Non-physical domestic abuse

​Request 839031790

Please provide all recorded information held relating to the investigation, prosecution, enforcement, implementation, review, and operation of offences concerning non-physical domestic abuse, including coercive or controlling behaviour, emotional abuse, psychological abuse, intimidation, economic abuse, and related domestic abuse offences in Jersey, from the commencement of the relevant legislation to the present date. 

Please include the following: 

1. Annual statistical information relating to: 

- complaints, reports, allegations, and referrals; 

- investigations commenced; - arrests made; 

- interviews under caution; 

- charges brought; 

- prosecutions commenced; 

- convictions; 

- acquittals; 

- discontinued cases; 

- cases resulting in no further action; 

- appeals; 

- ongoing proceedings; 

- sentencing outcomes including custodial sentences, suspended sentences, restraining orders, probation/community orders, fines, and other penalties; 

- average or median investigation times, charging times, prosecution duration, and sentencing outcomes where held. 

2. Any anonymised demographic or statistical breakdowns held, including: 

- age ranges; 

- gender; 

- nationality; 

- parish or general location; 

- relationship type; 

- repeat allegations; 

- and whether children were recorded as being present or affected. 

3. Copies of all current or historical: 

- policies; 

- operational guidance; 

- charging guidance; 

- prosecutorial guidance; 

- internal procedures; 

- risk assessment frameworks; 

- training materials;

- presentations; 

- briefing documents; 

- memoranda; 

- circulars; 

- practice notes; 

- safeguarding protocols; 

- domestic abuse protocols; 

- performance frameworks; 

- equality or human rights assessments; 

relating to coercive control, controlling or coercive behaviour, non-physical domestic abuse, or psychological/emotional abuse within domestic relationships. 

4. Copies of all: 

- reviews; 

- audits; 

- assessments; 

- reports; 

- statistical analyses; 

- ministerial briefings; 

- meeting minutes; 

- consultation documents; 

- implementation reviews; 

- recommendations; 

- internal correspondence; 

- email discussions; 

- and communications with external agencies or charities 

which discuss: 

- effectiveness of coercive control legislation; 

- prosecution rates; 

- evidential difficulties; 

- barriers to prosecution; 

- conviction rates; 

- investigative challenges; 

- training concerns; 

- operational or safeguarding concerns; 

- policy reform; 

- resource limitations; 

- or recommendations for legislative or procedural change. 

5. Copies of any communications, agreements, memoranda of understanding, coordinated policies, or working arrangements between: 

- States of Jersey Police; 

- the Law Officers’ Department; 

- the Judicial Greffe; 

- Government departments; 

- safeguarding bodies; 

- charities; 

- domestic abuse organisations; 

- and external consultants

relating to coercive control or non-physical domestic ab

Response

Under Article 16(1) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011, a public authority may refuse to supply information where it estimates that the cost of compliance would exceed the prescribed limit (12.5 hours).

In this case, it is estimated that the cost of complying with your request would exceed this limit:

• Approximately 3 hours have already been spent reviewing and researching the scope of the request.
• It is estimated that responding to elements of the request (particularly points 1 and 2) would require in excess of 12 hours to compile, due to the breadth of data requested across multiple systems.
• ​In addition, identifying and reviewing material relevant to points 3, 4 and 5 would likely require a large-scale search of email systems and internal records. In the case of emails, on sampling, such an exercise could return circa 10,000 documents, with review and extraction taking up to 170 hours.

Accordingly, the States of Jersey Police (SoJP) is unable to comply with the request as to do so would exceed the cost limit, thus Article 16(1) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.

The applicant may wish to refine their request specifically to information that is already publicly available, and in which SoJP could provide assistance. No other parts of this request can be answered within the prescribed time limit.

Article applied

Article 16 - A scheduled public authority may refuse to supply information if cost excessive

(1) A scheduled public authority that has been requested to supply information may refuse to supply the information if it estimates that the cost of doing so would exceed an amount determined in the manner prescribed by Regulations.​