March 24, 2025 | Incident and Crime Statistics , Crime Statistics
Request Number: FOI/13940
Category: Incident and Crime Statistics - Victim
Subject: Assault statistics: Age and Gender 2023/24
Request and Answer:
Your request for information has now been considered and we are not obliged to supply the information you have requested.
Request
I wish to lodge a Freedom of Information (FOI) request in regards:
1. Personal assault statistics compiled by the PSNI on individuals residing within Northern Ireland, broken down into gender and age percentage categories, dated between 1st January, 2023 until 31st December, 2024.
Clarification Sought
Can you please clarify does your request relates to
1. the numbers of assaults reported to PSNI on members of the Public
2. or number of reported use of force incidents by Police on the Public
Clarification Received
For clarity, I wish to request information under FOI related to the number of assaults reported to PSNI on members of the public.
Answer
It is not possible for the PSNI to provide figures limited to those ‘residing’ in Northern Ireland. Figures relate to all reports to police, regardless of whether the victim is a resident or not – to try and identify residents only would attract an over cost response. However, please see below where you can find the PSNI figures for violence with and without injury, by age and gender of the victim, for all reports.
Section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires the Police Service of Northern Ireland, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide the applicant with a notice which:
(a) states the fact,
(b) specifies the exemption in question and
(c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.
The following exemption has been applied:
Section 21 - Information Reasonably Accessible by Other Means
Figures for violence with and without injury by age and gender of the victim are published on the PSNI website in the police recorded crime monthly updates and also in the police recorded crime annual trends bulletin:
https://www.psni.police.uk/about-us/our-publications-and-reports/official-statistics/police-recorded-crime-statistics
The monthly update to 31st December 2024 provides these figures for calendar years 2023 and 2024 – they are available in the accompanying spreadsheet ‘Pivot Table – Age Gender’. When this monthly update is superseded by the update to 31st January due to be published on Thursday 27th February, it will be available in the police recorded crime statistics archive:
https://www.psni.police.uk/about-us/our-publications-and-reports/official-statistics/police-recorded-crime-statistics/police