Department of Policy & Performance
Policy Development Service
Wendy Worsley
4th Floor, South Wing
Jacobs Well
[FOI #3323 email]
Bradford, BD1 5RW
Tel: (01274) 433913
Fax: (01274) 432042
Email:[email address]
Date: 31st October 2008
Dear Ms Worsley
FOI request relating to the Council’s Use of Potential Violent Markers
I am considering your email of the 22nd October as a request for an internal review regarding our
initial response to your FOI request of the 1st October 2008 regarding the use by Bradford Council
of
“Potential Violent Warning markers (or similar description) against its citizens in any of its
databases.”
1. How many databases are they used in?
On our Environmental Health system we use a marker which is held against a property.
Environmental Health Officers often visit premises in relation to potentially contentious
enforcement matters, and this marker is used to advise them of an increased risk so as to inform
their risk management and allow additional measures to be taken. This marker is not a “potential
violent persons” marker but is a marker used to inform risk assessments and will include matters
such as:
to indicate the presence of aggressive and/or large dogs;
notifications from officers where they have had experience of verbal and/or physical
abuse;
information about high risk areas e.g. where cars have been damaged, where drug
dealing is known about etc
Our Children’s and Adult Services also hold a marker on two databases. These markers are held
against the individual client and are used when the child or elderly person, is deemed to be at risk
of violence from a third party.
I have consulted with the managers of our Customer Services CRM system, and also of the
separate Planning and Building Control Systems. I can confirm that, as previously stated, none of
these systems use a potential violent warning marker field against an individual. Any notifications
entered will be from officers that have had experienced verbal and/or physical abuse and will be
entered on these systems as part of the individual officer’s case notes which are associated with
that record.
2. Who is the senior nominated person in the council who makes the decision that a
person should have such a marker added to his/her records?
Such decisions are made by the service operations manager on a case by case basis
3. What is the mean time to review the presence of these markers, also what is the
shortest and longest times between reviews?
I am unable to supply this information as it is not held by the Council.
4. How many such markers are current at the present time (or if a date is required, 1/9/08)?
There are:
303 markers held against individual properties on the environmental health system
12 markers held against client’s records on our Children’s and Adult Services databases
who are deemed to be at risk of violence from 3rd parties
To be able to state how many instances officers have experienced verbal and/or physical abuse
which they have subsequently logged on the Customer Services CRM system or separate
Planning and Building Control Systems would require me to examine each individual case record
held on those systems. I am therefore refusing this information under Section 12 of the Freedom of
Information Act as to do so would exceed the 18 hour cost limit set by that Act.
5. How many of the persons with such markers have you written to, to inform them that a
marker exists against their personal record?
As markers are held on our Environmental Health system against properties we do not write to
individuals informing them that such a marker exists.
Under the Children’s Act we are obligated to protect children and we also have a duty of care to
those staff that provide services to these children. Our Children’s and Adult Services do not
therefore write to individuals to inform them that there is a potential violent marker recorded
against a client, as to do so might further expose that child or elderly person to further abuse from
the third party.
To be able to state how many instances officers have experienced verbal and/or physical abuse
which they have subsequently logged on the Customer Services CRM system or separate
Planning and Building Control Systems would require me to examine each individual case record
held on those systems. I am therefore refusing this information under Section 12 of the Freedom of
Information Act as to do so would exceed the 18 hour cost limit set by that Act.
6. If/when you have written to them, on how many occasions have you explained the
reason(s) why they have a marker against their record?
I refer you my response at 5
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of this internal review you have the right of appeal to the
Information Commissioner who can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 01625 545700
URL: http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
Yours sincerely
John Ellis
Senior Policy Officer (Governance)
