(2)&(3) - Personal Information - Section 40(2)(a)(b) of the Act provides that any information to which a request for information relates, is exempt information if the first condition of Section 40(3A)(a) is satisfied. The first condition of Section 40(3A)(a) states that personal information is exempt if its disclosure would contravene any of the data protection principles. If the disclosure of the requested personal data would not contravene the data protection principles, the disclosure must also not contravene Sections 3A(b) and 3B of the Act.

There are six principles that are set out in Article 5(1)(a) of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) that dictate when the processing of personal data is lawful. The first principle requires that any processing of personal data must be lawful, fair and transparent. Under Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR, the disclosure of personal data is considered to be lawful if:

a. There is a legitimate interest in the disclosure of that personal data.
b. The disclosure of the personal data is necessary to meet that legitimate interest.
c. The disclosure would not cause unwarranted harm to the data subject.

Having considered the release of information relating to the ages I have found, having considered the legitimate interest test, that:

A -The disclosure of this information would satisfy an identifiable legitimate interest, that being to provide information that will show transparency and be open for debate.

B -This disclosure of the requested personal data would satisfy the legitimate interest identified at point a.

C - However, publication of the details of the ages would be likely to lead to unwanted and unsolicited intrusion to these individuals as this information can be pieced together with other information which may be in the public domain thereby leading to identification. In this regard, I believe that disclosure of this personal data would be likely to cause unwarranted harm.

The provision to refuse access to information under Section 40(2)(a)(b) and (3A)(a) of the Act is both absolute and class based. When this exemption is claimed, it is accepted that harm would result from disclosure. There is accordingly no requirement to demonstrate what that harm may be in refusing access to information.

Disclosure

When assessing whether someone should be included on the Gangs Violence Matrix the threshold is:

Someone who has been identified as being a member of a gang and this is corroborated by reliable intelligence from more than one source (eg, police, partner agencies or community intelligence).’ The females on the Gangs Violence Matrix have been added using this criteria.

A ‘gang’ is defined as a: ‘relatively durable, predominantly street-based group of young people who:
(1) See themselves (and are seen by others) as a discernible group, and
(2) Engage in a range of criminal activity and violence.

They may also have any or all of the following features:
- identify with or lay claim over territory
- have some form of identifying structure feature
- are in conflict with other, similar gangs