FAQ Details
Under 10 Crimes - 282/10
Dated: 07 Jun 2011
Date of request: 06/05/2010
Date of response: 13/05/2010
Provision of information held by Northumbria Police made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the 'Act')(FOIA)
Thank you for your email dated 6 May 2010 in which you made a request for access to certain information which may be held by Northumbria Police.
As you may be aware the purpose of the Act is to allow a general right of access to information held by a Public Authority (including the Police), subject to certain limitations and exemptions.
You asked:
In the 09/10 financial year how many crimes were committed in your area where the offender was aged under 10?
If possible please provide a breakdown of these offences showing the nature of the crime, the age of the offenders and the town or area where the offence was committed.
In response:
We have now had the opportunity to fully consider your request and I provide a response for your attention.
Searches have shown that for the period specified, there are no offenders under the age of 10 years recorded as having committed any crimes in the force area.
However, it should be noted that children under the age of 10 are not considered to have reached an age where they can be held responsible for their crimes. As they are under the age of 'criminal responsibility' they cannot be charged with any criminal offence. No child under the age of 10 shall be guilty of a crime, however they can still commit an offence which will be recorded. The Home Office Counting Rules state … ‘All reports of crimes made where the offender (if age known or otherwise) is under the age of 10 years should be recorded as a crime'. Children aged 10-14 can be convicted of a criminal offence if it can be proved that they were aware that what they were doing was seriously wrong.
The information we have supplied to you is likely to contain intellectual property rights of Northumbria Police. Your use of the information must be strictly in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 (as amended) or such other applicable legislation. In particular, you must not re-use this information for any commercial purpose.
How to complain
If you are unhappy with our decision or do not consider that we have handled your request properly and we are unable to resolve this issue informally, you are entitled to make a formal complaint to us under our complaints procedure which can be found at: http://www.northumbria.police.uk/foi/disclosurelog/foicomprights.asp
If you are still unhappy after we have investigated your complaint and reported to you the outcome, you may complain directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office and request that they investigate to ascertain whether we have dealt with your request in accordance with the Act.