FOI 12081-25 Ethnic breakdown
Request to Northamptonshire Police:
The 2021 ONS census data breaks down the ethnicity of towns, cities and districts. But it doesn’t for police force areas.
- Please would you confirm whether you do have an ethnic breakdown of the areas you serve?
- If so, would you be able to provide an excel sheet of the data?
You are obliged to provide the Home Office of an ethnic breakdown of your force rank-by-rank. Unfortunately, the Home Office amalgamates all the data. The latest data is for 31 March 2024. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2024/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2024
- Please would you provide the figures [ethnicity rank-by-rank] for fiscal years [31 March] for the following years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024? I am also going ask for 31 March 2025, and I’m not certain you can use exemption sec 22 because you don’t appear to publish your data. Since you have the data, this should not be an exemption under section 12. To help you further, if you have fewer than five in the senior ranks [ACC, DCC and CC] please use an asterix [*] so you do not breach section 40 of the
In April 2023, the government at that time said it had met its pledge to increase police numbers by 20,000. This was part of its 2019 manifesto. This was the so-called “uplift”. Please provide the following:
- the total number of new officers recruited in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and This could either be fiscal year or annual year i.e., 31 March or 31 December of each year, respectively.
- an ethnic breakdown of those numbers as you recorded them for the corresponding years – 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
- how many officers left your force during 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024?
- an ethnic breakdown of those numbers as you recorded them for the corresponding years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Response:
1. Northamptonshire Police do not record ethnic breakdown for Northamptonshire. Any data would be based on information held from the ONS The link below shows our jurisdiction and Local Policing Areas which may help you collate the information.
Jurisdiction | Northamptonshire Police
- n/a
Section 22
- Information is exempt information if—
- the information is held by the public authority with a view to its publication, by the authority or any other person, at some future date (whether determined or not),
- the information was already held with a view to such publication at the time when the request for information was made, and
- it is reasonable in all the circumstances that the information should be withheld from disclosure until the date referred to in paragraph (a).
- ,4, 5., 6., 7.
I have to advise you that Northamptonshire Police is not obliged to provide this information you have requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please take this letter as a Refusal Notice to this particular request.
Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires Northamptonshire Police, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt within the provisions of the Act) is required to provide you, the applicant, with a Notice which:
- states the fact that an exemption has been applied
- specifies the exemption in question, and
- states why the exemption applies (if that would not otherwise be apparent)
The statutory exemption applicable is:
Section 22 - Information intended for future publication
Section 22 allows for circumstances when it is reasonable and correct for public authorities to delay the provision of information until it is made generally available through publication.
Section 22 is a qualified exemption and as such is subject to a public interest test, under which I have considered the public interest in disclosing the information.
Public interest considerations favouring disclosure
Disclosure would enhance public awareness. However, the public interest in releasing the information will often be stronger if the publication date is far in the future or where it isn’t set.
Public interest considerations favouring withholding the information
Disclosure of information when it is subject to further assessments would not be in the public interest and could provide misleading information. The Home Office consider all the information provided and produce notes to accompany the data to explain any changes, excluded data etc
The last set of statistics published have stated Next update: July 2025. The closer to the date of publication, the more reasonable it is likely to be for a public authority to withhold the information until publication has taken place.
You may find the links below useful:
Police workforce open data tables - GOV.UK