Proactive publications

Following several dog attacks in 2023, some of which caused serious injuries and death, we have seen an rise in the number of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests on this matter.

To satisfy high demand and reduce the amount of FOI requests, we will publish information on dangerous and out-of-control dogs sought by members of the public every six months.

Information on offences relating to dangerous dogs is held within our crime recording system and has been recorded since 2015.

Related documents

• Dangerous dogs 2015-26 (PDF)

The table below shows the number of applications made to Avon and Somerset Police under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS), the number of disclosures made and the timeframes for those disclosures.

The maximum timescale for a DVDS investigation to be completed is 28 days from start to finish, unless extenuating circumstances exist which mean that an extension is required and justified.

The oldest data is from September 2023, which is when we began using our Qlik data analytics dashboard. This data will be updated every six months.

Type	Sept – Dec 2023 (4 months)	Jan – Dec 2024 (12 months)	Jan – Dec 2025 (12 months)
1. All applications under the DVDS	12	1860	2584
2. ‘Right to know’ applications under the DVDS	0	96	178
3. The number of disclosures made after a ‘right to know’ application	0	58	120
4. ‘Right to ask’ applications under the DVDS	12	1764	2400
5. The number of disclosures made after a right to ask application	6	685	976
6. The number of disclosures made within 28 days of a ‘Right to ask’ application	0	146	529
7. The number of disclosures made after 28 days of a ‘Right to ask’ application	6	539	433
8. The longest time it took for a ‘right to ask’ disclosure to be provided	359 days	330 days	132 days

November 2025 update: Since the above time period, Avon and Somerset Police have worked hard to review and develop existing processes and have increased resources into the Disclosure Team.  We now have three Sergeants and 10 Constables who oversee all DVDS and Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme (CSODS) applications, overseen by the support of their Inspector. We are seeing an increase in DVDS applications, with 2,115 applications so far this year.

Over the last 12 months, a comprehensive governance procedure has been implemented, which has ensured scrutiny of our performance data. Due to these procedural changes and increased resources, performance has improved significantly. The median days for disclosure in September 2025 and October 2025 were 20 days and 17 days respectively – within the 28 day period for compliance. While there will always be a proportion of applications which sit outside the 28-day compliance period, these applications are monitored within our internal governance structure.

We have published information on our hate crime and non-crime hate incidents page.

Members of the public continue to submit Freedom of Information (FOI) requests relating to JourneyCam reports they have uploaded.

In response to those, Avon and Somerset’s roads policing teams will publish a spreadsheet containing this information at the end of each month.

JourneyCams capture road-related offences and reports can feature footage filmed by:

• dash cams
• bicycle or helmet cameras
• mobile phones

Related document

• JourneyCam report October 2020 – December 2025 (Excel)

The Freedom of Information team regularly receive requests for the number of officers, staff, PCSOs and special constables employed by Avon and Somerset Police.

Detailed statistics are published nationally every six months for all 43 police forces in England and Wales. However, due to the level of demand for this type of information, we have taken then decision to publish more regular updates on our website.

This document will show total headcounts, excluding secondments and casual workers, as of the last day of each month.

Related documents

• Monthly headcount October 2025 (Excel)

Until recently, we were using the recommended National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) guidance on Searching by trans employees of the police force.

On 11 January 2024, the NPCC temporarily withdrew this guidance to allow for further consultation. The NPCC has advised forces to revert to their own search guidance in the interim.

Since our guidance was based on the NPCC guidance, we are urgently reviewing our position, including seeking legal advice.

In the interim, all searches are being carried out in line with the officer or staff member’s training and legal authority, taking into account our responsibilities under Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, and, where a person has been detained, as authorised by the Custody Sergeant.

This authorisation must take into consideration the response of the detainee and officers concerned to ensure any conflict is reduced or avoided, and searches are conducted safely and with dignity.

Related documents

• CODE A, Annex A of PACE Code A
• CODE C, Annex A of PACE Code C – Revised code of practice for the detention, treatment and questioning of persons by police officers