Illegal streaming
Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FOI/24/007249/T
Version Date: 05/03/2025
The Performance & Analysis Department have provided the following information.
Data Source:
Crime data from Niche
Notes:
Offences could be recorded under the following Acts/Sections:
Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988
- S297 - fraudulent reception of transmissions – Not notifiable
- S297a - unauthorised decoders – Not notifiable
- S296zb - devices and services designed to circumvent technological measures – Not notifiable
Fraud Act 2006
- S6 - possession of articles for use in fraud – Police Recorded
- S7 - making or supplying articles for use in frauds – Police Recorded
- S11 - obtaining services dishonestly - Recorded by Action Fraud
The codes/offences for these are:
Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988 S297:
195/88:
Dishonestly receive a programme with intent to avoid payment
Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988 S297a:
084/10:
Advertise for sale / hire / otherwise promote an unauthorised decoder by means of a commercial communication
Distribute an unauthorised decoder
Import an unauthorised decoder
Install for commercial purposes an unauthorised decoder
Let for hire an unauthorised decoder
Maintain for commercial purposes unauthorised decoder
Make an unauthorised decoder
Offer / expose for sale / hire unauthorised decoder
Possess for commercial purposes an unauthorised decoder
Replace for commercial purposes an unauthorised decoder
Sell an unauthorised decoder
Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988 S296zb:
084/10:
Distribute other than in course of business a device / product / component so that it prejudicially affects the owner
Import other than for private / domestic use a device / product / component to circumvent technological measures
In course of business distribute a device / product / component designed to circumvent technological measures
In course of business possess a device / product / component to circumvent technological measure
In course of business sold / let for hire a device / product / component to circumvent technological measures
In the course of business advertise for sale / hire a device / product to circumvent technological measures
In the course of business offer / expose for sale / hire a device / product to circumvent technological measures
Manufacture for sale / hire a device / product / component designed to circumvent technological measures
Provide / promote / market in the course of a business a service designed to circument technological measures
Provide not in course of business a service prejudicial to the copyright owner to circumvent technological measures
Fraud Act 2006 S6:
053/43:
Possess / control article for use in fraud - Fraud Act 2006
Fraud Act 2006 S7:
053/44:
Aid abet counsel and procure a person in the making / supplying of an article for use in fraud
Conspire to make / supply article for use in fraud
Make / supply article for use in fraud - Fraud Act 2006
Fraud Act 2006 S11:
053/46:
Conspire to obtain services dishonestly - Fraud Act 2006
Obtain services dishonestly - Fraud Act 2006
Data Processing:
Qliksense "Offence Management" report, "Offence Data" page, table exported.
"Offence HO Code" field searched for the following:
195/88 - no results.
084/10 - no results.
053/43, 053/44 and 053/46 - 49 results total.
Offence Creation Date restricted to the requested time frame.
Disposals checked for "Offence Added at Court" - no further results to remove.
Only Fraud Act offences remain listed.
Qlikview "UNIFI - Custody Data" report, "Offence, Outcome and Disposal Filters" page.
"Offence" field searched for the following:
"programme" (the offence wording for S297 contains the text "programme");
"decoder" (every offence wording for S297A has "decoder");
"technological" (every offence wording bar one for S296ZB has "technological");
"component" (the other offence wording for S296ZB);
"article for use" (this text is in all the S6 and S7 offence wordings);
"obtain services" (this text is in all the S11 offence wordings).
Data exported.
Arrest data before 2021 removed.
Only Fraud Act offences remain listed.
Data without an associated Crime Reference removed.
Qlikview "UNIFI - Case Data" report.
"Offence" field searched for the following:
"programme" (the offence wording for S297 contains the text "programme");
"decoder" (every offence wording for S297A has "decoder");
"technological" (every offence wording bar one for S296ZB has "technological");
"component" (the other offence wording for S296ZB);
"article for use" (this text is in all the S6 and S7 offence wordings);
"obtain services" (this text is in all the S11 offence wordings).
Data exported.
Case data before 2021 removed.
Only Fraud Act offences remain listed.
Data without an associated Crime Reference removed. Data with Crime References earlier than 2021 also removed.
Qliksense "Crime & Outcomes" report, filtered on:
Month Crimed Jan-2021 to Oct-2024;
Include No-Crimes "Yes";
Notifiable Crime Only "No".
Chart Builder populated and data exported.
Possible crime refs from earlier processing were identified in this export and other records removed.
Data Limitations:
Niche Data:
Since Niche (post-15th November 2022), most Non Notifiables are not recorded.
Such offences may be listed as additional offences on Notifiable crime records.
The Qliksense "Offence Management" report was designed to only contain data from 15/11/2022 onwards.
This report is currently the best source to identify extra offences listed on a crime reference (where the crime will be recorded as something else as the most serious offence).
Please answer the below questions for the following time periods: The calendar years of 2021, 2022 and 2023, and the time period between 1 January 2024 and 31 October 2024.
1) How many crimes were recorded for illegal streaming (i.e. people who watch pirated content - such as TV shows, sport matches and films - in their homes) over the requested period? Please specify the offences and tell me how many of the crimes you recorded resulted in charges (telling me the reason why the charges were not brought in the relevant cases). Please also tell me, for the investigations that led to a charge, what the content the person was illegally streaming was (sports, TV shows, films etc) and tell me how they accessed the unauthorised content (i.e. was it from free streaming sites, an app, TV sticks, modified boxes etc), if there is time to do so under the act.
These searches have resulted in a nil return. While it is possible that some crimes of this type would come to Devon & Cornwall Police, it is more likely that Action Fraud (Action Fraud) would hold the requested data.