This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'Project Athena'.

K Kennedy
Information Rights
Bedfordshire Police Headquarters,
Woburn Road, Kempston,
Bedford, MK43 9AX

Email: xxx@xxxxx.xxx.xxxxxx.xx
        
23rd November 2017

Our Ref: FOI 2017/01088                                                       

By email only to: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx

Dear Mr Alan Wright

REQUEST UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 Ref No: FOI2017/01088 

I write in connection with your request for information received on 26th October. I note you seek access to the following information:

Could you please tell me the total cost to date to Cambridgeshire Police of joining Project Athena?
Could you please tell me the cost for this Financial Year (alternatively the total number of hours) of overtime incurred by Police Officers in relation to file preparation etc for Project Athena?


The Freedom of Information 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 information provision and a 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.

I can confirm that Cambridgeshire Constabulary does hold information relating to your request but in this case we have not yet reached a decision on where the balance of the public interest lies in respect of disclosure of the information requested. We estimate that it will take an additional 20 days to take a decision on where this balance lies. Therefore, we plan to let you have a response as soon as possible but at least before the 20 working days. I can assure you that every effort will be made to ensure an appropriate response will be made as soon as possible. If it appears that it will take longer than this to reach a conclusion, you will be kept informed.

In this case, as you would expect the information requested contains commercially sensitive data and I believe that the exemption given at Section 43 (2) Commercial Interests applies to some or all of the information you seek access to.
Section 43 (2) states that information is exempt if its disclosure under this Act would, or would likely to, prejudice commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it). Consideration has been given to the likelihood that the release of this information would prejudice commercial interests.
43 Commercial interests
(1) Information is exempt information if it constitutes a trade secret.
(2) Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely
to; prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it).
(3) The duty to confirm or deny does not arise if, or to the extent that, compliance with section 1(1)
(a) would, or would be likely to, prejudice the interests mentioned in subsection (2).

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 hope to have a response to you by 21 December 2017, but no longer than an additional 20 working days. I can assure you that every effort will be made to ensure an appropriate response will be made as soon as possible. If it appears that it will take longer than this to reach a conclusion, you will be kept informed.

May I apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Should you wish to discuss this matter please write or contact me quoting the reference above.


Yours sincerely




K Kennedy
Information Rights

Cambridgeshire Constabulary provides you the right to request an independent review of this response under its review procedure. If you require such a review you must notify us within two months from the date of this letter. After lodging a complaint with Cambridgeshire Constabulary if you are still dissatisfied with the decision you may make an application to the Information Commissioner. For information on how to make a complaint please visit their website at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/ or contact them on 0303 123 1113.