21 November 2008
Your Ref:
Our Ref:
0869/2008
Paul Brety
Force Disclosure Unit
[email address]
Police Headquarters
173 Pitt Street
GLASGOW
G2 4JS
Tel: 0141 435 1204
Fax: 0141 435 1218
Dear Mr Brety
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NUMBER 0869/2008
I refer to your correspondence of 2 November 2008, which was received by Strathclyde
Police on that date.
Can you please tell me the number of drink driving convictions in the Island of Arran over
the past five years.
Your request for information has now been considered and I can advise you that Strathclyde
Police does not hold any of the information requested by you. In terms of Section 17 of the
Act, this letter represents a formal notice that information is not held.
By way of explanation, the role of the police in relation to any crime or offence is, in short, to
investigate the circumstances and where a person(s) is detected by the police as being the
perpetrator(s) a report on the matter is sent to the relevant Procurator Fiscal. Thereafter it is
the role of the Procurator Fiscal to decide on whether to progress the matter through the
courts. Strathclyde Police are not routinely informed of the disposal in relation to any case.
By way of assistance the table below shows the number of reported (Rptd) and detected
(Detd) drink driving offences on Arran over the last five years. For the avoidance of doubt
you should bear in mind that where a person has been detected by the police it does not equate
to a conviction, rather the interpretation should be that a person(s) has been reported to the
Procurator Fiscal in relation to the matter.
Year
Rptd
Detd
2003/04 10 10
2004/05 12 12
2005/06 18 18
2006/07 13 12
2007/08 15 15
You should also be aware that in collating the statistics shown I have considered the
following list of offences;
Driving a motor vehicle whilst unfit trough drink or drugs
Driving a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content above the prescribed limit
In charge of a motor vehicle with blood alcohol content above the prescribed limit
Failure to provide breath specimen at the roadside
Failure to provide breath, blood or urine specimen at police station.
Information on convictions may be available from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscals
Service who can be contacted at the following address or through their website at the web link
shown below;
Crown Office
25 Chambers Street
Edinburgh
EH1 1LA
http://www.copfs.gov.uk/
I hope this information is helpful, however, if you are not satisfied with the way in which
your request has been dealt with, you are entitled in the first instance to request a review of
the decision made by the Force. Should you wish to request such a review, please write to
Mrs Sheena Brennan, Disclosure Manager at the above address within 40 working days of
receiving this letter. Once informed of the Review Panel’s decision, if you are still not
satisfied, then you are entitled to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a
decision. Contact details are; Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn
Castle, Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9DS, telephone 01334 464610.
I should like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in Strathclyde Police.
Should you require any further assistance concerning this matter please contact me directly on
0141 435 1204 quoting the reference number given.
Yours Sincerely
John Cameron
Sergeant