Freedom of Information Request 1068-16 
 
To whom it may concern, I wish to enquire using the FOIA for the overall cost of 
Operation Trafalgar, evidence based policing. The cost inclusive of: 
 
The studies with Cambridge Uni 
Training all frontline officers and PCSOs 
The cost of implementing it across the force (approximate pages printed for patrol 
plans to date) 
The cost of electronic devices trialled to date to monitor such patrols (inclusive of 
bluetooth beacons) 
The cost of staff on the project team, their numbers and respective pay grades 
(and ranks for members of the police force) 
and any other cost associated with the implementation of trafalgar. 
 
Any any emails relating to the success or failure of the project (that is emails that 
show the project in a positive or negative light). 
 
RESPONSE  
 
Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) places two duties on public 
authorities. Unless exemptions apply, the first duty at Section 1(1)(a) is to confirm or 
deny whether the information specified in a request is held. The second duty at Section 
1(1)(b) is to disclose information that has been confirmed as being held. Where 
exemptions are relied upon Section 17 of the FOIA requires that we provide the 
applicant with a notice which: 
 
a) states that fact  
b) specifies the exemption(s) in question and  
c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies. 
 
In relation your request for emails relating to the success or failure of the project, the 
following exemption applies: 
 
Section 12 - Exemption where cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit 
 
Section 12 of the FOIA provides an exemption from a public authority’s obligation to 
comply with a request for information where the cost of compliance is estimated to 
exceed the appropriate limit. 
 
In relation to your request regarding Operation Trafalgar, the information you have 
requested cannot be easily retrieved. We would need to access British Transport Police 
email accounts separately to identify any information relating to Operation Trafalgar.    
There are 5,500 email users and it is estimated that it would take approximately 5 hours 
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to search mailboxes and mail vaults for any emails relating to the success or failure of 
Operation Trafalgar (that is emails that show the project in a positive or negative light).   
Therefore, we estimate that it would take in excess of 25,000 hours to comply with this 
part of your request. 
 
It is estimated that the cost of providing you with the information is above the amount to 
which we are legally required to respond i.e. the cost of locating and retrieving the 
information exceeds the “appropriate level” as stated in the Freedom of Information 
(Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004. In the case of the police service, the 
appropriate limit is £450 which has been calculated to equate to a total of 18 hours of 
work. If any part of the request exceeds the fees limit then Section 12 applies to the 
whole request.  
 
This letter acts as a refusal notice under section 17(5) of the Freedom of Information Act 
2000. 
 
 
 
 
 
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