Dear Mr Randall,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ABOUT RMP AUTHORITY

Thank you for your correspondence of 16 November 2009 asking for information about Royal Military Police (RMP) authority to carry handcuffs and batons in public and to use marked up police vehicles on the public highway. I have been asked to reply.

Firstly, I apologise for the lateness of this reply. As was already explained to you by email on 26 August 2009, an administrative error delayed our initial response. Unfortunately, we have been further delayed by the need to search archived paper documents from some time ago.

In response to your request I attach two documents. The first, dated 6 February 1996, is from the Military Assistant to the Minister for the Armed Forces authorising the RMP to use `Speedcuffs' and `ASP batons'. The second document is from the Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire dated 26 July 2002. As the Association of Chief Police Officers lead, the Chief Constable provides confirmation on behalf of the Police Service for the RMP to be regarded as using vehicles “for police purposes”.

Sensitive personal information about individuals has been removed under the authority of the Data Protection Act 1998.

If you are unhappy with the response or wish to complain about any aspect of the handling of this request, then you should contact the undersigned in the first instance. Should you remain dissatisfied, then you may apply for an internal review by contacting the Director of Information Exploitation, 6th Floor, MOD Main Building, Whitehall, SW1A 2HB (e-mail [email address]).

If you are still unhappy following an internal review, you may take your complaint to the Information Commissioner under the provisions of Section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act. Please note that the Information Commissioner will not normally investigate your case until the MOD internal review process has been completed. Further details of the role and powers of the Information Commissioner can be found on the Commissioner's website, http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.

Yours Sincerely,

B-1