FOI 19974-25 Magnet fishing
Request:
1. The number of incidents, callouts, or reports involving magnet fishing per year of 2022, 2023, and 2024 as well as 2025 so far.
2. The number of those incidents that involved the discovery of firearms, explosives, grenades, or suspected ordnance.
3. The number of occasions where the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) / bomb squad was called to attend a magnet fishing–related incident.
4. Where recorded, the location or local authority area of each incident.
Response:
Searched for all incidents in the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and up to September 2025 inclusive using a keyword search of the incident description for those containing the words MAGNET or MAGNET FISHING. A manual review of the data was then conducted to establish relevance.
Q1.
2022 – 8 incidents
2023 – 6 incidents
2024 – 5 incidents
2025 – 6 incidents
Q2.
2022 – 3 incidents
2023 – 6 incidents
2024 – 2 incidents
2025 – 3 incidents
Q3.
2022 – 1 incident
2023 – 2 incidents
2024 – 0 incidents
2025 – 1 incident
Q4.
This data relates to the total number of incidents:
|
Year |
Corby |
Daventry |
East Northants |
Kettering |
Northampton |
Wellingborough |
Location not recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2022 |
|
|
1 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
|
|
2024 |
|
|
1 |
|
4 |
|
|
|
2025 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
This data relates to the incidents where firearms, explosives, grenades, or suspected ordnance were discovered:
|
Year |
Corby |
Daventry |
East Northants |
Kettering |
Northampton |
Wellingborough |
Location not recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2022 |
|
|
|
|
3 |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
|
|
2024 |
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
|
|
2025 |
|
|
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
As with any keyword search, the search will only return exact matches within the Incident Description. This does not account for differences in terminology and/or spelling used. Keyword searches are problematic and in no way provide accurate results or figures. If the selected key words have not been mentioned, the data will not be returned.
The numerical data presented in this response is an unaudited snapshot of unpublished data sourced from "live" systems and is subject to the interpretation of the original request by the individual extracting the data.
Northamptonshire Police systems are designed primarily for the management of individual cases and not for the production of statistical information for Freedom of Information responses.
Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. The figures provided therefore are our best interpretation of relevance of data to your request, but you should be aware that the collation of figures for ad hoc requests may have limitations, and this should be taken into account when the data is used.
If you decide to write an article or use the enclosed data, we ask you to take into consideration the factors highlighted in this document so as to not mislead members of the public or official bodies or misrepresent the relevance of the whole or any part of this disclosed material.