Independent Legal Observers

The request was refused by Thames Valley Police.

Dear Thames Valley Police,

Please can you provide me with the following information?
1. Whether your force formally recognises the role of Independent Legal Observers (ILOs) at protests and public assemblies. What is the force’s official position regarding ILOs?
2. What (if any) actions does the force take to protect the role of Independent Legal Observers at protests and public assemblies.
3. Any training documentation, relevant meeting minutes or internal documents regarding Independent Legal Observers, or used to train officers on how to treat ILOs.
4. Any training documentation, relevant meeting minutes or internal documents regarding Independent Legal Observers, or used to train officers on how to treat ILOs in light of COVID restrictions during national lockdowns.

Yours faithfully,

R. M. Currie

Public Access TV,

 

Thank you for contacting the Joint Information Management Unit.  Please
accept this reply as acknowledgement that we have received your email and
will respond to you in due course.

 

If you have made an Freedom of Information request, please take this email
as acknowledgement that we will respond in due course in accordance with
the law.  The statutory timeframe is 20 working days.

 

Please see below a link to the relevant area of our force website which
may also assist:-
[1]https://www.hampshire.police.uk/rqo/requ...
[2]https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/rqo/r...

 

Internal staff - Although we will aim to get back to you as quickly as
possible, please find relevant material on the JIMU intranet/knowzone
pages.  

 

 

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1. https://www.hampshire.police.uk/rqo/requ...
2. https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/rqo/r...

Dear Thames Valley Police,

Response to this request is delayed. By law, Thames Valley Police should normally have responded promptly and by 16 February 2022. Please could you respond as a matter of urgency?

Yours faithfully,

R. M. Currie

Humphries, Darren (C8438),

1 Attachment

Dear Sir/Madam

 

Please find the attached response from Thames Valley Police to your
request for recorded information.

 

Regards

 

 

Darren Humphries  | Public Access Officer

Joint Information Management Unit | Hampshire Constabulary & Thames Valley
Police

[1][email address] | Address Thames Valley Police
Headquarters, Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, OX5 2NX

 

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1. mailto:[email address]

Dear Humphries, Darren (C8438),

Please could you clarify what you mean by "This information is not held in an easily retrievable format."? Is Thames Valley Police not using computer systems to store information in 2022?

For context, I have received responses from 13 other forces who were able to provide information within the cost limit.

If 1 and 2 are within the cost limit, please provide responses to those elements as a matter of urgency, as this response was already significantly delayed. By law, public authorities must respond “promptly” to requests. The law states that they must respond within 20 working days. It has been over 40 working days. Guidance from the Commissioner suggests extensions beyond 40 working days is acceptable in exceptional cases, for example, where a public interest test involves “exceptional levels of complexity”.

For additional context, other forces provided responses within a matter of weeks, demonstrating that the public interest test for the release of this information is not exceptionally complex. This level of delay is unacceptable in the absence of exceptional circumstances, and I note that no explanation or apology has been offered for this delay.

Yours sincerely,

R. M. Currie

Dear Thames Valley Police,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Thames Valley Police's handling of my FOI request 'Independent Legal Observers'.

A response was providing exceptionally late, more than 40 working days since the date of the request. By law, public authorities must respond “promptly” to requests. The law states that they must respond within 20 working days. It has been over 40 working days. Guidance from the Commissioner suggests extensions beyond 40 working days is acceptable in exceptional cases, for example, where a public interest test involves “exceptional levels of complexity”.

For additional context, other forces provided responses within a matter of weeks, demonstrating that the public interest test for the release of this information is not exceptionally complex.

The request was also refused on cost grounds which I am awaiting clarification regarding, as 13 other forces across the country were able to provide information with no cost barrier, it is unclear why Thames Valley Police is an exception.

A full history of this request and all correspondence can be found on the internet at: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/alaveteli...

Yours faithfully,

R. M. Currie

Public Access TV,

Dear Sir/Madam

Thank you for your email.

Your new request, for elements 1&2 only of the original request to be considered, has been logged under the above reference number and a response will be issued in due course.

Yours sincerely

Darren Humphries | Public Access Officer
Joint Information Management Unit | Hampshire Constabulary & Thames Valley Police
[email address] | Address Thames Valley Police Headquarters, Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, OX5 2NX

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Dear Humphries, Darren (C8438),

As per my last email, please could you clarify what you mean by "This information is not held in an easily retrievable format."?

Please could you provide confirmation and a reference number for the internal review that I requested in my prior correspondence?

Your phrasing of parts 1. and 2. of the request as "new" is incorrect. Thames Valley Police retains it's obligation by law to respond "promptly" within 20 working days. My request was made on the 19th of January 2022 and the response is now severely overdue.

A formal complaint has been submitted to the Information Commissioners Office regarding Thames Valley Police's handling of this FOI request.

Yours sincerely,

R. M. Currie

Public Access TV,

Dear Sir/Madam

All work on the above has ceased and it has been altered to be an internal review. This has been assigned to a senior manager who will be in touch in due course.

Regards

Darren Humphries | Public Access Officer
Joint Information Management Unit | Hampshire Constabulary & Thames Valley Police
[email address] | Address Thames Valley Police Headquarters, Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, OX5 2NX

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Public Access TV,

1 Attachment

Good afternoon R M Currie               

 

Please see attached response to your recent request for an internal
review.

 

 

Kind regards

 

Aimée

 

 

Aimée Robinson | Public Access Manager

Joint Information Management Unit - Thames Valley Police and Hampshire
Constabulary

Address: Thames Valley Police Headquarters, Oxford Road, Kidlington, OX5
2NX

 

Information Management Helpdesk: 

Thames Valley: [1][email address]
(internal 300 6329)

Hampshire: [2][email address] (internal
463 1757)

 

*** Do you need to report a security incident involving personal data?
Please use the link to Service Now: [3]Report a Security Incident ***

 

 

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