Freedom of Information, Information Compliance Unit, Kent Police Headquarters, Sutton Road,
Maidstone, Kent ME15 9BZ Phone: 01622 654413
Fax: 01622 654437 - e-mail: [email address]
Harvey Temple
Date:
18th September 2008
[FOI #1821 email]
Tel No.: (DDI)
01622 654413
FOI Ref.:
6481-2008
Dear Mr Temple,
INFORMATION REQUEST
I write in connection with your request for information received by Kent Police on 18th August
2008. I am conscious that this response arrives with you sometime after the twenty working day
time limit permitted by information legislation has expired and for this failure in our service I
apologise. As explained to you in my e-mail dated 17th September, this request relates to the
environmental impact of Kent Police Operations, and therefore I must deal with your request
under the terms of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. However, as we are
providing the information wherever possible this is only a technical point which I include for your
information.
Kent Police have received a number of information requests relating to the policing of the Climate
Camp for Change near Kingsnorth Power station (Operation Oasis). A huge amount of
information has been created after such a large operation and it has not all been sorted or
catalogued. As I am sure you can appreciate, this makes actually locating the information very
difficult.
We recognise and respect the considerable public interest in our policing of the climate camp and
we will shortly be publishing on our website a compendium of information including material
relating to strategic and tactical considerations and decision-making, costs, numbers of arrests
and articles confiscated during the operation.
For ease of reference, I have separated your questions into three, and answered them in turn.
1) I'd like to know how much was spent on fuel, what type of fuel and; how much fuel (in litres
or gallons) was burned by the Essex Police Helicopter under the auspices of "Operation Oasis" at
the 2008 Climate Camp
The helicopter uses an average of 180 litres of Jet A1 Aviation fuel per hour (price - ÂŁ0.52litre),
and flew for 41.35 hours. This amounts to 7,443 litres of fuel costing ÂŁ3,870.36
2) a) I also want to know the type of helicopter and any details that you have as to its fuel
efficiency and the distance it flew. I want to know this information so that I can work out the
amount of carbon dioxide that was dumped into the atmosphere by the helicopter during your
operation.
The aircraft is a Eurocopter EC135 T2+. In effect this a CAA approved police role-equipped
helicopter with two Turbomeca - Arrius engines. Kent Police do not hold any information
regarding the vehicle’s fuel efficiency, such as carbon emission figures, and this may be available
from the manufacturers. They have a website at http://eurocopter.co.uk which contains their
contact details and a good deal of technical data about their vehicles.
Kent Police : Central Operations FOI
Policy No. D18
Form No.3540_11 rev Feb 2005 [erev 02/5] v1.5
As previously stated, the aircraft was used for 41.35 hours during the Climate camp operation
flying 63 flights (take off to landing again), which covered 71 incidents. Flights can only be
measured in flying time, not distance, and so this part of the information is not held.
To reduce flying time, the aircraft was held nearby at Rochester (its Kent base) as opposed to
returning it to Essex after each deployment. Among the operational considerations when
deploying the aircraft are whether the task can be done by other means or is it more cost
effective to utilise the aircraft both in terms of the speed of deployment and/or the risk to
officers.
2) b) I trust that Kent Police Authority, concerned as it is with the health and safety of the
public, is considering offsetting the considerable pollution that it must have created for example
by replacing routine city centre car patrols with bicycle units.
This part of your question asks for comment, which is not a form of information the Authority is
required to provide under FOI or EIR. However, the Kent Police Transport Services strategy takes
full account of the EU commitment under the Kyoto protocol of the UN convention on climate
change to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the Climate Change (Commercial and Public
Service Sectors) Bill to reduce energy usage. This includes examining the feasibility of alternative
modes of transport where appropriate.
3) I'd also be interested in seeing the environmental impact assessment that was carried out into
the use of the helicopter and other police resources. At night-time, Kent Police's disruption of the
life of the local community due to noise pollution as well as by the burning of fossil fuels was very
serious - I'm sure that a proper assessment must have been carried out. If not I believe that this
is an issue that should be addressed in future operations.
Answer: A specific, environmental impact assessment was not carried out and so to this extent
this information is not held. However, minimising the disruption to the community by the
activities of both protestors and the police was taken into consideration during the planning
stages and formed part of the strategic objectives for the operation. Also, the operational
briefings to officers included maps highlighting which areas surrounding the camp were Sites of
Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and information on legislation aimed at protecting wildlife and
the environment.
Kent Police’s intentions in policing the Camp for Climate Change are best expressed by the Gold
Commander, Assistant Chief Constable Allyn Thomas in his strategy document for Operation
Oasis:
“The intention of the police operation is to safeguard the rights of all persons involved in or
affected by the protest. The public are entitled to peacefully protest in a free society and the
police must safeguard this right. Others engaged in lawful economic activities should also be able
to do so without hindrance or disturbance from protestors.”
Strategic Objectives
• The protection of life
• The prevention of crime and disorder
• The facilitation of lawful protest
• The investigation of criminality, dealing proportionately and fairly with offenders and
securing the best evidence for any prosecutions
• To minimise disruption to the local community and to provide reassurance more generally
• To ensure a swift return to normality
Kent Police : Central Operations FOI
Form No.3540_11 rev Jan 2005 [erev 1/05] v1.1
Policy No. D18
I have also included at Appendix 1 a larger excerpt from the Gold Commander’s strategy
document that demonstrates how a number of environmental concerns were considered during
the planning of the operation.
Thank you for your interest in Kent Police and I hope that the information I have provided has
been useful. A sheet, which summarised your rights, was enclosed with the acknowledgement
sent to you and as suggested therein, should you have any further issues concerning this matter,
please contact me quoting the reference number shown above.
Yours sincerely,
Nigel Amos
Freedom of Information Advisor
Kent Police : Central Operations FOI
Form No.3540_11 rev Jan 2005 [erev 1/05] v1.1
Policy No. D18
