Removal of drill or rap music videos from YOUTUBE
Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.25.043550
I note you seek access to the following information:
I write seeking more information regarding the Metropolitan Police’s relationship with YouTube and the removal of drill/rap music videos from that website — a subject which has received much media attention since first being publicised by the Met in 2018.
Please provide:
- The number of drill or rap music videos the Met requested removal of, from YouTube, since January 2020 — broken down by year.
- The number of drill or rap music videos successfully removed from YouTube, at the Met’s request, since January 2020 — broken down by year.
- The number of pieces of drill/rap video content indexed by the Met since January 2020 — broken down by year.
- The amount of funding secured for the running of Project Alpha, and the source of this funding, since its inception — broken down by year.
- The number of police staff and officers that make up the Project Alpha team – broken down by year since its inception. If a current org chart is available, please provide that too.
In June 2023, it was reported that since February 2023 age and ethnicity data has been recorded where identifiable by Project Alpha officers.
Please provide: - Percentage breakdowns of age groups (0-10, 11-17, 18-24, 25-30, 30+) and ethnicity data as recorded by Project Alpha officers since February 2023
Decision
I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full. Please find below information pursuant to your request above.
Q1 - The number of drill or rap music videos the Met requested removal of, from YouTube, since January 2020 — broken down by year.
Q2 - The number of drill or rap music videos successfully removed from YouTube, at the Met’s request, since January 2020 — broken down by year.
| Years | Referred | Removed |
|---|---|---|
| 2024/2025 (April - Dec 24) | 68 | 68 |
| 2023/2024 (April – March) | 292 | 264 |
| 2022/2023 (April - March) | 367 | 315 |
| 2021/2022 (April - March) | 148 | 133 |
| 2020/2021 (April – March) | 101 |
99
|
Q3 - The number of pieces of drill/rap video content indexed by the Met since January 2020 — broken down by year.
Please note the data below may include some double counting given re-uploads that may have been captured in the earliest stages of indexing. Please also note that the numbers below have been indexed but due to our retention and deletion process no longer sit on file. The total given below for 2024 – to date represents the number of music content currently on file:
2020 = 639
2021 = 436
2022 =137
2023 = 81
2024 to 15 April 2025 = 121
Q4 - The amount of funding secured for the running of Project Alpha, and the source of this funding, since its inception — broken down by year.
Funding from Home Office
2018/19 £93,885
2019/20 £1,292,838
2020/21 £1,746,661
2021/22 £3,197,167
2022/23 £3,388,451
2023/24 £3,464,018
2024/25 £3,325,567
Q5 - The number of police staff and officers that make up the Project Alpha team – broken down by year since its inception. If a current org chart is available, please provide that too.
Staff & Officers on Alpha – (Budgeted work target) BWT
2018/19 0
2019/20 17
2020/21 17
2021/22 38
2022/23 40
2023/24 42
2024/25 36
An organisational chart is not held but the following links may be of interest to you:
Q6. In June 2023, it was reported that since February 2023 age and ethnicity data has been recorded where identifiable by Project Alpha officers.
Please provide:
Percentage breakdowns of age groups (0-10, 11-17, 18-24, 25-30, 30+) and ethnicity data as recorded by Project Alpha officers since February 2023
| Age Range | No. | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Under 11 | 4 | 0.04% |
| 11-17 yrs. | 2044 | 20.47% |
| 18-24yrs | 3445 | 34.49% |
| 25-30yrs | 2089 | 20.92% |
| Over 30 | 2405 | 24.08% |
| Total | 9987 | - |
Subject Ethnicity - IC code
| IC code | No. | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White - north European | 1363 | 22.45% |
| White - south European | 415 | 6.84% |
| Black | 3493 | 57.55% |
| Asian | 533 | 8.78% |
| Chinese, Japanese or other Southeast Asian | 38 | 0.63% |
| Arabic or North African | 228 | 3.76% |
| Total | 6070 | - |