FOI REF: FOI-2023-1283
You asked
I would like to request any available data held which relates to the 'Nature of Crime: Burglary Dataset from the Crime Survey for England and Wales', for the 2022/23 fiscal year. More specifically, I would like to request the following data: The average value in £ of items stolen during residential burglaries that occurred in the 2022/23 fiscal year. The total number of residential burglaries that occurred in the 2022/23 fiscal year. The number of residential burglaries that occurred in the 2022/23 fiscal year where the offender was known to the victim. The time of day of the residential burglaries that occurred in the 2022/23 fiscal year. Details of the items reported stolen during residential burglaries that occurred in the 2022/23 fiscal year.
We said
Thank you for your request regarding the Nature of Crime: Burglary Dataset from the Crime Survey for England and Wales.
We have the data available on the number of residential burglaries in our appendix tables. You will find the number of burglaries in tables A1/A4.
The most recent dataset we have published is for the year ending March 2020 Nature of crime: burglary. We are currently updating this publication and anticipate a release before the end of the current financial year. This will contain all the other information requested for the year ending March 2023. As such, this information is exempt under Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, whereby information is exempt from release if there is a view to publish the information in the future.
As a central government department and producer of official statistics, we need to have the freedom to be able to determine our own publication timetables. This is to allow us to deal with the necessary preparation, administration, and context of publications. It would be unreasonable to consider disclosure when to do so would undermine our functions.
This exemption is subject to a public interest test. We recognise the desirability of information being freely available and this is considered by ONS when publication schedules are set in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The need for timely data must be balanced against the practicalities of applying statistical skill and judgement to produce the high quality, assured data needed to inform decision-making. If this balance is incorrectly applied, then we run the risk of decisions being based on inaccurate data which is arguably not in the public interest. This will have an impact on public trust in official statistics in a time when accuracy of official statistics is more important to the public than ever before.