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Motorway Cops - No Evidence Offered - 10Kg Drugs In Car Boot
Richard Taylor made this Freedom of Information request to Crown Prosecution Service
The request was refused by Crown Prosecution Service.
From: Richard Taylor
2 February 2012
Dear Crown Prosecution Service,
I have just watched the TV show "Motorway Cops" broadcast on BBC 1
from 20.00 on Thursday the 2nd of February 2012.
The show ended by saying the CPS offered no evidence in the case of
the two men caught with 10Kg of class A drugs in the boot of the
car they were in.
Could you please release the documents describing the charging
decision, and any decision not to pursue the case, along with the
reasons and justifications for those decisions.
If a public interest test is engaged I would like the fact that
this case, and the CPS decision, was featured on national
television in a prominent slot to be taken into account.
I note that I am not seeking any personal information and expect
the information provided to be redacted where required if certain
elements are subject to exemptions within the Freedom of
Information Act.
Regards,
--
Richard Taylor
Cambridge
http://www.rtaylor.co.uk
Richard Taylor left an annotation ( 2 February 2012)
If the information released reveals there is a problem with some part of the system, be it the police, courts, or CPS then getting it out in the open might help get it fixed.
Stopping drug dealers more effectively could make large savings, both for individuals, and for the state.
Savings for individuals would not only be in monetary terms, but in terms of health, and potentially reducing the huge upset and upheaval burglaries and other crime often connected to drug use can cause.
If there was more routine openness and routine proactive publication of material by the CPS then requests like this would not be needed. As it is the crime, justice and policing sector of the UK state is very secretive. Programmes like Motorway Cops give a rare, and useful insight into a generally secretive world.
Clearly I think this is a valid and defensible use of FOI otherwise I would not have made the request. I would not make any request I would not be prepared to justify to a room full of taxpayers. I have put my name to the request and publicised it via my personal website and Twitter feed
From: Freedom of Information Unit
Crown Prosecution Service
3 February 2012
Dear Mr Taylor,
We confirm receipt of your request for information.
Your request was received on 3rd February and we are dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please note there is a twenty working day limit (from receipt of request) in which we are required to respond to requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
The deadline for your request is 2nd March 2012; however we will endeavour to respond sooner.
Yours sincerely
Information Management Unit
show quoted sections
Ams Inc left an annotation ( 5 February 2012)
I agree wholeheartedly with this request. Why?
To understand the reasoning would, I feel, benefit public understanding.
Joel Mansford left an annotation ( 5 February 2012)
It seemed bizarre to me too. If nothing else it sends out the wrong message.
Richard Taylor left an annotation ( 5 February 2012)
It has been suggested on Twitter that this occurred in Doxey, Stafford:
https://twitter.com/#!/charliejane_xx/st...
Richard Taylor left an annotation ( 6 February 2012)
I have placed the relevant clips from the show on YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aItd7o6gC3c
Link to the report of the CPS decision:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aItd7o6gC...
The car was stopped in Doxey according to the programme, the officers involved were:
PS 4423
PC 7463
PC 2503 (Poss 2303)
From: Richard Taylor
6 February 2012
Dear Freedom of Information Unit,
Re: Freedom of Information request 3113
In order to assist with your search for the information I have
requested, I can add that the event mentioned in my request took
place in Doxey, Stafford, and the following police officers were
involved:
PS 4423
PC 7463
PC 2503 (Poss 2303)
I have placed the relevant clips from the Motorway Cops TV show on
YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aItd7o6gC3c
A direct link to the report of the CPS decision is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aItd7o6gC...
Regards,
--
Richard Taylor
Cambridge
http://www.rtaylor.co.uk
Richard Taylor left an annotation ( 6 February 2012)
One possibility is that a deal was done and those caught in the car were let off in return for identifying those for whom they were carrying the drugs.
Hopefully we'll be told.
Thirst left an annotation (11 February 2012)
I can't help but cast my mind back to an interview on LBC once with an ex-police officer in the MET who talked about the corruption that went on. While I'm not suggesting this was the case, he said that it was not uncommon for drugs to 'go missing' when in police hands.
Either way I really want to find out...
From: Freedom of Information Unit
Crown Prosecution Service
14 February 2012
Dear Mr Taylor,
Please find enclosed our response to your Freedom of Information Act
request.
Yours sincerely,
Information Management Unit
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Richard Taylor left an annotation (15 February 2012)
The response says the CPS can't find the information requested:
"You asked about a case featured on the BBC’s “Motorway Cops” programme in which no charges were brought against the suspect(s) in the case. After checking both our electronic system and with the local CPS offices that would have dealt with a criminal offence committed in this region, we have regrettably been unable to identify the case in question. Unfortunately, the programme and the information supplied by you do not provide enough details about the case so that we are able to identify the case. You may wish to know that if this case was identified, it is likely that the information that you require would be exempt under the Freedom of Information Act."
Maybe that's why the case was dropped - they couldn't find their record of it?
Philip John left an annotation (15 February 2012)
Ask the programme makers if they remember which day that was. Presumably, they'll have timestamped video...
Thirst left an annotation (15 February 2012)
Something very odd going on here. I would recommend tracking down the producers contact details and asking him for more information. Im sure he would be willing to help as if this was to hit the papers its free publicity for his programme.
ben fisher left an annotation ( 3 May 2012)
100 men in Afghanistan grow 1000KG of drugs.
1 man in the UK gets sent the 1000KG.
That 1 man gives it to 50 dealers to hand out on the streets.
The Cops catch 2 of them.
The cops say tell us the supplier we give you freedom.
The 2 men give up the dealer in return for release.
The cops get the dealer and stop a massive importer.
All those people can no longer sell drugs till the next supplier/importer comes along.
So in short you got 2 options.
Option one: send 2 men to jail.
Option two: Let them go, catch a supplier and take possibly 10s of thousands of drugs of the streets. And also if lucky find the other suppliers that are mates with the supplier the cops just nicked :-).
Things to do with this request
- Add an annotation (to help the requester or others)
- Download a zip file of all correspondence
Piero Alexis left an annotation ( 2 February 2012)
When foi is downsized due to frivolous requests i hope you think hard about the wasted resource.
Public money could be spent on policing, nhs etc, but no.. lets send fois because of tv and boredom....!
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