Cambridgeshire Police Helicopter

Background to this request is available at:

http://www.rtaylor.co.uk/cambs-pa-0611.h...

These redactions are not done properly; simply highlighting, copying and pasting reveals the content.

Richard, or WDTK I think you really ought to delete this document and allow the authority to provide a better redaction. Really not fair to leave it here like this.

If we don't act honourably within the spirit of the Act then we can't really expect 'them' to, can we?

You may find that they will co-operate with us all better if you do.

WS

Winston,

I will bring your annotation to the attention of the WhatDoTheyKnow.com team.

WhatDoTheyKnow has a process for assessing requests to take information down.

As the requestor, in this case, I wouldn't play any part in that deliberation.

My view though is that the redactions were all inappropriate.

The material redacted on "National Security" grounds simply states that London's police helicopters are often busy so we in Cambridgeshire shouldn't rely on being able to call on them. I don't think anything beyond the obvious has been stated.

As for the financial information; I think all public sector spending ought be available to the public - and such information will be accessible be via the open period under the audit commission act; though only on a historical basis.

Other material appears to have been redacted simply on the grounds it might cause the authority embarrassment, it reveals other authorities are fighting [harder than them] to keep their local helicopter.

I note the authority have been happy to publish material I would have thought might reasonably be redacted - the amount of time it typically takes police helicopters to reach various areas of the country and their ranges; however I can see that anyone with the incentive to create such maps from openly available data could do so.

One thing I think this response shows is that the Police Authority was unnecessarily secretive; as almost all of the report was released following a FOI requests - why was the whole thing kept out of the public meeting papers?

--

Richard Taylor
Cambridge
http://www.rtaylor.co.uk

Richard, according to your profile you are one of the 'volunteers' who runs this website! Surely this puts you in a good position to make the necessary file deletion or influence those who should?

Due to the conflict of interest, the WhatDoTheyKnow team will take into account Richard's views when deciding whether it is in the public interest to take down the information or not, but he will have no say in the team's deliberations or final decision.

As a general rule, the WhatDoTheyKnow team have regard to the PCC's Editors' Code of Practice (http://pcc.org.uk/cop/practice.html) when deciding where the balance of public interest lies.

Regards
Alex - WhatDoTheyKnow volunteer

The Police Authority has now published the document in full on its website:

http://www.cambs-pa.gov.uk/user_files/me...

It is marked:

"[ORIGINALLY NOT FOR PUBLICATION – by virtue of paragraphs 3 and 7 of Part 1 of the revised schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972]
PUBLISHED 2ND SEPTEMBER 2011"