Hampshire Constabulary
Chief Constable Alex Marshall
Police
Headquarters
Mr Steve Bird
West Hill
request-4514-
Romsey Road
[email address]
Winchester
Hampshire
SO22 5DB
Telephone: 0845 045 45 45
Our ref: HC/04121/08
Direct dial: 01962 814789
Your ref:
Fax No: 01962 871204
Deaf/speech impaired minicom: 01962 875000
Email: [email address]
December 05, 2008
Dear Mr Bird
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: HC/04121/08
Your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act was received by the
Information Compliance Unit at Hampshire Constabulary on 4th December 2008. I note you
seek access to the following information:
Please supply the following information under Freedom of Information Act 2000:
• For each of the last three financial years (05/06)and (06/07) and (07/08)
please state if any drugs seized by your force have then been either lost or
stolen from you or otherwise unaccounted for?
• If so please give a date for each incident along with the type of drug, the
quantity and a brief account of how it was lost/stolen/unaccounted for.
RESULT OF SEARCHES
Hampshire Constabulary does not hold this information in a retrievable format. The cost of
confirming whether the information is held (ie. if it has been recorded), retrieving and
extracting the information is likely to exceed the amount to which we are legally required to
respond.
The information to which you refer is not held in a format that enables the Constabulary to
carry out searches to retrieve it according to your specification. Seized drugs are stored
within the property offices at each individual police station throughout the force. The only
way of establishing if any items of property have been lost or stolen, would be to contact
each and every one of the property offices within the force. As there are over 60 police
stations within Hampshire & the Isle of Wight, this process in iteslf would be extremely time-
consuming. On contacting each office, a register of property would have to be manually
viewed to establish how many entries of seized drugs had been recorded. Of those entries,
a further check would need to be conducted to establish if those drugs had been recorded
as lost, stolen or unaccounted for. This whole process would be extremely time-consuming,
www.hampshire.police.uk
Hampshire Constabulary
Chief Constable Alex Marshall
clearly exceeding the cost limit in this case. There would also be no guarantee that even if
the enquiries were made, and the information could be retrieved, that it would be accurate.
The cost of confirming if the information is held, locating and retrieving the information
exceeds the ‘appropriate level’ as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and
Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004. It is estimated that it would cost more than £450 to
comply with your request.
In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice
in respect of this part of your request.
You may wish to refine your request by narrowing down the search parameters – for
example, refining your request to two police stations for a refined date period such as one
month, thereby significantly reducing the number of records that would need to be manually
searched to retrieve the information you are seeking.
However, in order to assist you, drug seizure figures are published within the force profile
on the Hampshire Constabulary website at the following link:
http://www.hampshire.police.uk/Internet/rightinfo/foi/informationclasses/performancefigures.
htm
The information can be located in the year end 2008 report on page 63
COMPLAINT RIGHTS
Your attention is drawn to the attached sheet detailing your rights.
Thank you for your interest in Hampshire Constabulary.
Should you have any further inquiries concerning this matter, please write or contact Becky
Hill on telephone number 01962 814757 quoting the reference number above.
Yours sincerely
Becky Hill
Freedom of Information Decision Maker
www.hampshire.police.uk
Hampshire Constabulary
Chief Constable Alex Marshall
COMPLAINT RIGHTS
Are you unhappy with how your request has been handled or do you think the decision is incorrect?
You have the right to require Hampshire Constabulary to review their decision.
Prior to lodging a formal complaint, you are welcome and encouraged to discuss the decision with
the case officer who dealt with your request.
Ask to have the decision looked at again –
The quickest and easiest way to have the decision looked at again is to telephone the case officer
that is nominated at the end of your decision letter.
That person will be able to discuss the decision, explain any issues and assist with any problems.
Complaint
If you are dissatisfied with the handling procedures or the decision of Hampshire Constabulary made
under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding access to information, you can lodge a
complaint with Hampshire Constabulary to have the decision reviewed. Hampshire Constabulary
must be notified of your intention to complain within 2 months of the date of its response to your
Freedom of Information request. Complaints should be made in writing and addressed to:
Freedom of Information
Information Compliance Unit
Police Headquarters
West Hill, Romsey Road
Winchester
Hants SO22 5DB
In all possible circumstances, Hampshire Constabulary will aim to respond to your complaint within 3
months.
The Information Commissioner
If, after lodging a complaint with Hampshire Constabulary, you are still dissatisfied with the decision,
you may make application to the Information Commissioner for a decision on whether the request
for information has been dealt with in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of
Information Act (2000).
For information on how to make application to the Information Commissioner, please visit their
website at www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk. Alternatively, phone or write to:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545 700
www.hampshire.police.uk
