MOUs between Met Police and Rahab

The request was partially successful.

Dear Metropolitan Police Service (MPS),

I am writing to request a copy of any MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding) between the Metropolitan Police and Rahab, a charity founded by Sisters Adoratrices in 2009 to care for women affected by prostitution and human trafficking for sexual exploitation.

The European Communities Against Trafficking (ECAT) Final Evaluation published in March 2015 references the MOU between Rahab and the Metropolitan Police Trafficking and Kidnap Unit (SCO7) and carries a recommendation that MOUs similar to it could be used in various other situations to facilitate improved working relationships between statutory and non-statutory stakeholders.

Yours faithfully,

Lucy Smyth

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Dear Ms Smyth

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2017080000651

I write in connection with your request for information which was received
by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 17/08/2017.  I note you seek
access to the following information:

"I am writing to request a copy of any MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding)
between the Metropolitan Police and Rahab, a charity founded by Sisters
Adoratrices in 2009 to care for women affected by prostitution and human
trafficking for sexual exploitation.

The European Communities Against Trafficking (ECAT) Final Evaluation
published in March 2015 references the MOU between Rahab and the
Metropolitan Police Trafficking and Kidnap Unit (SCO7) and carries a
recommendation that MOUs similar to it could be used in various other
situations to facilitate improved working relationships between statutory
and non-statutory stakeholders. "

Your request will now be considered in accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (the Act).  You will receive a response within the
statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Act.  

If you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please contact
us at [email address] or on the phone at 0207 161 3500, quoting the
reference number above. Should your enquiry relate to the logging or
allocations process we will be able to assist you directly and where your
enquiry relates to other matters (such as the status of the request) we
will be able to pass on a message and/or advise you of the relevant
contact details.

Yours sincerely

R. Loizou
Support Officer - Freedom of Information Triage Team
 
COMPLAINT RIGHTS

Are you unhappy with how your request has been handled or do you think the
decision is incorrect?

You have the right to require the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to
review their decision.

Prior to lodging a formal complaint you are welcome to discuss the
response with the case officer who dealt with your request.  

Complaint

If you are dissatisfied with the handling procedures or the decision of
the MPS made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) regarding
access to information you can lodge a complaint with the MPS to have the
decision reviewed.

Complaints should be made in writing, within forty (40) working days from
the date of the refusal notice, and addressed to:

FOI Complaint
Information Rights Unit
PO Box 57192
London
SW6 1SF
[email address]

In all possible circumstances the MPS will aim to respond to your
complaint within 20 working days.

The Information Commissioner

After lodging a complaint with the MPS if you are still dissatisfied with
the decision you may make application to the Information Commissioner for
a decision on whether the request for information has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of the Act.

For information on how to make application to the Information Commissioner
please visit their website at www.ico.org.uk.  Alternatively, write to or
phone:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone: 0303 123 1113

Total Policing is the Met's commitment to be on the streets and in your
communities to catch offenders, prevent crime and support victims. We are
here for London, working with you to make our capital safer.

 

Consider our environment - please do not print this email unless
absolutely necessary.

NOTICE - This email and any attachments may be confidential, subject to
copyright and/or legal privilege and are intended solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and delete it from your system.  To avoid incurring
legal liabilities, you must not distribute or copy the information in this
email without the permission of the sender. MPS communication systems are
monitored to the extent permitted by law.  Consequently, any email and/or
attachments may be read by monitoring staff. Only specified personnel are
authorised to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of the MPS by
email. The MPS accepts no responsibility for unauthorised agreements
reached with other employees or agents.  The security of this email and
any attachments cannot be guaranteed. Email messages are routinely scanned
but malicious software infection and corruption of content can still occur
during transmission over the Internet. Any views or opinions expressed in
this communication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

 

Find us at:

Facebook: Facebook.com/metpoliceuk

Twitter: @metpoliceuk

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Dear Mr Smyth,

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2017080000651

I write in connection with your request for information which was received
by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 17/08/2017.

I am sorry to inform you that we have not been able to complete our
response to your request by the date originally stated.

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act), we have 20 working
days to respond to a request for information unless we are considering
whether the information requested is covered by one of the 'qualified
exemptions' (exemptions which must be tested against the public interest
before deciding whether they apply to the information in question).

Where we are considering the public interest test against the application
of relevant qualified exemptions, Section 17(2)(b) provides that we can
extend the 20 day deadline.  Please see the legal annex for further
information on this section of the Act.

For your information we are considering the following exemption(s):

Section 31(1)(a)(Law Enforcement)

I can now advise you that the amended date for a response is 13/10/17.

May I apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Yours sincerely

Ms S. Strong
Information Manager

LEGAL ANNEX

Section 17(2) provides:

(2) Where-

a) in relation to any request for information, a public authority is, as
respects any information, relying on a claim-
i) that any provision of Part II which relates to the duty to confirm or
deny and is not specified in section 2(3) is relevant to the request, or
ii) that the information is exempt information only by virtue of a
provision not specified in section 2(3), and
b) at the time when the notice under subsection (1) is given to the
applicant, the public authority (or, in a case falling within section
66(3) or (4), the responsible authority) has not yet reached a decision as
to the application of subsection (1)(b) or (2)(b) of section 2,
the notice under subsection (1) must indicate that no decision as to the
application of that provision has yet been reached and must contain an
estimate of the date by which the authority expects that such a decision
will have been reached.

 
COMPLAINT RIGHTS

Are you unhappy with how your request has been handled or do you think the
decision is incorrect?

You have the right to require the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to
review their decision.

Prior to lodging a formal complaint you are welcome to discuss the
response with the case officer who dealt with your request.  

Complaint

If you are dissatisfied with the handling procedures or the decision of
the MPS made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) regarding
access to information you can lodge a complaint with the MPS to have the
decision reviewed.

Complaints should be made in writing, within forty (40) working days from
the date of the refusal notice, and addressed to:

FOI Complaint
Information Rights Unit
PO Box 57192
London
SW6 1SF
[email address]

In all possible circumstances the MPS will aim to respond to your
complaint within 20 working days.

The Information Commissioner

After lodging a complaint with the MPS if you are still dissatisfied with
the decision you may make application to the Information Commissioner for
a decision on whether the request for information has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of the Act.

For information on how to make application to the Information Commissioner
please visit their website at www.ico.org.uk.  Alternatively, write to or
phone:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone:  0303 123 1113

Total Policing is the Met's commitment to be on the streets and in your
communities to catch offenders, prevent crime and support victims. We are
here for London, working with you to make our capital safer.

 

Consider our environment - please do not print this email unless
absolutely necessary.

NOTICE - This email and any attachments may be confidential, subject to
copyright and/or legal privilege and are intended solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and delete it from your system.  To avoid incurring
legal liabilities, you must not distribute or copy the information in this
email without the permission of the sender. MPS communication systems are
monitored to the extent permitted by law.  Consequently, any email and/or
attachments may be read by monitoring staff. Only specified personnel are
authorised to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of the MPS by
email. The MPS accepts no responsibility for unauthorised agreements
reached with other employees or agents.  The security of this email and
any attachments cannot be guaranteed. Email messages are routinely scanned
but malicious software infection and corruption of content can still occur
during transmission over the Internet. Any views or opinions expressed in
this communication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

 

Find us at:

Facebook: Facebook.com/metpoliceuk

Twitter: @metpoliceuk

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Smyth,

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2017080000651

I write in connection with your request for information which was received
by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 17/08/2017.  I note you seek
access to the following information:

I am writing to request a copy of any MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding)
between the Metropolitan Police and Rahab, a charity founded by Sisters
Adoratrices in 2009 to care for women affected by prostitution and human
trafficking for sexual exploitation.

The European Communities Against Trafficking (ECAT) Final Evaluation
published in March 2015 references the MOU between Rahab and the
Metropolitan Police Trafficking and Kidnap Unit (SCO7) and carries a
recommendation that MOUs similar to it could be used in various other
situations to facilitate improved working relationships between statutory
and non-statutory stakeholders.

SEARCHES TO LOCATE INFORMATION

To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted
within the MPS.  The searches located information relevant to your
request.

DECISION

I have today decided to disclose some of the requested information.  Some
data has been withheld as it is exempt from disclosure and therefore this
response serves as a Refusal Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (the Act).  Please see the legal annex for further
information on the exemptions applied in respect of your request.

REASONS FOR DECISION

Information which has been redacted within the disclosed document is
either redacted under Section 23(1) (Information supplied by, or
concerning, certain security bodies) or Section 40(2) (Personal
Information).

DISCLOSURE

Please find attached information held that you have requested.

Yours sincerely

Ms S. Strong
Information Manager

LEGAL ANNEX

Section 17(1) of the Act provides:

(1)        A public authority which, in relation to any request for
information, is to any extent relying on a claim that any provision in
part II relating to the duty to confirm or deny is relevant to the request
or on a claim that information is exempt information must, within the time
for complying with section 1(1), give the applicant a notice which-

(a) states the fact,
(b) specifies the exemption in question, and
(c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption
applies.

Section 23(1) of the Act provides:

(1)        Information held by a public authority is exempt if it was
directly or indirectly supplied to the public authority by, or relates to,
any of the bodies specified in subsection (3).

Section 40(2) (Personal Information) of the Act provides:

(2)Any information to which a request for information relates is also
exempt information if—

(a)it constitutes personal data which do not fall within subsection (1),
and

(b)either the first or the second condition below is satisfied.

(3)The first condition is—

(a)in a case where the information falls within any of paragraphs (a) to
(d) of the definition of “data” in section 1(1) of the Data Protection Act
1998, that the disclosure of the information to a member of the public
otherwise than under this Act would contravene—

(i)any of the data protection principles, or

(ii)section 10 of that Act (right to prevent processing likely to cause
damage or distress), and

(b)in any other case, that the disclosure of the information to a member
of the public otherwise than under this Act would contravene any of the
data protection principles if the exemptions in section 33A(1) of the Data
Protection Act 1998 (which relate to manual data held by public
authorities) were disregarded.

Disclosure of the personal information held would allow individuals to
conclusively identify themselves or third parties from the recorded
information. Information that would identify or could assist to the
identification of individuals is exempt from disclosure by virtue of
Section 40(2) of the Act.  

In order for the exemption provided under Section 40(2) to be engaged
disclosure of the requested information must satisfy either the first or
second condition as defined by subsections 3 and 4.  

Having reviewed the requested data I have decided that disclosure of this
information would breach the first principle of the Data Protection Act,
fair and lawful processing.   To determine whether or not the disclosure
would be fair and lawful I have considered the conditions for processing
personal data which are defined by Schedule 2 of the Data Protection Act.
 Condition 6 is relevant to this request and relates to legitimate
interests.  

The considerations in respect of legitimate interests are:

1) Does the public have a legitimate interest in disclosing the document
in full?  

2) If yes, is disclosure of the information necessary to achieve those
legitimate interests?

3) If yes, would the disclosure cause unwarranted prejudice to the rights
and freedoms of the data subjects?

It is appreciated that there is a legitimate interest in disclosure of the
information you have requested, therefore I believe that there is a
legitimate interest in disclosure of information.

This leads me to consider whether full disclosure would achieve those
interests.  Disclosure would identify living individuals.  I don't believe
that the disclosure of the personal data is necessary as the disclosure of
the information already in the public domain meets the public interest for
this request.

Despite my findings above I would like to confirm that if I had found the
full disclosure necessary I would have concluded that such a disclosure
would cause unwarranted prejudice to the data subject(s).

My conclusion is that full disclosure would not be fair or lawful,
particularly as the individual whose personal information is held would
not expect their name to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information
Act.

I have applied the exemption provided under Section 40(2) of the Freedom
of Information Act to this information as the first condition, defined in
subsection 3(a)(i) of Section 40 has been satisfied.

In complying with their statutory duty under sections 1 and 11 of the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 to release the enclosed information, the
Metropolitan Police Service will not breach the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988. However, the rights of the copyright owner of the
enclosed information will continue to be protected by law.  Applications
for the copyright owner's written permission to reproduce any part of the
attached information should be addressed to MPS Directorate of Legal
Services, 10 Lambs Conduit Street, London, WC1N 3NR.
 
COMPLAINT RIGHTS

Are you unhappy with how your request has been handled or do you think the
decision is incorrect?

You have the right to require the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to
review their decision.

Prior to lodging a formal complaint you are welcome to discuss the
response with the case officer who dealt with your request.  

Complaint

If you are dissatisfied with the handling procedures or the decision of
the MPS made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) regarding
access to information you can lodge a complaint with the MPS to have the
decision reviewed.

Complaints should be made in writing, within forty (40) working days from
the date of the refusal notice, and addressed to:

FOI Complaint
Information Rights Unit
PO Box 57192
London
SW6 1SF
[email address]

In all possible circumstances the MPS will aim to respond to your
complaint within 20 working days.

The Information Commissioner

After lodging a complaint with the MPS if you are still dissatisfied with
the decision you may make application to the Information Commissioner for
a decision on whether the request for information has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of the Act.

For information on how to make application to the Information Commissioner
please visit their website at www.ico.org.uk.  Alternatively, write to or
phone:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone: 0303 123 1113

Consider our environment - please do not print this email unless
absolutely necessary.

NOTICE - This email and any attachments may be confidential, subject to
copyright and/or legal privilege and are intended solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and delete it from your system.  To avoid incurring
legal liabilities, you must not distribute or copy the information in this
email without the permission of the sender. MPS communication systems are
monitored to the extent permitted by law.  Consequently, any email and/or
attachments may be read by monitoring staff. Only specified personnel are
authorised to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of the MPS by
email. The MPS accepts no responsibility for unauthorised agreements
reached with other employees or agents.  The security of this email and
any attachments cannot be guaranteed. Email messages are routinely scanned
but malicious software infection and corruption of content can still occur
during transmission over the Internet. Any views or opinions expressed in
this communication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

 

Find us at:

Facebook: Facebook.com/metpoliceuk

Twitter: @metpoliceuk