Use of Force Dataset: Police Officer Incidents in London

Monthly-updated records of police use-of-force incidents in London, introduced in April 2017. The dataset is produced by the Greater London Authority and each row represents a single officer's use of force on one subject, with data reconciled from the start of each financial year. Figures are subject to change as incident forms for past months are submitted.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the frequency and severity of Taser use based on the described severity levels (drawn, aimed, red-dotted, arced, drive stun, fired, angle drive stun).
• Studying demographic patterns in police encounters based on subject metadata like age and gender mentioned in the description.
• Tracking monthly and yearly trends in use-of-force incidents, accounting for the data's monthly reconciliation process.
• Investigating the application of specific non-CED Taser tactics and the rules for counting repeated uses within a single incident.

Strengths

• Data is updated and reconciled each month, providing a regular refresh cycle.
• Includes detailed categorization of Taser use by seven severity levels, from drawn to angle drive stun.
• Historical data is flagged as subject to change, promoting transparency about data revisions.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale analysis.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data prior to April 2017 is not comparable due to changes in recording practices.

Provenance

Source

Greater London Authority, likely via the Metropolitan Police.

Collection Method

Incident forms filled in by officers following use-of-force encounters.

Time Range

From April 2017 onwards, with monthly updates.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-24 21:01:33.199276; figures are updated and reconciled each month.

Geography

Primarily London, but includes incidents that took place 'Out of Force area'.