Stop & Search where no S&S record given to person stopped

Dear Mr Coats

Reference No: RFI2009000706

Thank you for your request for information dated 07/10/2009 concerning
"Stop and Account" and "Stop and Search" data relating to vehicles and
individuals.

This request will be dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.

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 Thames Valley 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.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Thames Valley Police.

Yours sincerely,

Jane Shields

Freedom of Information Administrator

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Dear Mr Coats

Reference No: RFI2009000706

I write in connection with your request for information dated 07/10/2009
concerning Stop and Account and Stop and Search data relating to vehicles
and individuals.

I regret to inform you that Thames valley Police have not been able to
complete its response to your request by the date originally stated.

I now advise you that the amended date for a response is 03/12/2009. I can
assure you that every effort will be made to ensure an appropriate
response will be made within this new timescale.

May I apologise for any inconvenience caused. If you wish to discuss this
delay please contact me.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Thames Valley Police.

Yours sincerely,

Jane Shields

Freedom of Information Administrator

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Dear Mr Coats

Reference No: RFI2009000706

I write in connection with your request for information dated 07/10/2009
which, for clarity, I repeat below:

For the most recent year for which you report figures, can you tell me
please:

    

1. How many vehicles are asked to "stop and account" for themselves. If
there are tables showing a short description of the reason for the initial
stop, please also include this information.

    

2. How many of these "stop and accounts" are escalated to "stop and
search". If there are tables showing a short description of the reason for
the search, please also include this information.

    

3. How many, in total, vehicles are subjected to "stop and search" If
there are tables showing a short description of the reason for the search,
please also include this information.

    

4. In how many cases where someone is stopped and searched, either in a
vehicle or otherwise, have officers been unable to provide a stop and
search record form at the time of the stop.

    

5. If there are figures for 4. above, can they be categorised into reasons
for not giving the victim of a stop the record form - e.g. another "blue
light" incident required officers to leave hastily.

    

6. How many stop and search operations result in the arrest of the person
being stopped and what for?

Your request has now been considered and our response is detailed below.
With regards to questions 1 and 2, the information requested is not held
routinely in an easily retrievable format or at the level you require on
ICT systems used by Thames Valley Police.  Any attempt to retrieve the
information specific to your request would involve a complicated and
prolonged search of records which would not necessarily provide accurate
results and would exceed the appropriate cost limit of £450.

The cost of providing you with the information is above the amount we are
legally required to respond i.e. the cost of locating and retrieving the
information exceeds the "Appropriate Limit" as stated in the Freedom of
Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.

Section 12(1) of the Freedom of Information Act allows that public
authorities do not have to comply with section 1(1) of the Act if the cost
of complying would exceed the appropriate limit.  It is Thames Valley
Police general policy that should a request for information exceed the
appropriate level then we will exercise our legal right not to respond but
cases will be assessed individually to consider the implications.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, this letter represents
a Refusal Notice for this part of your request.

The information we are able to provide for question 3 is as follows and
details the number of searches made where the vehicle only was searched
and not the driver including the reason for this search.

Vehicle Only Searches in Thames Valley
2008/09
Reason for Search Number of Searches
Stolen property 10
Drugs 9
Firearms 2
Offensive weapons 3
Going equipped 3
Criminal Damage 1
Other 2
Section 44 Terrorism Act 1

In relation to questions 4 and 5, Thames Valley Police does not hold any
centrally recorded information relevant to your request. Any attempt to
retrieve this data would involve a complicated and prolonged search of
records which would not necessarily provide accurate results and would
exceed the aforementioned appropriate cost limit of £450.

With regards to question 6, the arrest rate for PACE stop and searches in
Thames Valley Police area in 2008-2009 was 7.3%.

Please contact me quoting the above reference number if you would like to
discuss this matter further. May I take this opportunity to thank you for
your interest in Thames Valley Police and apologise for the lateness of
this reply.

Yours sincerely,

Jane Shields

Freedom of Information Administrator

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