Reported Incidents of Assault by Door staff/Security staff

Summary

The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a request for statistics on assaults by security staff between 2016 and 2021, providing annual breakdowns of reports, cautions, prosecutions, and register removals. The authority noted that data recording processes changed in 2019, potentially affecting the identification of security staff in pre-2019 prosecutions.

Key Facts

• Reports of assaults by security staff are not explicitly recorded in an easily retrievable way.
• A change in recording processes in 2019 means some pre-2019 assault prosecutions may not identify the offender as security staff.
• Only two of the security staff removed from the register were removed for assaults occurring while on duty.
• There are currently no registered doorstaff with ongoing prosecutions for offences against the person.
• Eight currently registered doorstaff have historic prosecutions for offences against the person, none within the last ten years.

Data Disclosed

• 2016-2021
• 14 reports in 2016
• 5 reports in 2017
• 15 reports in 2018
• 11 reports in 2019
• 4 reports in 2020
• 0 reports in 2021
• 1 caution in 2019
• 2 cautions in 2020
• 1 prosecution in 2017
• 2 prosecutions in 2019
• 2 prosecutions in 2020
• 1 removal in 2016
• 1 removal in 2017
• 1 removal in 2018
• 3 removals in 2019
• 4 removals in 2020
• 0 removals in 2021
• 8 historic prosecutions
• 2077513

Original Request

Time Period 1st Jan 2016 - 8th Nov 2021 Information requested to be broken down by month and year where possible. No personal details required, information requested can be reported as just numeric figures. Happy for information to be provided in digital format and sent via email: Number of reported assaults' by security staff where a member of the public is the victim and it has been reported to the police? Number of reported assaults' by security staff where a member of the public is the victim and a the security staff have been cautioned by the police? Number of reported assaults' by security staff where a member of the public is the victim and a the security staff have been prosecuted by the courts? Number of security staff who have been removed from the security staff register due to assault reports/prosecutions? Number of security staff currently remaining on the security staff register who have previous or current assault prosecutions?

Data Tables (4)

Full Response Text

Isle of Man Constabulary Freedom of Information Police Headquarters Dukes Avenue Douglas Isle of Man IM2 4RG

Our ref: 2077513 17 November 2021

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 8 November 2021 and which states:

"Time Period 1st Jan 2016 - 8th Nov 2021 Information requested to be broken down by month and year where possible. No personal details required, information requested can be reported as just numeric figures. Happy for information to be provided in digital format and sent via email: Number of reported assaults' by security staff where a member of the public is the victim and it has been reported to the police? Number of reported assaults' by security staff where a member of the public is the victim and a the security staff have been cautioned by the police? Number of reported assaults' by security staff where a member of the public is the victim and a the security staff have been prosecuted by the courts? Number of security staff who have been removed from the security staff register due to assault reports/prosecutions? Number of security staff currently remaining on the security staff register who have previous or current assault prosecutions?"

Our response to your request is as follows: I have detailed below the information that is being released to you. Results Reports of assaults made to police that can be attributed to security staff is not explicitly recorded in an easily retrievable way. The first question is sourced from reports recorded on dispatch system (iNet), and relates to allegations of assault by doorstaff at licensed premises. Some of these initial allegations could not be substantiated, and thus did not result in investigations or prosecutions.

The second to fifth questions were sourced from search of prosecutions1 of persons known to be, or have been, registered doorstaff. Due to change in recording processes in 2019 it is possible that some assault prosecutions pre-2019 have not identified that the offender was employed as a member of security staff at the time. 1. Number of reported assaults by security staff where a member of the public is the victim and it has been reported to the police? 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Number of reports alleging assaults by doorstaff 14 5 15 11 4 0 2. Number of reported assaults by security staff where a member of the public is the victim and the security staff have been cautioned by the police? 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Number of doorstaff cautioned due to assault 0 0 0 1 2 0 3. Number of reported assaults by security staff where a member of the public is the victim and the security staff have been prosecuted by the courts? 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Number of doorstaff prosecuted due to an assault 0 1 0 2 2 0 4. Number of security staff who have been removed from the security staff register due to assault reports/prosecutions? 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Number removed from register due to assault 1 1 1 3 4 0 Note: only two of these removals related to assaults which occurred while offender was on duty. 5. Number of security staff currently remaining on the security staff register who have previous or current assault prosecutions? 1 which would include cautions issued by police

• There are no currently registered doorstaff with ongoing prosecutions for offences against the person. • There are 8 currently registered doorstaff with historic prosecutions for offences against the person (none with offences in the last ten years).

Please quote the reference number 2077513 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
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I will now close your request as of this date.