Dear Sir or Madam,

I would like to make a request under the provisions of the Freedom
of Information Act 2000.

I wish to know how many times protectively marked information held
by Humberside Police has been either lost or otherwise compromised.

If there are any such incidents, I wish to know the date of the
incident, the rank of the officer responsible for the security
breach and the protective marking of the information concerned.

I would ask that you remember the Act’s Section 16 duty on public
authorities to provide advice and assistance to requesters. If for
any reason you are leaning toward rejecting any part of this
request or if you plan to argue that it is unmanageable or
unanswerable in any way then I would expect you to contact me
promptly to find ways to answer this request to our mutual
satisfaction.

Yours faithfully,

Stephen Gradwick

Your Ref:
Our Ref:F-2008-02285

27 August, 2008

Dear Mr. Gradwick,

Thank you for your request for information, received at this office on
18 August 2008, in which you requested details of the following:

Number of times protectively marked information has been lost or
compromised by Humberside Police.

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 16 September, 2008.

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

Yours sincerely,

Matthew Weedall
Information Compliance Assistant
01482 317095
Humberside Police
Corporate Development Branch
Information Compliance Unit
Priory Road
Hull
HU5 5SF
Fax:01482 317090

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Your Ref:
Our Ref:F-2008-02285

15 September 2008

Dear Mr. Gradwick,

With reference to your request for information, received at this office
on 18 August 2008, in which you requested details of the following:

Number of times protectively marked information has been lost or
compromised

Please accept my apologies for the delay in providing response I can
confirm that a response will be forwarded on or before 22 September
2008.

I trust that this is satisfactory, should you have any queries in
relation to this please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Miss A. Clement
Information Compliance Officer
01482 317095
Humberside Police
Corporate Development Branch
Information Compliance Unit
Priory Road
Hull
HU5 5SF
Fax:01482 317090

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Dear Angela Clement,

In your last reply, you explained that you would not be able to
respond to my request for information within the twenty working
days you are allowed by law. At that time, you explained that you
expected to be able to provide a response on or before the 22nd
September.

As you will appreciate, it is now the 26th September and no
response has been forthcoming, nor has any explanation been offered
for the ongoing delay.

I would be grateful therefore, if you would please explain the
continuing lack of response to my request.

Yours sincerely,

Stephen Gradwick

Your Ref:
Our Ref:F-2008-02285

26 September, 2008

Dear Mr. Gradwick,

Firstly, please accept my apologies for the delay in providing response.

With reference to your request for information dated the 18 August 2008
concerning the number of times protectively marked information held by
Humberside Police has been either lost or otherwise compromised.

Humberside Police has no record of itself having lost or otherwise
compromised protectively marked information. It follows that no
Humberside Police Officer of whatever rank, has been responsible for
such loss or compromise.

However, after having made enquires, I can confirm that there is a
possibility that on one occasion, restricted information properly
supplied by Humberside Police to others may have been lost or
compromised.

On or about the 21 April of this year, a disc containing archived data
relating to historical road traffic accidents including personal data of
those concerned was dispatched by way of Royal Mail recorded delivery to
a computing company in London. This company was to undertake certain
technical work with regard to the data.

The Government Protective Marking Scheme provides that when material of
this type is transported, there should be no external indication on the
relevant package that might reflect the relevant protective marking.
The reasons for this are self evident. The package was therefore not
subject to any kind of protective marking.

The package was signed for on delivery, but it appears that it did not
reach its intended recipient within the company to whom it was
addressed.

Humberside Police carried out an investigation into the loss of the
disc. It was not possible to locate the disc or identify any person or
persons who might be associated with its loss. Humberside Police is
content that the method of dispatch of this information was entirely
appropriate and in accordance with the guidance then in force.

Your query relates quite specifically to protectively marked items held
by Humberside Police which have been lost or compromised. You will
note that the item referred to above was not protectively marked, and
neither was its loss or compromise attributable to any member of
Humberside Police. In the circumstances you will understand that your
enquiry has been construed by us in a purposive manner.

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,

Miss A. Clement
Information Compliance Officer
01482 317096
Humberside Police
Corporate Development Branch
Information Compliance Unit
Priory Road
Hull
HU5 5SF
Fax:01482 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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