AUCSO
Dear Cardiff Metropolitan University,
I would like to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
BACKGROUND
I understand your university is a member of the Association of University Chief Security Officers (AUCSO), which runs a Special Interest Group on Protest and Encampments/Protests and Assembly.
This FOI request will make reference to pro-Palestine protest activity, which I would like you to interpret as including but not limited to the following activities: encampments, chanting, gatherings and demonstrations, written or verbal comments and flyering.
QUESTIONS
Please provide:
1. Copies of all emails exchanged between your university staff*, AUCSO and other universities’ security teams since 1 October 2023 discussing Palestine protest activity on your campus, as well as copies of any documents/images attached to those emails or included in the body of the emails.
2. Copies of any and all guidance documents your university has received from AUSCO since 1 October 2023 in connection with pro-Palestine protest activity, including but not limited to anything addressing the following:
- Encampments
- Sharing data with police
- When to make Prevent referrals
- Sharing data with the Home Office
- Disciplinary action
3. A list of any and all meetings between AUCSO and any university staff* which have taken place at your university since 1 October 2023 to discuss Pro-Palestine protest activity.
4. For each of the meetings covered under the scope of question 3, please provide the:
A. The meeting agenda
B. The list of attendees and apologies
C. Meeting minutes
D. Any presentations shown at the meeting
E. Documents circulated during the meeting
5. Please provide copies of all emails sent and received by your university staff* and police since 17 May 2024 discussing Palestine protest activity on your campus, as well as copies of any documents/images attached to those emails or included in the body of the emails.
6. A list of any and all meetings between police and any university staff* which have taken place at your university since 17 May 2024 to discuss Pro-Palestine protest activity.
7. For each of the meetings covered under the scope of question 3, please provide the:
A. The meeting agenda
B. The list of attendees and apologies
C. Meeting minutes
D. Any presentations shown at the meeting
E. Documents circulated during the meeting
*A NOTE ON S12 COST EXEMPTION:
In regards to question 1-7 above, if it would exceed the cost limit to conduct searches for information held by all relevant university staff and departments who have emailed/met with police and AUCSO - then please restrict your searches to the systems/inboxes used by your university’s security team, the team responsible for student wellbeing/welfare and the senior leadership team including your Vice-Chancellor (or equivalent leadership position).
A NOTE ON S40 PERSONAL DATA EXEMPTION:
I understand some of the information covered under the scope of my request may need to be redacted for personal data. Please note that the domain addresses of the sender and recipients of all emails covered under the scope of my request (“@university.ac.uk” or “police.uk”) is not directly identifiable information and should be left unredacted so as to help promote an accurate understanding of who is the sender and recipient of each email (not their personal identity but which institution they represent).
In addition, the ICO has indicated that it is not appropriate for data controllers to redact the names of employees who perform “a role that involves decision-making for which the employee has accountability” (ICO Decision Notice FS50308752, 21 March 2011, at paras 52-57.) This would include all university staff (other than those performing a purely administrative role), and any public officials that they have been in correspondence with. I will, therefore, require your full written reasons in the event you consider you are entitled to redact the identifying information of any individuals, so that I may consider making a complaint to the Information Commissioner.
Yours faithfully,
Harriet Clugston
Annwyl Harriet Dear Harriet,
Diolch am eich cais am wybodaeth (o Thank you for your request for
dan Ddeddf Rhyddid Gwybodaeth 2000). information (under the Freedom of
Derbyniwyd eich cais ar 08.08.2024 a Information Act 2000). Your request
rhoddwyd y cyfeirnod canlynol iddo: was received on the 08.08.2024 and
RI2654. Defnyddiwch y cyfeirnod hwn has been given the following
ym mhob gohebiaeth yn y dyfodol os reference number: RI2654. Please use
gwelwch yn dda. Diolch. this reference number in all future
correspondence. Thank you.
Rydym yn ymdrechu i ymateb i’ch cais
yn brydlon, fodd bynnag, caniateir We endeavour to respond to your
inni gymryd hyd at 20 diwrnod gwaith request promptly, however we are
yn unol â’r Ddeddf – a’r diwrnod permitted, under the Act, to take up
cyntaf yw’r diwrnod gwaith cyntaf ar to 20 working days – the first day
ôl inni dderbyn y cais (nid yw hyn yn being the first working day after
cynnwys dyddiau Sadwrn, dyddiau Sul, the request is received (this does
Gwyliau Banc na Gwyliau Cyhoeddus). not include Saturdays, Sundays, Bank
Os na allwn gwrdd â’r terfyn amser Holidays or Public Holidays). If for
hwn am unrhyw reswm, byddwn yn rhoi any reason we are unable to meet
manylion llawn ichi am y this deadline we will keep you fully
rheswm/rhesymau pam na allwn wneud informed of the reason(s) why.
hynny.
If you have any queries about this
Os oes gennych unrhyw ymholiadau am y acknowledgement and/or your request,
neges gydnabod hon ac/neu eich cais, or if at any stage you are unhappy
neu os byddwch yn anfodlon â’r ffordd with the way in which your request
yr ydym yn delio â’ch cais ar unrhyw is being dealt with, please do not
bryd, mae croeso ichi gysylltu â ni hesitate to contact us by e-mail
trwy e-bost ([4][email address]).
([1][email address]).
Thank you very much.
Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Yours sincerely,
Yr eiddoch yn gywir,
Esther Steele
Esther Steele
Governance and Compliance Advisor
Ymgynghorydd Llywodraethu a
Chydymffurfiaeth Cardiff Metropolitan University
Prifysgol Metropolitan Caerdydd Western Avenue
Rhodfa’r Gorllewin Cardiff
Caerdydd Wales, UK
Cymru, DU CF5 2YB
CF5 2YB
Email: [5][email address]
E-bost: [2][email address]
[6]www.cardiffmet.ac.uk
[3]www.cardiffmet.ac.uk
Mae Met Caerdydd yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg a Saesneg a byddwn yn
sicrhau ein bod yn cyfathrebu â chi yn eich dewis iaith boed yn Gymraeg,
yn Saesneg neu’n ddwyieithog dim ond i chi roi gwybod i ni pa un sydd well
gennych. Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn creu unrhyw oedi.
Cardiff Met welcomes correspondence in English and Welsh and we will
ensure that we communicate with you in the language of your choice,
whether that’s English, Welsh or bilingual as long as you let us know
which you prefer. Corresponding in Welsh will not lead to any delay.
Dear Harriet,
Reference Number: RI2654.
Thank you for your request for information (under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000) regarding Cardiff Metropolitan University's
membership of the Association of University Chief Security Officers
(AUCSO), and AUCSO's Special Interest Group on Protest and
Encampments/Protests and Assembly.
To note: The University is a member of AUCSO, however, it is not a member
of the AUCSO Special Interest Group on Protests. As a result, the
University has not attended any meetings that have been held. Neither has
the University had any encampments on its campuses over the reporting
period.
1. Copies of all emails exchanged between your university staff*, AUCSO
and other universities’ security teams since 1 October 2023 discussing
Palestine protest activity on your campus, as well as copies of any
documents/images attached to those emails or included in the body of
the emails.
The University does not hold any such emails.
2. Copies of any and all guidance documents your university has received
from AUSCO since 1 October 2023 in connection with pro-Palestine protest
activity, including but not limited to anything addressing the following:
- Encampments
- Sharing data with police
- When to make Prevent referrals
- Sharing data with the Home Office
- Disciplinary action
The University doesn’t have any guidance documents as detailed above.
AUCSO does not dictate what the University does on its campuses - it can
be a repository for best practice but nothing more than that.
2. A list of any and all meetings between AUCSO and any university staff*
which have taken place at your university since 1 October 2023 to
discuss Pro-Palestine protest activity.
The University attended one meeting on the encampment movement (online) in
which the growing encampment movement was discussed by those impacted by
the phenomenon. The University did not comment as it did not have any
encampments at the time; neither did it throughout the duration of the
protests.
4. For each of the meetings covered under the scope of question 3, please
provide the:
A. The meeting agenda
B. The list of attendees and apologies
C. Meeting minutes
D. Any presentations shown at the meeting E. Documents circulated during
the meeting
The University has no information to share – the meeting described above
was a drop in because the movement was just beginning and not formal in
the sense of a minuted meeting.
5. Please provide copies of all emails sent and received by your
university staff* and police since 17 May 2024 discussing Palestine
protest activity on your campus, as well as copies of any documents/images
attached to those emails or included in the body of the emails.
The University does not hold any such emails.
6. A list of any and all meetings between police and any university staff*
which have taken place at your university since 17 May 2024 to discuss
Pro-Palestine protest activity.
The University has not had any such meetings.
7. For each of the meetings covered under the scope of question 3, please
provide the:
A. The meeting agenda
B. The list of attendees and apologies
C. Meeting minutes
D. Any presentations shown at the meeting E. Documents circulated during
the meeting
Not applicable.
If you are unhappy with the way in which your request has been dealt with
or with the outcome of the consideration given to your request, you may
ask for an Internal Review. If you are not content with the outcome of the
Internal Review you have the right to apply directly to the Information
Commissioner for a decision. Our procedure for carrying out Internal
Reviews can be found under the ‘Complaint’ section of [1]this document.
If you have any queries about this response or would like any further
information about your request, or the Freedom of Information Act in
general, please do not hesitate to contact us again by e-mail
([2][email address]).
Yours sincerely,
Esther Steele
Governance and Compliance Advisor / Ymgynghorydd Llywodraethu a
Chydymffurfiaeth
Cardiff Metropolitan University / Prifysgol Metropolitan Caerdydd
Western Avenue / Rhodfa’r Gorllewin
Cardiff / Caerdydd
Wales, UK / Cymru, DU
CF5 2YB
Email / E-bost: [3][email address]
[4]www.cardiffmet.ac.uk
Compliance Information on InSite:
[5]https://outlookuwicac.sharepoint.com/sit...
Mae Met Caerdydd yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg a Saesneg a byddwn yn
sicrhau ein bod yn cyfathrebu â chi yn eich dewis iaith boed yn Gymraeg,
yn Saesneg neu’n ddwyieithog dim ond i chi roi gwybod i ni pa un sydd well
gennych. Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn creu unrhyw oedi.
Cardiff Met welcomes correspondence in English and Welsh and we will
ensure that we communicate with you in the language of your choice,
whether that’s English, Welsh or bilingual as long as you let us know
which you prefer. Corresponding in Welsh will not lead to any delay.
Dear FOI Team,
Thank you very much for your helpful response.
May I just clarify - I note you are saying there was an online meeting with AUCSO but no emails exchanged. How was is possible that a Teams meeting occurred without any email exchanges to confirm the time, purpose of the meeting and share a link to access it? I would appreciate if you could double check you've not accidentally failed to provide any such emails which would fall under the scope of my request.
Yours sincerely,
Harriet Clugston
Hello Harriet,
I have asked the department which provided the information for clarification as per your email below. The response was as follows:
It wasn't a scheduled meeting in the sense that people's availability was sought or individuals specifically invited. It was a drop in for members if they wished to attend. The phenomenon of encampments was just beginning with several universities impacted at the time. If I recall correctly the day before a JISCMAIL was sent out to AUCSO members (I no longer have the email) inviting people to attend a Teams meeting if they wished to. Checking my Teams I can see that this was on 8 May 24.
I hope this helps.
Esther
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