BNP

Your Ref:
Our Ref:F-2009-03285

04 December, 2009

Dear Mr. Walker,

Thank you for your request for Information, received at this office on
04 December, 2009, in which you requested details of the following:

Force restrictions on membership of the BNP

Your request will now be considered and you will receive a response
within the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Act,
subject to the information not being exempt or containing a reference to
a third party. In some circumstances Humberside Police may be unable to
achieve this deadline. If this is likely you will be informed and given
a revised time-scale at the earliest opportunity.

There may be a fee payable for the retrieval, collation and provision of
the information you request. If this is the case you will be informed
and the 20 working day timescale will be suspended until we receive
payment from you. If you chose not to make a payment then your request
will remain unanswered.

Some requests may also require either full or partial transference to
another public authority in order to answer your query in the fullest
possible way. Again, you will be informed if this is the case.

We anticipate being able to provide you with the information that you
have requested on or before 04 January, 2010.

Should you need to discuss this further please do not hesitate to
contact the unit.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Waller
Information Compliance Officer
+44 (1482) 317096
Humberside Police
Corporate Development Branch
Information Compliance Unit
Police Headquarters
Priory Road
Kingston Upon Hull
HU5 5SF
Fax:+44 (1482) 317090

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Your Ref:
Our Ref:F-2009-03285

23 December, 2009

Dear Mr. Walker,

Thank you for your request for information dated 04 December, 2009
concerning Force restrictions on membership of the BNP.

a) donating to the British National Party?
b) subscribing to a British National Party publication?
c) purchasing goods from the British National Party?
d) signing a petition in favour of the British National Party?
e) signing a nomination form for a British National Party
candidate?

Humberside do not hold relevant information to the above request.

As you are aware, Police Regulations state that it is unlawful to be a
member of a political party, which includes the BNP. It is only
membership that is regulated. As described on previous requests,
applicants to Humberside Police are made aware from the very start of
the process that membership is not acceptable.
However this does not mean that a member of the service may not commit
other discipline offences, such as discreditable conduct, dependant on
the circumstances, by taking part in any of the above activities. This
would be treated on a case by case basis and the circumstances fully
investigated if it was brought to the attention of the force as being
potentially inappropriate. But this is true of any such allegation being
made and is not specific to the BNP, it is simply the standards of
professional behaviour that all employees have to adhere to. Staff take
up employment with the police service fully aware that there may be
certain restrictions placed on their private lives, these are designed
to bring about greater public confidence and are based on best practice
drawn from ACAS and represents a culture of continuous learning and
development.

I believe this is one of several requests made on the same subject. This
department cannot provide further information over and above that which
we have already provided. Police employee membership of any political
party is a statutory bar, and FOIA is not the forum to debate any issues
the applicant may have with that legislation. We now consider this
subject closed.

This is to inform you that all information relating to your request has
been collated and is attached.

Should any further information be requested regarding this topic, a
separate request will need to be submitted.

If I can be of any further assistance on this matter please do not
hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Waller
Information Compliance Officer
+44 (1482) 317096
Humberside Police
Corporate Development Branch
Information Compliance Unit
Police Headquarters
Priory Road
Kingston Upon Hull
HU5 5SF
Fax:+44 (1482) 317090

Humberside Police - Freedom of Information Complaints Review Procedure

Why Have A Complaints Process?

Humberside Police is committed to delivering an open and transparent
service whenever possible and it is our intention to commit to the
principles of openness embodied in the Freedom of Information Act. We
will release information to the greatest extent possible, consistent
with the public interest, however we may withhold information if we
consider its release would cause significant harm.

If information within a document is withheld, it will be clearly marked
to show where information has been removed and the legal exemption we
have used. If we decline to supply all or part of any information you
have asked for we will notify you in writing giving our reasons based
upon legal exemptions contained within the Freedom of Information Act.

If you are not satisfied about the way in which your Freedom of
Information request has been handled you have the right to appeal. This
information has been designed to help you to understand how to complain
to Humberside Police. Using this process will not affect your right to
complain directly to the Information Commissioner if you feel we have
not complied with our obligations under the Freedom of Information Act.

Who Can Complain?

Anyone who has made a Freedom of Information request in writing to the
Force can complain. If you have requested information and you are not
satisfied with the way we have dealt with it, you can use the complaints
process to have it looked at again. If someone who requested information
would like to complain but cannot do so themselves, you can complain on
their behalf but it will help us if you make it clear that you are doing
so.

What Can I Complain About?

If you are not satisfied with the way we have handled your request, with
the fee we have charged, or with the reasons we have given for refusing
to provide information, you have the right to appeal. You can complain
about the range, amount and format of information we have sent following
a request. You can also complain about the way a request was handled,
for example, the time it took to respond.

How Do I Complain?

To deal with your complaint as quickly as possible, it will help if you
can give us as much information as you can about the original request
made and the reason for your complaint. Please put your complaint in
writing and address it to:

FOI Appeals
Humberside Police Information Compliance Unit
Police Headquarters
Priory Road
Hull HU5 5SF

What Happens To My Complaint?

Once we have enough details to identify the request, we will begin the
review. The Head of The Information Compliance Unit will normally review
your complaint. In the more complex cases a review panel consisting of a
number of senior personnel from the Force will re-examine your
complaint. We aim to complete the review process within three months of
receiving your complaint. Upon completion we will send you the findings.

How Will I Be Notified?

Where we have not followed procedures or have failed to provide
acceptable quality of service, we will apologise and explain what we
will do to ensure this doesn't happen again. If our original decision to
withhold information is over-turned on appeal we will send you the
additional information immediately. If we believe that our original
response was correct we will let you know, and inform you of your
options (see below).

What If I'm Still Not Satisfied?

If we have been unable to resolve your complaint and you are not
satisfied you can approach the office of the Information Commissioner,
who may investigate the matter on your behalf. This option is open to
you at all times, but we will endeavour to address your complaint
initially, as this may lead to a speedier resolution. It is the
Information Commissioner who decides whether to investigate or not. We
will co-operate fully with the Information Commissioner.

If you have any further questions about the complaints process, please
contact the Information Compliance Unit on 01482 578313 or alternatively
you can write to:
Head of Information Compliance Unit
Humberside Police Headquarters
Priory Road
Hull HU5 5SF
Email: [email address]

Requests for a review by the Information Commissioner should be made in
writing directly to:
The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone: 01625 545 700
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

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