Questions concerning use of cannabis and offences

Summary

A request for data on cannabis-related prison sentences, costs, police budgets, and violent crimes was partially fulfilled by the Isle of Man Constabulary, which disclosed statistics on alcohol-related violence but refused other parts due to lack of specific records or jurisdiction.

Key Facts

• Information on prison sentences and inmate costs is held by the Department of Home Affairs, not the Constabulary.
• No specific budget is recorded for fighting cannabis, though £17,166 was spent on general drug operation overtime in 2015.
• Records do not statistically mark whether offenders were under the influence of cannabis at the time of violent crimes.
• There were 229 violent crimes or criminal damage offences committed under the influence of alcohol in 2015.
• The Constabulary cited Section 11 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 for refusing parts of the request.

Data Disclosed

• 2017-05-18
• 2017-05-31
• 2015
• £17,166
• 229
• 54
• 175
• 45%
• 53%

Exemptions Cited

• Section 11 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (Information not held)

Data Tables (1)

Data Tables (reformatted)

Full Response Text

MEOIRYN SHEE-ELLAN VANNIN ISLE OF MAN CONSTABULARY Freedom of Information

AFreedomof vntormation :,e_1r.wvs Fyssere<" REQUEST UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2015 ("the Act") Thank you for your request, received on lih May 2017. You asked for: 1) How many people are currently serving a sentence in the IOM prison for possession of cannabis? 2) How much money does it cost annually to keep a inmate at the IOM prison? 3) How much police time and budget was put into fighting cannabis in 2015? 4) How many violent crimes against other people or public property are by people under the influence of cannabis in 2015? 5) How many violent crimes against other people or public property are by people under the influence of alcohol in 2015? FOR FULL DISCLOSURE In response to your request number 5 can be answered and is below: Part(s) In response to parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 of your request - 1 and 2 are Information that is not "held" by the Constabulary and may be held by the Department of Home Affairs. In respect of 3 and 4 - please see below: Page 1 of 3
.f INVESTORS
8 IN PEOPLE Champion - Under section 11 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 we are refusing your application on the grounds that a practical refusal reason applies, namely we do not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps, find the information that you request. 3 is impossible to answer in full, as no budget is specifically recorded for fighting cannabis, so there are no specific statistics that can be collated. However the Constabulary can state that in that year 2015 in respect of overtime claimed for Police Operations concerning drugs £17,166 was spent on such operations but this does not specify which particular illegal drug the Operation was in respect of. 4 is impossible to answer, as it is difficult to determine whether offenders at time of offence are under influence of cannabis, and statistically (probably as a result of this difficulty) records are not marked up with whether or not this is a recognised factor. In respect of question 5: the number of crimes committed under influence of alcohol recorded in 2015 where the offences were either violent crimes against persons or criminal damage is 229. It should be noted that although crimes where alcohol has been recognised as a definite factor have this factor recorded, a proportion of crimes, where offenders have not been arrested, cannot reliably have any factor of this type ascribed. Offences Against Person comprises categories of Assaults ( other than Domestic), Domestic Assaults, and Public Order offences ( excluding Public Order Act Section 3 [Harassment, Alarm or Distress]). Criminal Damage includes all offences of Criminal Damage and Arson, not just damage to public property. Year Recorded: 2015 Committed Under Alcohol Cateqory Yes Criminal Damaqe 54 Offences Against Person 175 Grand Total 229 No 66 139 205 % where known Grand (ignores unknown Total 'unknown') 377 497 45% 93 407 56% 470 904 53% If you have any questions regarding this response please contact me. Yours sincerely Freedom of Information Officer Your right to request a review % of all crimes in category 11% 43% 25% Page 2 of 3 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 to The Freedom of Information Officer, Isle of Man Constabulary, Dukes Avenue, Douglas, IM2 4RG. An electronic version and paper version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website. 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; or 2 Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested. In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your rights to review is on the Information Commissioner's website at: https://www.inforights.im/ Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about Freedom of Information requests can be found https: //www. gov. i m/ a bout-the-government/freedom-of-information/ Complaints If you are not satisfied with the service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision you should write to the Head of Information Management, Information Management Department, Isle of Man Constabulary, Police Headquarters, Dukes Avenue, Douglas, ISLE OF MAN, IM2 4RG. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your Force complaint or review, you may apply directly to the Isle of Man Information Commissioner, 1 st Floor, Prospect House, Prospect Hill, Douglas, ISLE OF MAN, IMllIT. Page 3 of 3
f. '\ INVESTORS °'4 6 IN PEOPLE Champion -