127 Communications Act 2003 and Section 1 Malicious Communications Act 1988
Date of request: 11 November 2025
Reference: 11900400/25
Request
I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information held by Avon and Somerset Constabulary from your databases.
Please may you provide me with:
The number of arrests your force has made under Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 and Section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988.
Can this data be broken down by calendar year, from 2017 to the most recent available year.
Response
We have conducted a search from 2017 until 2025, for the following offences:
- 195/41 – Send letter / communication / article conveying indecent / offensive message
- 196/07 – Cause to be sent by public communication network a false message to cause annoyance / inconvenience / anxiety
- 196/07 – Cause to be sent by public communication network an offensive / indecent / obscene / menacing message / matter
- 196/07 – Persistently make use of public communication network to cause annoyance / inconvenience / anxiety
- 196/07 – Send by public communication network an offensive / indecent / obscene / menacing message / matter
- 196/07 – Send false message by public electronic communication network to cause annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety
- 008/72 Send communication / article of an indecent / offensive nature
- 008/72 Send letter / communication / article conveying a threatening message
- 008/72 Send letter / communication / article conveying false information
- 008/72 Send letter / communication / article conveying indecent / offensive message
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Sum: | ||
| 008/72 | Send communication / article of an indecent / offensive nature | 22 | 41 | 38 | 60 | 67 | 96 | 82 | 119 | 106 | 631 |
| 008/72 | Send letter / communication / article conveying a threatening message | 60 | 70 | 70 | 72 | 128 | 118 | 140 | 18 | 676 | |
| 008/72 | Send letter / communication / article conveying false information | 1 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 40 | |||
| 008/72 | Send letter / communication / article conveying indecent / offensive message | 5 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 31 | 30 | 32 | 60 | 46 | 227 |
| 196/07 | Cause to be sent by public communication network a false message to cause annoyance / inconvenience / anxiety | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | |||
| 196/07 | Cause to be sent by public communication network an offensive / indecent / obscene / menacing message / matter | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 16 | 12 | 67 |
| 196/07 | Persistently make use of public communication network to cause annoyance / inconvenience / anxiety | 11 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 23 | 25 | 20 | 40 | 41 | 202 |
| 196/07 | Send by public communication network an offensive / indecent / obscene / menacing message / matter | 42 | 35 | 36 | 44 | 50 | 37 | 52 | 54 | 63 | 413 |
| 196/07 | Send false message by public electronic communication network to cause annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 28 | |
| Sum: | 147 | 174 | 177 | 213 | 318 | 331 | 358 | 308 | 268 | 2294 |