Thankyou for your e-mail, you have contacted the Freedom of Information
Department

Valid FOI requests will be considered in accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act 2000. We will endeavour to provide a response within the
statutory timescale of 20 working days, as defined by the Act, subject to
the application of any statutory exemptions. Where consideration is being
given to the application of any exemptions the 20 working day timescale
may be extended under the terms of the Act to a period considered
reasonable depending on the nature and circumstances of your request. In
such cases you will be notified. In all cases we shall attempt to deal
with your request at the earliest opportunity.

What can I not access under FOI?
You will not be able to access information:

  *   about yourself. This is a Subject Access
Request<https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/abou...>
(SAR)
  *   about third parties
  *   about your police record
  *   to access legal aid
  *   for employment purposes
  *   for civil proceedings
  *    for insurance requests
  *    in relation to police certificates for the purpose of emigration,
visas and residency
If you want to make a request on any of the above, visit our main website
to find out how:
https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/abou...

or make contact with the `Live Chat` team on the force website who will be
able to assist you further.
https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/cont...

Preventing crime, protecting the public and helping those in need.
If it’s not 999, search WMP Online<https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/>

This email is intended for the addressee only and may contain privileged
or confidential information. If received in error, please notify the
originator immediately. Any unauthorised use, disclosure, copying or
alteration of this email is strictly forbidden. Views or opinions
expressed in this email do not necessarily represent those of West
Midlands Police. All West Midlands Police email activity is monitored for
virus, racist, obscene, or otherwise inappropriate activity. No
responsibility is accepted by West Midlands Police for any loss or damage
arising in any way from the receipt or use of this email.

 

Dear Chris Adams

 

FOI Request Reference: 867A/23

 

Thank you for your request for information, received 25/5/2023.

 

=========================

REQUEST

 

 

According to data supplied by the Home Office you provide ARV officers
with recognition of workload payments under the SPP framework. This
payment, according to their data ranges between £2000 and £4000 per annum
made in monthly instalments. Could you firstly clarify the payments you
make to ARV officers and the requirements for obtaining the payments?

 

Secondly could you also please provide me with the overtime costings for
you Firearms department as a monthly breakdown from 24 months prior to the
above payments being provided and 36 months after. If you do not have
specific figures for the Firearms department could I request the figures
for the entirety of the division or department financially responsible for
them.

 

Lastly could I also request the vacancy rate of ARV profile officers
within the force for the 24 months prior to the above payments being
granted and for the 24 months following. Could I also request any data you
hold on the application rate to ARV positions during this same time period
and also the officers confirmed in post as ARV for the same time period.

 

  

=========================

 

The FOI Act obliges us to respond to requests promptly and in any case no
later than 20 working days after receiving your request. We must consider
firstly whether we can comply with section 1(1) (a) of the Act, which is
our duty to confirm whether or not the information requested is held and
secondly, we must comply with section 1(1)(b), which is the provision of
such information.

 

However, when a qualified exemption applies either to the confirmation or
denial, or the provision of the information and the public interest test
is engaged, the Act allows the time for response to be longer than 20
working days, if the balance of such public interest is undetermined. In
this case we have not yet reached a decision on where the balance of the
public interest lies in respect “of either of the above obligations”.

 

We estimate that it will take an additional 20 working days to decide on
where this balance lies. Therefore, we plan to let you have a response by
20/7/2023. If it appears that it will take longer than this to reach a
conclusion, you will be kept informed. The specific exemption(s) which
applies in relation this information is S31 Law Enforcement.

 

I apologise for any inconvenience. We aim to provide you with a meaningful
response as soon as possible.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

For further information and data on West Midlands Police see our
publication scheme and disclosure log

 

[1]http://foi.west-midlands.police.uk/

 

RIGHT OF APPEAL

 

Your attention is drawn to your right to request a re-examination of your
case under West Midlands Police review procedure, which can be found at:

 

[2]http://foi.west-midlands.police.uk/revie...

 

Please note that such an appeal must be received within 40 working days of
the date of this correspondence. Any such request received after this time
will only be considered at the discretion of the FOI Unit.

 

If you need any further information please contact me.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Susan Goddard| Freedom of Information Officer
Corporate Communications | West Midlands Police
T: 101 (ext. 801 2068)

Working in partnership, making communities safer

[3]If it’s not 999, search WMP Online

[4]Description: Description: Description: Description: Description:
twitter icon [5]Description: Description: Description: Description:
Description: Instagram Icon [6]Description: Description: Description:
Description: Description: YouTube Icon [7]Description: Description:
Description: Description: Description: Facebook icon

 

This email is intended for the addressee only and may contain privileged
or confidential information. If received in error, please notify the
originator immediately. Any unauthorised use, disclosure, copying or
alteration of this email is strictly forbidden. Views or opinions
expressed in this email do not necessarily represent those of West
Midlands Police. All West Midlands Police email activity is monitored for
virus, racist, obscene, or otherwise inappropriate activity. No
responsibility is accepted by West Midlands Police for any loss or damage
arising in any way from the receipt or use of this email.

References

Visible links
1. http://foi.west-midlands.police.uk/
2. http://foi.west-midlands.police.uk/revie...
3. website
https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/
4. http://www.twitter.com/wmpolice
5. http://www.instagram.com/westmidlandspol...
6. http://www.youtube.com/westmidlandspolice
7. http://www.facebook.com/westmidlandspolice

Dear Chris Adams

 

FOI Request Reference: 867A/23

 

Thank you for your request for information, received 25/5/2023

 

REQUEST

 

 

According to data supplied by the Home Office you provide ARV officers
with recognition of workload payments under the SPP framework. This
payment, according to their data ranges between £2000 and £4000 per annum
made in monthly instalments. Could you firstly clarify the payments you
make to ARV officers and the requirements for obtaining the payments?

 

Secondly could you also please provide me with the overtime costings for
your Firearms department as a monthly breakdown from 24 months prior to
the above payments being provided and 36 months after. If you do not have
specific figures for the Firearms department could I request the figures
for the entirety of the division or department financially responsible for
them.

 

Lastly could I also request the vacancy rate of ARV profile officers
within the force for the 24 months prior to the above payments being
granted and for the 24 months following. Could I also request any data you
hold on the application rate to ARV positions during this same time period
and also the officers confirmed in post as ARV for the same time period.

 

 

RESPONSE

 

Please find enclosed our response:

 

According to data supplied by the Home Office you provide ARV officers
with recognition of workload payments under the SPP framework. This
payment, according to their data ranges between £2000 and £4000 per annum
made in monthly instalments.

 

Q1: Could you firstly clarify the payments you make to ARV officers and
the requirements for obtaining the payments.

 

ARV officers do not receive any special priority payments.

Q2: Could you also please provide me with the overtime costings for your
Firearms department as a monthly breakdown from 24 months prior to the
above payments being provided and 36 months after. If you do not have
specific figures for the Firearms department could I request the figures
for the entirety of the division or department financially responsible for
them.

 

Not applicable as ARV officers do not receive such payments.

 

Q3: Could I also request the vacancy rate of ARV profile officers within
the force for the 24 months prior to the above payments being granted and
for the 24 months following.

 

As Question 2.

 

Q4: Could I also request any data you hold on the application rate to ARV
positions for the 24 months prior to the above payments being granted and
for the 24 months following, and also the officers confirmed in post as
ARV for the same time period.

 

As question 2. 

 

In addition, West Midlands Police neither confirms nor denies that it
holds any other information as the duty in Section 1(1)(a) of the Freedom
of Information Act 2000 does not apply by virtue of the following
exemption:

 

Section 31(3) - Law Enforcement

Section 24(2) – National Security

 

There is a requirement to articulate the harm that would be caused in
confirming or denying that any other information is held as well as
carrying out a public interest test.  

 

Evidence of Harm in Confirming or Denying that any other information is
held

Armed Policing requires important and often time-critical decisions to be
made by Authorised Firearms Officers, some of whom may have undergone
training to perform a particular specialised Armed Policing role. To
confirm or deny whether any other information is or isn’t held relating to
any type of specialist firearms officer would provide a geographical map
of where these officers are located which would identify vulnerable force
areas and reveal sensitive tactical capability.

The Police Service has a positive duty to protect the public from harm and
that duty of care to all involved must be the overriding consideration.
Confirmation or denial that information is held, in this case, would be
extremely beneficial to terrorist organisations and individual terrorists.

Furthermore, modern-day policing is intelligence led and irrespective of
what information may or may not be held, the flow of intelligence into
police forces may reduce which would compromise the effective delivery of
operational law enforcement within the Armed Policing arena which is a
dynamic and ever-changing operational environment.

Public Interest Considerations

 

Section 24(2) National Security

 

Factors favouring complying with Section 1(1)(a) confirming that
information is held

 

The public are entitled to know how public funds are spent and how
resources are distributed within an area of policing. To confirm whether
CTSFOs/SFOs are located within the force area would enable the general
public to hold West Midlands Police to account to ensure the level of
armed policing is appropriate and balanced.

In the current financial climate of cuts and with the call for
transparency of public spending, this would enable public debate into this
subject.

 

Factors against complying with Section 1(1)(a) confirming or denying that
information is held

 

Security measures are put in place to protect the community we serve. As
evidenced within the harm, to confirm information is held would highlight
to terrorists and individual’s intent on carrying out criminal activity,
tactical resource capability and vulnerabilities within West Midlands
Police.

Considering the current security climate within the United Kingdom, no
information (such as the citing of an exemption which confirms information
is held, or conversely, stating ‘no information held’) which may aid a
terrorist should be disclosed. To what extent this information may aid a
terrorist is unknown, but it is clear that it will have an impact on a
force’s ability to monitor terrorist activity.

Irrespective of what information is or isn’t held, the public entrust the
Police Service to make appropriate decisions with regard to their safety
and protection and the only way of reducing risk is to be cautious with
what is placed into the public domain.

The cumulative effect of terrorists gathering information from various
sources would be even more impactive when linked to other information
gathered from various sources about terrorism. The more information
disclosed over time will give a more detailed account of the tactical
infrastructure of not only a force area but also the country as a whole.

Any incident that results from such a disclosure would, by default, affect
National Security.

 

Section 31(1) Law Enforcement

Factors favouring complying with Section 1(1)(a) confirming that any other
information is held

Irrespective of what information may or may not be held, to confirm
information exists would lead to a better-informed public which may
encourage individuals to provide intelligence in order to reduce the risk
of firearms incidents occurring.

Factors against complying with Section 1(1)(a) neither confirming nor
denying that any other information is held

Confirmation or denial that information is held in this case would suggest
West Midlands Police take their responsibility to ensure specialised
officers are resourced dismissively and inappropriately.

Balancing test

The points above highlight the merits of confirming nor denying that
information exists. The Police Service is charged with enforcing the law,
preventing and detecting crime and protecting the communities we serve. As
part of that policing purpose, information is gathered which can be highly
sensitive relating to high profile investigative activity.

Weakening the mechanisms used to monitor any type of criminal activity,
and specifically terrorist activity would place the security of the
country at an increased level of danger.

In addition, anything that places that confidence at risk, no matter how
generic, would undermine any trust or confidence individuals have in the
Police Service. Therefore, at this moment in time, it is our opinion that
for these issues the balance test favours neither confirming nor denying
that any other information is held.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

For further information and data on West Midlands Police see our
publication scheme and disclosure log

 

[1]http://foi.west-midlands.police.uk/

 

RIGHT OF APPEAL

 

Your attention is drawn to your right to request a re-examination of your
case under West Midlands Police review procedure, which can be found at:

 

[2]http://foi.west-midlands.police.uk/revie...

 

Please note that such an appeal must be received within 40 working days of
the date of this correspondence. Any such request received after this time
will only be considered at the discretion of the FOI Unit.

 

 

If you require any further information, then please do not hesitate to
contact me.

 

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Susan Goddard| Freedom of Information Officer
Corporate Communications | West Midlands Police
T: 101 (ext. 801 2068)

Working in partnership, making communities safer

[3]If it’s not 999, search WMP Online

[4]Description: Description: Description: Description: Description:
twitter icon [5]Description: Description: Description: Description:
Description: Instagram Icon [6]Description: Description: Description:
Description: Description: YouTube Icon [7]Description: Description:
Description: Description: Description: Facebook icon

 

This email is intended for the addressee only and may contain privileged
or confidential information. If received in error, please notify the
originator immediately. Any unauthorised use, disclosure, copying or
alteration of this email is strictly forbidden. Views or opinions
expressed in this email do not necessarily represent those of West
Midlands Police. All West Midlands Police email activity is monitored for
virus, racist, obscene, or otherwise inappropriate activity. No
responsibility is accepted by West Midlands Police for any loss or damage
arising in any way from the receipt or use of this email.

References

Visible links
1. http://foi.west-midlands.police.uk/
2. http://foi.west-midlands.police.uk/revie...
3. website
https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/
4. http://www.twitter.com/wmpolice
5. http://www.instagram.com/westmidlandspol...
6. http://www.youtube.com/westmidlandspolice
7. http://www.facebook.com/westmidlandspolice