01/FOI/26/007755/A - Organised crime

Request:

Please provide the following information for the period from 1 June 2020 to 1 June 2026, broken down into one-month intervals. 

1. For each month, please provide the number of recorded offences within the Humberside Police force area that were tagged, flagged, or otherwise marked in Humberside Police systems as relating to "organised crime". 

2. Please also explain how Humberside Police defines or applies the "organised crime" tag or marker, including the types or categories of offences that may be included. 

3. If possible, please also provide the current total number of organised crime groups or organised criminal gangs identified within the Humberside Police force area, subject to any applicable exemptions.

Response:

Humberside Police can neither confirm nor deny that it holds any information in relation to questions 1 and 2 of your request by virtue of the following exemption:

Section 31(3) Law Enforcement

Section 31 is prejudice based and qualified which means that there is a requirement to articulate the harm as well as carrying out a public interest test.

Harm

Questions 1 and 2 seek to establish whether the force holds information capable of identifying and quantifying offending assessed as being linked to organised crime.

Whilst it is publicly known that police forces identify and manage organised crime groups, information concerning the way offending is associated with organised crime forms part of policing's wider operational and intelligence picture.

Information relating to organised crime is not routinely available across the wider force and access is often restricted to those with a legitimate operational need to know. The extent to which a force can identify, assess or quantify offending associated with organised crime is therefore not information that is routinely placed into the public domain.

Confirmation or denial of whether information is held would reveal whether the force possesses information, capabilities, arrangements, or processes which enable offending to be associated with organised crime assessments and quantified for reporting purposes. Equally, denial would reveal information about the force's ability, or inability, to identify and quantify such offending.

The request effectively seeks to establish how the force develops and maintains its understanding of organised criminality affecting its area. Revealing whether such capabilities exist would provide insight into policing's operational and intelligence arrangements and assist those seeking to understand the extent to which organised crime-related activity can be identified, assessed, and monitored by the police.

Disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act is a disclosure to the world at large. Confirmation or denial would therefore be likely to prejudice the prevention and detection of crime and the apprehension or prosecution of offenders.

Accordingly, Section 31(3) is engaged.

Public Interest Test

Factors favouring confirmation or denial

There is a recognised public interest in openness and transparency regarding policing's response to organised crime. Confirming or denying whether information is held may assist public understanding of the extent to which organised crime affects local communities and how police forces respond to that threat. There is also a legitimate public interest in ensuring accountability for the effectiveness of policing activity directed towards tackling organised crime and protecting the public from serious criminality.

Factors favouring maintaining the NCND position

There is a significant public interest in protecting information which would reveal how policing identifies, assesses, and monitors organised crime-related activity. Questions 1 and 2 seek to establish whether the force possesses the capability to identify and quantify offending linked to organised crime assessments and how such information is recorded, assessed, or otherwise applied. Confirming or denying whether information is held would provide insight into policing's operational and intelligence

arrangements relating to organised crime and could contribute towards a wider understanding of how forces develop and maintain their organised crime picture.

There is a strong public interest in ensuring that information concerning policing capabilities is not disclosed where doing so could assist those involved in organised criminality. Confirmation or denial may provide information about the extent to which offending associated with organised crime can be identified, assessed, and monitored by the police. Considered alongside responses from other forces, this could contribute to a broader understanding of policing arrangements and capabilities in relation to organised crime. There is therefore a substantial public interest in protecting information which could undermine the effectiveness of law enforcement activity and prejudice the prevention and detection of crime.

Balance Test

The force recognises the public interest in transparency and accountability regarding policing's response to organised crime. However, there is a stronger public interest in protecting information which would reveal whether the force possesses capabilities, arrangements or processes that enable offending to be identified and quantified as being linked to organised crime.

On balance, we consider that the public interest favours maintaining the Neither Confirm Nor Deny position.

Question 1 and 2 – Exemption applied

Question 3 - There are currently 52 OCG’s mapped within the Humberside Police area.