FOI 0053-2026/27- Snapchat crimes

Request:

I understand my previous request exceeded the cost limit under the Freedom of Information Act. I have refined the request to fall within the appropriate limit and to rely on information that is readily retrievable.

Please could you provide:

Q1. For each calendar year from 2021 to 2025 (or most recent available), the total number of recorded crimes involving sexual offences or violence against the person where “Snapchat” is recorded in a structured field or otherwise readily retrievable without manual review.

Q2. For the same period, the number of such offences per year broken down by your standard Home Office offence group categories.

 If the requested data is not held in a structured or searchable format, please advise what information relating to social media platforms in recorded offences is available within cost limits?

 If available within cost limits and held in a readily retrievable format, please indicate whether any such offences are flagged as involving child victims.

Response: 

Extent and Result of Searches to Locate Information

To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted within North Yorkshire Police.

I can confirm that the information you have requested is held by North Yorkshire Police. 

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the following information to you.

Q1. Please see the table below showing the number of sexual offence and violence against the person crimes recorded between 01 January 2021 and 31 December 2025 where the term ‘snapchat’ has been mentioned within the MO remarks.

*Please note that the above had been based on a free text search within the MO remarks and the accuracy and reliability of these searches cannot be guaranteed as only the MO / summary field of the report is searched.

Q2. Of those above please see the table below showing the breakdown of offences per calendar year. For those figures below 5 I have replaced with <5 pursuant to Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act). Please see the exemption explanation below.

Of those above please see those where the victim is under 18.

*Please note that a crime can have more than one victim linked

Exemption Explanation

Section 40 – Personal Information

Where an individual can be identified by such data, releasing it would clearly breach the first data protection principle of being ‘fair’ to the data subject.

Section 17 of the Act requires North Yorkshire Police, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide you the applicant with a notice which: (a) states that fact, (b) specifies the exemption in question and (c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.

Section 40(2) is an absolute class based exemption, which does not require a public interest test, but requires the balancing of the legitimate interests of the public against the interests of the individual under the first Data Protection Principle; in that processing of personal data must be lawful and fair (DPA 2018 35(1), EUGDPR Article 5(1)).

This exemption applies because the right given under the FOI Act to request official information held by public authorities does not apply to the personal data of third parties where disclosure of that information would not be fair to the individual, and where there is no legitimate public interest in disclosure.

In all the circumstances of the case it has been determined that the duty to the individual under the Data Protection Act 2018 & EU General Data Protection Regulations, and the public interest in maintaining the exemption from disclosure of personal information held by the force in such instances, outweighs the public interest in disclosure.  In this instance, personal information can only be disclosed to the individual concerned. 

Releasing personal details to a person other than the data subject would not only breach the data subject’s Data Protection rights it may also breach the obligations placed on an authority under the European Convention on Human Rights

Pursuant to Section 17(1) of the Act this letter acts as a refusal notice under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in relation to your request.

Please note that systems used for recording information are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the data.  It should be noted therefore that this force’s response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other responses you may receive.