WILTSHIRE POLICE
Force Disclosure Unit
Wiltshire Police HQ
London Road
Devizes
Wiltshire
Russ Hunter
SN10 2DN
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Tel 101 ext 62005
www.wiltshire.police.uk
xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx.xxxxxx.xx
Date: 3rd July 2020
Your ref
: FOI
O
ur ref: FOI 2020 / 508
Reply contact name is: Kerry Merritt
Dear Russ,
I write in connection with your request for information dated 2nd July 2020 concerning Swindon
Reported Scams.
I am required by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to handle all requests in a manner that is
blind as to the identity and motives of the requestor. Any information released as a response to a
request is regarded as being published and therefore in the public domain without caveat.
Your request for information has now been considered and I am not obliged to supply the
information you have requested.
You wrote:
- Can I please receive each total individually for the time period of 01/04/2019 - 31/03/2020
- Could this be specific to those recorded within the boundaries of Swindon
Can I please receive a count of reported:
1) Scam emails
2) Scam phone calls
3) Scam text messages
Our response:
The information that you are requesting is not stored in a way which permits easy retrieval. We
currently do not have the capability within our systems to flag information relating to scam emails,
phone calls or text messages which can then be analysed quickly and easily.
The ascertaining of this information would only be possible by physically reading into every report
made in relation to these offences during the period you are requesting, to then determine if they
were in fact reports relating to scamming phone calls, emails or texts within the Swindon area.
Under the circumstances I am absolutely confident that to locate, retrieve and extract the
information you seek would by far exceed the time obligations upon this authority to comply, and
in so doing would exceed the fees limits.
www.wiltshire.police.uk
This is set at £450 calculated at a flat rate of £25 per hour for those work activities comprising of
confirming the information is held, locating it, retrieving it and extracting it.
Ordinarily under our section 16 duty to provide advice and assistance, we would advise you how
to refine your request to a more manageable level. However, due to the difficulties outlined
above, I cannot see how this can be achieved in this particular case.
Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires the Wiltshire Police, when refusing to
provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide you the applicant with a
notice which: (a) states that fact, (b) specifies the exemption in question and (c) states (if that
would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.
The exemption applicable to the information requested is:
Section 12: Exemption where cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit
(1) Section 1(1) does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request for information if
the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the
appropriate limit.
In accordance with section 17 of the Act, this letter represents a Refusal Notice for this particular
request.
I am satisfied that all the relevant information has been passed to me and been considered in the
light of your request within the time constraints applicable under the legislation.
Wiltshire Police would like to thank you for the interest that you have shown in the Force.
Yours sincerely,
Kerry Merritt
Disclosure Decision Maker
Wiltshire Police offers a re-examination of your case under its review procedure.
Force Disclosure Unit
Wiltshire Police HQ, London Road, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 2DN
Telephone 101 ext 62005
Freedom of Information Request Appeals Procedure
1.
Who Can Ask for a Review
Any person who has requested information from Wiltshire Police, which has been dealt with under
the Freedom of Information Act, is entitled to complain and request an internal review, if they are
dissatisfied with the response they received.
2.
How to Request a Review
Requests for review of a Freedom of Information request must be made in writing to the:
Force Disclosure Unit
Wiltshire Police Headquarters,
London Road, Devizes,
Wiltshire,
SN10 2DN
Email at
xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx.xxxxxx.xx.
The reference number, date of the request and details of why the review is being requested must
be included. Requests for review should be brought to the attention of the Force Disclosure Unit
within 20 working days of the Force’s response to the original FoI request.
3.
Review Procedure
Receipt of a request for review wil be acknowledged in writing to include confirmation of the
reasons for the review. The review wil be conducted by another Decision Maker, who is
independent from the original Decision Maker. The Force Disclosure Unit wil set a target date for
a response. The response wil be made as soon as is practicable with the intention to complete
the review within twenty working days. In more complex cases the review may take up to 40
working days.
The Independent Decision Maker wil conduct a review of the handling of the request for
information and of decisions taken, including decisions taken about where the public interest lies
in respect of exempt information where applicable. The review enables a re-evaluation of the
case, taking into account the matters raised by the complaint.
4.
Conclusion of the Appeal
On completion of the review the Independent Decision Maker wil reply to the complainant with
the result of the review. If the complainant is stil dissatisfied following the review they should
contact the Information Commissioner to make an appeal. The Information Commissioner can be
contacted via the following details:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 01625 545 700
Fax: 01625 524 510
Email: xxxx@xxx.xxx.xxx.xx
Document Outline