Details of £400,000 claim

The request was partially successful.

Dear North Yorkshire Police,

In reply to this request, https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/c... , part of the the answer given was
"Police officer time from December 2011 to September 2014; 94.6 months - £386,347".

How many police officers did this involve?
Who gave the orders for these officers to be used in this manner?
Was this an official operation, who was in charge of this and what was it called?
Please could I have this figure broken down into each calendar year?
What was the incident that first triggered the investigation of the journalists?

Yours faithfully,

Michael Price

Civil Disclosure,

Classification: PROTECT

Good afternoon,

I write in connection with your request for information which was received by North Yorkshire Police on 2 July 2015, as detailed below.

Your request will now be considered in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act).

Should you have any queries concerning this matter, please write quoting the reference number above.

Yours sincerely,

Amie McNairn
Collar Number 4559
Information Assistant
Information Management
North Yorkshire Police
 
Committed to the Code of Ethics
 
Dial 101, press option 2 and ask for me by my full name or collar number. If using my collar number please state each number individually.
 
Web: www.northyorkshire.police.co.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/northyorkshirepolice
Twitter: twitter.com/nyorkspolice

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Dear North Yorkshire Police,

Please institute an internal review into the time delay on this request

Yours faithfully,

Michael Price

Civil Disclosure,

Classification: PROTECT

Dear Mr Price,

Thank you for your email below.

I can confirm that we have received your initial internal review request, dated 12th August 2015, and it is currently being dealt with.

A response will follow in due course.

Kind regards

Sarah J Bradley
Collar Number 6095
Admin Assistant-Civil Disclosure Unit
Joint Corporate Legal Services
North Yorkshire Police

Committed to the code of ethics

Dial 101, press option 2 and ask for me by full name or collar number, if using my collar number please state each number individually.

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michael price left an annotation ()

Thanks Angela

Dear North Yorkshire Police,

Please can you tellme when you are going to reply to the initial request and to the internal review. Please pass this as a compliant to the senior force solicitor, as the force is not carrying out its duty. Please also tell me who is responsiblre for not fulfilling the forces duty under the FOI Act

Yours faithfully,

Michael Price

Angela Snodgrove left an annotation ()

They appear to be blocking ALL FOIs in connection with this corrupt use of public monies - even those not publicised on this site. Check out my FOIs on this subject.

Dear North Yorkshire Police,

Sarah J Bradley
Collar Number 6095
I have not received a response to my request or internal review. It is the duty of the force to do so under the FOI Acts. It is disgraceful of course that the Police is breaking the law.
Further, I have received advice that if the individuals concerned do not comply with the law as they should do so, then they may become personally liable for not doing so.
I would be grateful if you could process my request, internal review and also pass this as a complaint to the professional standards department.

Yours faithfully,

Michael Price

Angela Snodgrove left an annotation ()

Don't waste any more time. Report them to the Information Commissioner and they will take action. I already have several complaints in myself, and there are more on the way soon.

Give them the link to your FOI on this website. casework@ico.org.uk

Dear North Yorkshire Police,

The North Yorkshire Police are out of time for this request. Can you please reply as required by law. It is not seemly to have a body required to uphold the law, openly flouting the law

Yours faithfully,

Michael Price

Angela Snodgrove left an annotation ()

They won't respond. They even ignore the Information Commissioner. Report them to the Information Commissioner anyway. This force has a very dubious reputation at home and abroad. Imagine that!

Dear North Yorkshire Police,
During this request these officers have given assurances.It has turned out that their word has been broken, as no response has been given in compliance with the FOI Act.
Please pass this to Professional Standards as a complaint against these two officers for not doing their duty as defined by the FOI Act, and giving false assurances.
Please also give the response as required by the FOI Act

Your request will now be considered in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act).
Amie McNairn
Collar Number 4559
Information Assistant
Information Management
North Yorkshire Police

Committed to the Code of Ethics
---
A response will follow in due course.

Kind regards

Sarah J Bradley
Collar Number 6095
Admin Assistant-Civil Disclosure Unit
Joint Corporate Legal Services
North Yorkshire Police

Committed to the code of ethics

--
The request was
In reply to this request,
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/c...
, part of the the answer given was
"Police officer time from December 2011 to September 2014; 94.6
months - £386,347".

How many police officers did this involve?
Who gave the orders for these officers to be used in this manner?
Was this an official operation, who was in charge of this and what
was it called?
Please could I have this figure broken down into each calendar
year?
What was the incident that first triggered the investigation of the
journalists?

Yours faithfully,

michael price

Fryar, Liz, North Yorkshire Police

2 Attachments

Classification: PROTECT

Good afternoon Mr Price,

 

This response was sent to you yesterday, but unfortunately bounced back.
Please see attached correspondence in relation to your FOI request
(299.2015-16).

 

Kind Regards

 

Liz

 

Response 299.2015-16.pdf
Letter to Mr Price.pdf
PROTECT

From: Morris, Emma
Sent: 09 March 2016 17:02
To: '[FOI #277868 email]'
Subject: FOI 299.2015-16 [PROTECT PERSONAL]

 

Classification: PROTECT

Dear Mr Price

 

Please see the attached response and correspondence in connection with
your FOI request reference 299.2015-16. 

 

Kind Regards

 

Emma Morris

Collar Number 6948

Police Lawyer (Civil Disclosure)

Solicitor

Joint Corporate Legal Services

North Yorkshire Police

 

Committed to the Code of Ethics

 

Dial 101, press option 2 and ask for me by my full name or collar number.
If using my collar number please state each number individually.

 

[1]www.northyorkshire.police.uk

 

 

THIS EMAIL AND ANY ATTACHMENT(S) MAY BE SUBJECT TO LEGAL PROFESSIONAL
PRIVILEGE - PLEASE DO NOT DISCLOSE THE CONTENT TO ANYONE ELSE WITHOUT
ASKING JOINT CORPORATE LEGAL SERVICES

 

Response 299.2015-16.pdf
Letter to Mr Price.pdf
PROTECT

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References

Visible links
1. http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/
http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/

Dear Liz Fryar,

Request reference appears to be 299.2015-16 from FOI sent first on 2nd July 2015

Please could you pass this email to Emma Morris, Collar Number 6948, Police Lawyer (Civil Disclosure)
Solicitor, Joint Corporate Legal Services, Committed to the Code of Ethics

Emma Morris
The reply included "The response has taken a long time to progress, due to the ongoing and extremely sensitive nature of the civil proceedings. Your response was finalised some time ago, but unfortunately due to an oversight this was not sent out to you. Once again, I do apologise for the inconvenience
caused.
Please note that the two members of staff you have named in your complaint are administrative
staff and although they have acknowledged your correspondence, they have not had any
responsibility for handling your request.
I look forward to hearing from you should you wish to discuss the final question in more detail."

Could you tell me when the response was finalised and whose responsibility it was to send it to me?

Despite your comments about the 2 members of staff, I do not resile from the complaint. If you can provide me with who was responsible for handling my request then I obviously will consider withdrawing it.
Questions were;
In this question https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/c...
part of the the answer given was "Police officer time from December 2011 to September 2014; 94.6
months - £386,347".

How many police officers did this involve?
Who gave the orders for these officers to be used in this manner?
Was this an official operation, who was in charge of this and what
was it called?
Please could I have this figure broken down into each calendar
year?
What was the incident that first triggered the investigation of the
journalists

The reply went on
Question 1
The estimate provided relates to 14 members of police staff and officers.
Question 2
All operational matters are under the direction and control of the Chief Constable.
Question 3
This estimate of time referred to relates to Operation Rome which was a precursor to Operation
Hyson. Operation Rome was headed by a Detective Inspector.
Question 4
There is no recorded information held in response to this request as the information is not
broken down into calendar years. The figures were arrived at following a manual estimate by
the departments involved and were not recorded by calendar year.
Question 5
North Yorkshire Police have never confirmed nor denied that there has been any investigation
into “journalists” in the manner you describe. I would be grateful if you could please clarify
exactly what you mean by this question as I cannot determine what specific recorded
information you are requesting. Please note that any personal information or information
relating to investigations may be exempt from disclosure under the FOI Act.

Ref to Q 2, just to clarify, Chief Constable Dave Jones gave the orders for these officers to be used in this manner - is that correct?
Ref to Q 3 Could you say what Operation Rome was set up for and what Operation Hyson is for and when they started and finished. Who headed Operation Rome and who heads Operation Hyson ?
What was the cost of Operation Rome from the last cost estimate Sept 2014 to when it ended? Did it involve any more than the 14 police staff and officers? What are the costs of Operation Hyson to date and how many police and staff does that involve?
Ref to Q 4. Could you tell me what a manual estimate is and involves? Could you tell me what date the estimate was made, with written documentation to back this up.
Ref to Q 5 "What was the incident that first triggered the investigation of the journalists".
What occurrences happened in Oct 2010, Sept 2011 and Dec 2011 for public money to be used, that the police are now seeking recompense for from the journalists.

• Police officer time from December 2011 to September 2014; 94.6 months - £386,347
• Legal services work from October 2010 to June 2014; 243.1 hours - £7,424.73
• Civil disclosure work from September 2011 to October 2014; 352 hours - £5,181.44
• Related complaints matters; 82 hours - £1,708.88
• Chief Officer time; 259.08 - £9,308.85

What rank are all the officers concerned in the £386,347?

When was the Police and Crime Commissioner first contacted for permission for money to be utilised for a civil action and when did that permission come through? Please supply the written documentation for these occurrences.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Price

Fryar, Liz, North Yorkshire Police

I am out of the office until Tuesday 15 March 2016 and will respond to all emails upon my return.

In my absence, please forward any urgent emails or information regarding FOI to [email address].

Please note my normal working days are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Kind Regards

Liz

Morris, Emma, North Yorkshire Police

1 Attachment

Classification: PROTECT

Dear Mr Price

 

Please see attached correspondence in respect of FOI request 299.2015-16
and additional questions you have raised.

 

Kind Regards

 

Emma Morris

Collar Number 6948

Police Lawyer (Civil Disclosure)

Solicitor

Joint Corporate Legal Services

North Yorkshire Police

 

Committed to the Code of Ethics

 

Dial 101, press option 2 and ask for me by my full name or collar number.
If using my collar number please state each number individually.

 

[1]www.northyorkshire.police.uk

 

 

THIS EMAIL AND ANY ATTACHMENT(S) MAY BE SUBJECT TO LEGAL PROFESSIONAL
PRIVILEGE - PLEASE DO NOT DISCLOSE THE CONTENT TO ANYONE ELSE WITHOUT
ASKING JOINT CORPORATE LEGAL SERVICES

 

299.2015-16 Ltr to Mr Price 210316.pdf
PROTECT

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References

Visible links
1. http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/
http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/

Dear Morris, Emma,
You said in your reply reference 299.2015-16 that you cannot tell the exact date the response was finalised from the file.
This date is important. Can you try to come up with a date range that it was finalised?
Please bear in mind that I sent multiple emails in August, September, November etc, reminding you of the request. These may be of assistance to narrow the date range down and if you say you are responsible for answering these under the FOI Act then please could you give reasons why you failed in your duty to comply with this act and answer those replies?

Yours sincerely,

Michael Price

Dear Morris, Emma,

You have not complied with your duty under the law to respond to this within 28 days, which for a lawyer is particularly serious, especially on top of your previous failures.

"You said in your reply reference 299.2015-16 that you cannot tell the exact date the response was finalised from the file.
This date is important. Can you try to come up with a date range that it was finalised?
Please bear in mind that I sent multiple emails in August, September, November etc, reminding you of the request. These may be of assistance to narrow the date range down and if you say you are responsible for answering these under the FOI Act then please could you give reasons why you failed in your duty to comply with this act and answer those replies?"

Yours sincerely,

Michael Price

Williams, Caroline, North Yorkshire Police

1 Attachment

Classification: PROTECT

Dear Mr Price,

 

Please find attached  a reply to your Internal Review request for
299.2015-16.

 

Regards

 

Caroline Williams

Legal Officer (Civil Disclosure)

Collar Number 5982

Joint Corporate Legal Services

North Yorkshire Police

 

Committed to the Code of Ethics

 

Dial 101, press option 2 and ask for me by my full name or collar number. 
If using my collar number, please state each number individually.

 

299.2015-16 IR Response.pdf
PROTECT

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Morris, Emma, North Yorkshire Police

1 Attachment

Classification: PROTECT

Dear Mr Price

 

Please see attached correspondence.

 

Kind Regards

 

Emma Morris

Collar Number 6948

Police Lawyer (Civil Disclosure)

Solicitor

Joint Corporate Legal Services

North Yorkshire Police

 

Committed to the Code of Ethics

 

Dial 101, press option 2 and ask for me by my full name or collar number.
If using my collar number please state each number individually.

 

www.northyorkshire.police.uk

 

THIS EMAIL AND ANY ATTACHMENT(S) MAY BE SUBJECT TO LEGAL PROFESSIONAL
PRIVILEGE - PLEASE DO NOT DISCLOSE THE CONTENT TO ANYONE ELSE WITHOUT
ASKING JOINT CORPORATE LEGAL SERVICES

 

Letter to Mr Price 200516.pdf
PROTECT

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Dear Williams, Caroline,

Internal Review request for 299.2015-16.
You have not answered this in compliance with the Act. Please confirm that Emma Lewis was in fact in breach of the time limits given by law.
Furthermore Emma Morris completely failed to respond on several occasions, which you do not mention. You appear to make excuses for her, which is not your duty as reviewer of a FOI request.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Price

Williams, Caroline, North Yorkshire Police

Thank you for your email. Unfortunately I am out of the office until Tuesday 24 May 2016. I will therefore pick up any e-mails on my return. However, if you require an urgent response please contact the Civil Disclosure Unit, or email [email address]

Dear North Yorkshire Police,
To clarify , I made an error once calling Emma Morris , Emma Lewis. The request should have read
Internal Review request for 299.2015-16.
You have not answered this in compliance with the Act. Please confirm that Emma Morris was in fact in breach of the time limits given by law.
Furthermore Emma Morris completely failed to respond on several occasions, which you do not mention. You appear to make excuses for her, which is not your duty as reviewer of a FOI request.

Yours faithfully,

Michael Price

Williams, Caroline, North Yorkshire Police

1 Attachment

Classification: PROTECT

Dear Mr Price,

 

Please find attached a reply to your Freedom of Information request
1269.2015-16.

 

Regards

 

Caroline Williams

Legal Officer (Civil Disclosure)

Collar Number 5982

Joint Corporate Legal Services

North Yorkshire Police

 

Committed to the Code of Ethics

 

Dial 101, press option 2 and ask for me by my full name or collar number. 
If using my collar number, please state each number individually.

 

1269.2015-16 Response.pdf
PROTECT

show quoted sections

 

Williams, Caroline, North Yorkshire Police

1 Attachment

Classification: PROTECT

Dear Mr Price,

 

Please find attached a reply to your request.

 

Regards

 

Caroline Williams

Legal Officer (Civil Disclosure)

Collar Number 5982

Joint Corporate Legal Services

North Yorkshire Police

 

Committed to the Code of Ethics

 

Dial 101, press option 2 and ask for me by my full name or collar number. 
If using my collar number, please state each number individually.

 

Additional Letter.pdf
PROTECT

show quoted sections

 

Neil Wilby left an annotation ()

Dear Michael

Caroline Williams has misdirected herself.

The correct position is that NYP Civil Disclosure Unit (in your particular case Emma Morris) has failed to comply with both statute and ACPO Authorised Professional Practice.

That places the NYP practitioner in breach of the College of Policing Code of Ethics which is usually dealt with by the victim of the misconduct lodging a complaint with the police force's Professional Standards Department.

In your particular case, Emma Morris has now left the force and, as such, is outside of the scope of the police complaints system. I'm not sure whether the conduct of Caroline Williams, in the aftermath, would fall into the area of genuine mistake, misconduct. Or, indeed, whether she is simply the vehicle by views expressed by a more senior officer. On the balance of probabilities, I would suggest the latter.

It does, however, underscore my extensive experience of NYP insofar as they routinely break the law and guidance, over such as FOIA and DPA, but are entirely unwilling to confront the issues that flow from that.

Hope this helps.

Neil Wilby