Current Officer Collar Numbers and Names

S Rhosier made this Freedom of Information request to West Mercia Police This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was refused by West Mercia Police.

West Mercia Police

Please provide a complete list of all current police officers, to include:

Collar/Badge Number
Surname
Forename
Grade

S Rhosier

Information Compliance, West Mercia Police

Dear Sir or Madam

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO:  16542

 

I write in connection with your request for information which was received
on 18^th May 2020.  Your request will now be considered in accordance with
the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”).

 

We will aim to provide a response to your request within 20 working days
as stipulated by the Act.  Please note that there may be unavoidable
delays when making information rights requests during the COVID-19
pandemic.  We are triaging and addressing requests in the following
order:  Subject access and then FOI requests.   Every effort will be made
to meet our statutory timescales for responding.  Thank you for your
understanding.

 

There may be a fee payable for the retrieval, collation and provision of
the information you request.  If this is the case you will be informed and
the 20 working day timescale will be suspended until we receive payment
from you.  If you chose not to make payment then your request will be
withdrawn.

 

Some requests may also require either full or partial transference to
another public authority in order to answer your query in the fullest
possible way.  Again, you will be informed if this is the case.

 

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please
contact the Information Compliance Unit quoting the reference number
above.

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Sue Cale

Information Compliance Administrator

Information Compliance Unit

 

Internal ext:  7772545

Direct Line 01905 331545

 

 

Information Compliance, West Mercia Police

Dear Sir or Madam

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 16542

I write in connection with your request for information which was received
on 18^th May 2020. Please find below the response to your request:

 

Please provide a complete list of all current police officers, to include:

 

Collar/Badge Number

Surname

Forename

Grade

             

Reply:-

 

Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires West Mercia
Police, when refusing to provide such information (because the information
is exempt) to provide you the applicant with a notice which: (a) states
that fact, (b) specifies the exemption in question and (c) states (if that
would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.

 

The exemption(s) applicable relating to your request are as follows:

 

 Section 31             Law Enforcement

 Section 38             Health and Safety

 Section 40 (2)       Personal Information

 

 

You have asked for a wide range of information to be disclosed in relation
to all

police officers employed within West Mercia Police. As you have requested
the information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 consideration
has to be given to the fact that the legislation is applicant blind. As a
result, any disclosure has to be treated as if it was being sent to the
public at large as opposed to a specific individual when considering the
harm in disclosure.

 

Section 31- Law Enforcement

 

Section 31 is a prejudice based, qualified exemption and there is a
requirement to articulate the harm that would be caused as well as
carrying out a public interest test.

 

Public Interest Test

 

The public interest is not what interests the public, but what will be of
greater good if released to the community as a whole. It is not in the
public interest to disclose information that may compromise West Mercia
Police’s ability to fulfil its core functions. Detailed information
pertaining to resources of all officers and

particularly any officers who are in a covert, undercover or operationally
sensitive

role are exempt from disclosure by virtue of Section’s 31 and 38 in
relation to the

safety of those officers in undercover roles and do not become public
knowledge.

With regard to all other officers in the force, ICO guidance provides
information on the reasonable expectations of the individual concerning
personal information being disclosed.

 

It states:

“It is reasonable to expect that you disclose more information about
senior public

authority employees than more junior ones. Senior employees should expect
their posts to carry a greater level of accountability, since they are
likely to be responsible for major policy decisions and the expenditure of
public funds. For example, a junior employee who is not accountable for
their submissions to a senior government minister has no expectation that
their name will be disclosed in response to an FOI request. Decision
notice FER0409841 upholds this stance.

However, the terms ‘senior’ and ‘junior’ are relative. It is not possible
to set an absolute level across the public sector below which personal
information is not released. It is always necessary to consider the nature
of the information and the responsibilities of the employee in question.
It may also be fair to release more information about employees who are
not senior managers but who represent your organisation to the outside
world, as a spokesperson or at meetings with other bodies. This implies
that the employee has some responsibility for explaining the policies or
actions of West Mercia Police. However, it does not apply simply because
an employee deals with enquiries from the public or sends out material
produced by others.”

 

West Mercia Police believe that officers at the rank of Superintendent or
above would reasonably expect to have information disclosed. I therefore
feel it is reasonable to disclose full names, collar numbers and ranks for
overt officers within the force in and above the rank of Superintendent.

 

Evidence of Harm

 

Under the Act, we cannot, and do not request the motives of any
application for

information. We have no doubt that the vast majority of requests made
under the

Act are legitimate. However, in disclosing information to one applicant,
we are expressing a willingness to provide it to anyone in the world. This
means that a disclosure to a genuinely interested and concerned person
automatically opens it up for a similar disclosure, including those who
would use the information to gain an advantage over the police.

 

In considering whether or not this information should be disclosed,
consideration

has been given to the potential harm that could be caused by disclosure.
Effective policing requires the active participation of a wide number of
officers and roles in order for it to be successful. If a disclosure was
made under the Act that provided information relating to all officers, any
officers who are in a covert, undercover or operationally sensitive role
would be exempt from disclosure by virtue of Section 31 & Section 38 in
relation to the safety of those officers in undercover roles. To release
this information into the public domain would therefore clearly impact on
our law enforcement capabilities.

 

Section 31 – Considerations favouring disclosure

 

There is a public interest in disclosure of the requested information as
it would

allow the public to discuss the total number of officers employed within
West Mercia Police and would therefore raise the Force’s accountability.
It would

also aid transparency and allow any failings to be discussed in the public
domain.

 

Section 31 – Considerations favouring non – disclosure

 

I am of the opinion that it is not in the public interest to disclose
sensitive

information that relates to total number of officers employed within this
Force. If

this was released into the public domain, it would allow those likeminded
to commit crime to be aware of our establishment figures. It would,
therefore, give them an added advantage should they wish to significantly
weaken our law enforcement capabilities.

 

Section 38 – Health and Safety

 

This exemption states that the information is applied where disclosure of
information would, or would be likely to endanger:

 

 The physical or mental health of any individual ;

 Or the safety of an individual

 

This exemption is both a qualified and prejudiced based exemption and as a
result I am required to evidence both the harm that disclosure would cause
as well as evidencing the public interest test.

 

Harm in disclosure

 

Any West Mercia Police officers who are in a covert, undercover or
operationally

sensitive role are exempt from disclosure by virtue of Sections 31 & 38 in
relation to the safety of those officers in these types of roles.

The information that you have requested, would if released, be placed in
the public domain for anyone to view. The nature of the information you
have requested in relation to every officer in West Mercia Police, their
rank, first and last names and grades makes it imperative that we consider
the safety and well-being of the individuals affected.

 

There is a real risk that if all the information that you requested was
released, it

would cause physical and/or mental harm to the families of officers,
especially in

covert and sensitive operational roles as well as any other members of the
public

who had a close connection to them.

 

Factors favouring disclosure

 

It could be argued that there is a public interest in its disclosure as it
would allow

the establishment figures to be discussed in a public forum.

 

Factors favouring non-disclosure

 

To disclose the information requested would cause unnecessary suffering
and is

personal and sensitive information to the officers to be discussed in the
public

domain. Although the fundamental role of the Freedom of Information Act
2000 is

to facilitate disclosure, the interests of the affected parties will
always be of

paramount importance especially with regards to the effect disclosure
would have on their physical and mental health. On this occasion I am
satisfied that harm would occur and it would not be in the affected
officer’s interest, or the public’s interest for disclosure of all the
information to occur on this occasion.

 

Section 40 – Personal Information

 

Section 40 (2) states the following

 

- (2) Any information to which a request for information relates

is exempt information if;

 

(a) it constitutes personal data

and

 

(3)(a) the disclosure of such information to a member of the public

would contravene (i) any of the data protection principles.

 

This exemption applies because the right given under the Act to request
official

information held by public authorities does not apply to personal data.
This

exemption is an absolute exemption and as a result I am not obliged to
consider the harm which disclosure would cause or to conduct a public
interest test.

To disclose the information that you have requested would identify
individuals to

whom the information relates. Disclosure would therefore breach the first
Data

Protection Principle, namely that information must be processed lawfully
and fairly. Section 40 exemption refers to officers of lowers ranks than
Superintendent.

 

 

Conclusion

 

I believe that on balance it is not in the public interest to release all
the information which you have requested on this occasion for the reasons
stated above. I appreciate that this is not the decision you had hoped for
but I must consider the wider position under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000 which I feel necessitates the need to refuse your request under
this legislation.

 

Names of Officers – Superintendent and above

 

Home Last Collar
Force Forename Name Number Rank/Grade
West
Mercia Temporary
Police Neil Austin 220022 Superintendent
West
Mercia Temporary
Police Stephen Owen 220033 Superintendent
West
Mercia
Police James Tozer 220080 Superintendent
West
Mercia Chief
Police Tom Harding 220836 Superintendent
West
Mercia Chief
Police Mark Travis 221294 Superintendent
West
Mercia
Police James Baker 221421 Superintendent
West
Mercia Chief
Police Anthony Bangham 221540 Constable
West
Mercia
Police Mark Loader 221859 Superintendent
West
Mercia
Police Melanie Crowther 222018 Superintendent
West
Mercia
Police Susan Thomas 222196 Superintendent
West
Mercia
Police Steph Brighton 222273 Superintendent
West
Mercia
Police Helena Bennett 222292 Superintendent
West
Mercia Temporary
Police Sarah Chaloner 222334 Superintendent
West
Mercia
Police Rebecca Love 223449 Superintendent
West Assistant
Mercia Chief
Police Geoffrey Wessell 2221222 Constable

 

 

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is as
accurate as possible

Your attention is drawn to the below which details your right of
complaint.

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write
or telephone the Information Compliance Unit quoting the reference number
above.

Yours sincerely

 

Ms V Lewis

Information Compliance Unit
West Mercia Police

PO Box 55

Hindlip

Worcester

WR3 8SP

01905 331545 / 331565

 

 

West Mercia Police in complying with their statutory duty under sections 1
and 11 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to release the enclosed
information 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 The Force Solicitor, West Mercia Police
Headquarters, PO Box 55, Hindlip, Worcester, WR3 8SP.

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 West Mercia Police (WMP) to review their
decision.

Prior to lodging a formal complaint you are welcome and encouraged to
discuss the decision with the person that dealt with your request.

Ask to have the decision looked at again -

The quickest and easiest way to have the decision looked at again is to
contact the person named at the end of your decision letter.

That person will be able to discuss the decision, explain any issues and
assist with any problems.

Complaint

If you are dissatisfied with the handling procedures or the decision of
WMP made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) regarding
access to information, you can lodge a complaint with WMP to have the
decision reviewed. WMP must be notified of your intention to complain
within 20 working days of the date of its response to your Freedom of
Information request. Complaints should be made in writing and addressed
to:

West Mercia Police Headquarters

Information Compliance Unit

Hindlip Hall

Hindlip

PO Box 55

Worcester

WR3 8SP

or

Email:  [West Mercia Police request email]

In all possible circumstances, WMP will aim to respond to your complaint
within 20 working days.

The Information Commissioner

After lodging a complaint with WMP 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 https://ico.org.uk/ Alternatively phone or
write to:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Phone: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545745 if you prefer to use a
national rate number

Fax:    01625 524 510