Events related to planning of the commission of terrorism

Dear Gavin Chait

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 (FOIA) – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

The City of London (CoL) acknowledges receipt of your request for information of 19 March 2018.

Public authorities are required to respond to requests within the statutory timescale of 20 working days beginning from the first working day after they receive a request. The Act does not always require public authorities to disclose the information which they hold.

The FOIA applies to the CoL as a local authority, police authority and port health authority. The CoL is the local and police authority for the “Square Mile”, ie the historic City of London, and not for London as a whole. Please see the following page containing a link to a map (Explore the City), which shows the local authority area covered by the CoL:
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/maps/Pag....

The CoL does have some functions, including Port Health Authority functions, which extend beyond the City boundary. For further information please see: www.cityoflondon.gov.uk.

Yours sincerely,

Compliance (FOI)
Comptroller & City Solicitor’s Department
City of London
Tel: 020-7332 1243
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

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Dear Mr Chait,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 (FOIA) - INFORMATION REQUEST

Following your request of 19th March 2018, and our acknowledgement of the same day, the City of London Corporation (CoLC) responds as follows.

You asked for the following information on events related to terrorism - whether actually committed, or whether discovered and prevented - by the authority for each of the latest five years (e.g. if the latest available data are from 2016, then please provide data for years between 2011 and 2016):

- The total number of terrorism events which have occurred in the authority;
- The total number of terrorism events which have been prevented from occurring in the authority;
- The total number of terrorism events which were planned from properties physically located in the authority;
- The total number of terrorism events which were planned in any properties which were vacant, and untenanted (i.e. the events were planned by people who were squatting in the properties where they were conducting their planning)?
- The total number of terrorism events which were planned in commercial properties which were vacant, and untenanted (i.e. the events were planned by people who were squatting in the properties where they were conducting their planning)?

You said that authority has already stated that it believes vacant properties are a risk for the commission of terrorism, and it is in the public interest to know to what extent that risk is validated by the actual data.

We noted that you were simply asking for the high-level numbers, no methodology or specifics are required in our response.

In relation to the first of your queries, beyond the recent terrorist attack on 3rd June 2017 which began on London Bridge (i.e. within the City of London’s boundaries) and progressed into Borough Market, the City of London Corporation does not hold any records of any terrorist attacks taking place within its boundaries for the period since 2011. The Corporation also has no records of any wider ‘events’ that could be interpreted as coming under your definition for this period.

With regard to the further questions you raise, in accordance with section 1(1)(a) of the FOIA, the City of London Corporation confirms that it does not hold the information you have requested (including in its capacity as a police authority).

The City of London Corporation is the local authority and police authority for the ‘Square Mile’, i.e. the historic City of London. Please see the following page containing a link to a map (Explore the City), which shows the local and police authority area covered by the CoLC:
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/maps/Pag....

Nevertheless, the CoLC as a local authority and police authority is, in accordance with the FOIA, legally a separate body from the City of London Police for the purpose of compliance with the FOIA.

You may wish to contact the City of London Police with regards to your request. The FOI email address for the City of London Police is: [email address]

If you wish to make a complaint about the way the City of London Corporation has managed your enquiry, please make your complaint in writing to email address: [email address]; or by post to: Complaints Officer, Town Clerk's Department, City of London, Guildhall, London, EC2P 2EJ. In accordance with guidance published by the Information Commissioner’s Office, the CoLC aims to respond to a complaint within 20 working days from the first working day after a complaint is received.

If, having complained to the CoLC, you are still dissatisfied, you may request the Information Commissioner to investigate. The Information Commissioner is a Crown appointment, responsible for monitoring compliance with the FOIA. Please contact: Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Telephone: (01625) 545700. Website: www.ico.org.uk.

The FOIA applies to the CoLC as a local authority, police authority and port health authority.

The City of London Corporation holds the copyright in this communication. The supply of it does not give you a right to re-use them in a way that would infringe that copyright, for example, by making copies, publishing and issuing copies to the public or to any other person. Brief extracts of any of the material may be reproduced under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (sections 29 and 30) for the purposes of research for non-commercial purposes, private study, criticism, review and news reporting, subject to an acknowledgement of the copyright owner.

Yours sincerely,

Police Authority,
Town Clerk’s Department
City of London Corporation
Tel: 020 7332 1971

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