Firearms Enquiry Officer (FEO) policies and procedures

The request was successful.

Dear Humberside Police,

I understand a Firearms Enquiry Officer (“FEO”) may carry out personal visits to applicants' homes as part of the application process for firearms or shotgun licence, or explosives certificate, to ensure that they meet the legal requirements as to secure storage of the weapons or explosives.

I also understand a FEO may also make visits to the homes of licensed firearm owners, shooting clubs and registered firearm dealers to assess the security that the firearms are kept in and also investigate concerns reported to them.

Therefore, I would be most grateful if Humberside Police could provide full and complete copies of the following information to me:

- Policies and procedures relating to the roles and responsibilities of FEOs;
- Policies and procedures for FEOs undertaking personal visits to the premises of applicants, licensed firearm owners and registered firearm dealers; and
- Names and contact details of all FEO's including a brief description of the local areas they cover.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Yours faithfully,

Colin Webb

Information Compliance, Humberside Police

1 Attachment

Thank you for your email to the Information Compliance Unit – Humberside
Police.

 

If you are requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act,
you will receive a response within the statutory 20 working days.

 

If you are requesting information under Subject Access (The Data
Protection Act) you will receive a response within the statutory 28 days.
Please note we require two forms of ID which show your name, date of
birth, current living address and a signature, for us to process your
application. 

 

We aim to respond to any other enquiries within 20 working days. Further
information on requesting information can be found on the following link -
[1]https://www.humberside.police.uk/your-ri....

 

If you are chasing up a submission, please note we are currently
experiencing a high volume of requests and we are working to respond as
soon as possible.

 

We appreciate your patience in the matter.

 

 

[2]Description: Description: Description:
cid:image001.png@01D52A70.2FA8E800

Internet Email should not be treated as a secure means of communication.
To ensure regulatory compliance Humberside Police monitors all Internet
Email activity and content. This communication is intended for the
addressee(s) only. Unauthorised use or disclosure of the content may be
unlawful. If you are not a named addressee, you must not disclose, copy,
print, or in any other way use or rely on the data contained in this
transmission. If received in error you should notify the sender
immediately and delete this Email Humberside Police routinely checks
e-mails for computer viruses. However addressees are advised to conduct
their own virus checks of all e-mails, & any attachments). Opinions
expressed in this document may not be official policy. Thank you for your
co-operation. Humberside Police

References

Visible links
1. https://www.humberside.police.uk/your-ri...

Dear Humberside Police,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Humberside Police's handling of my FOI request 'Firearms Enquiry Officer (FEO) policies and procedures'.

I have not received a response to my request which is a breach of the requirements of sections 1 and 10 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

For the above reason, I request an internal review is now carried out to provide a fair and thorough assessment of procedures and decisions taken by Humberside Police in relation to the Act following the receipt of my information request.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/f...

I also request a complete copy of the requested information is provided to me forthwith.

Yours faithfully,

Colin Webb

Information Compliance, Humberside Police

1 Attachment

Thank you for your email to the Information Compliance Unit – Humberside
Police.

 

If you are requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act,
you will receive a response within the statutory 20 working days.

 

If you are requesting information under Subject Access (The Data
Protection Act) you will receive a response within the statutory 28 days.
Please note we require two forms of ID which show your name, date of
birth, current living address and a signature, for us to process your
application. 

 

We aim to respond to any other enquiries within 20 working days. Further
information on requesting information can be found on the following link -
[1]https://www.humberside.police.uk/your-ri....

 

If you are chasing up a submission, please note we are currently
experiencing a high volume of requests and we are working to respond as
soon as possible.

 

We appreciate your patience in the matter.

 

 

[2]Description: Description: Description:
cid:image001.png@01D52A70.2FA8E800

Internet Email should not be treated as a secure means of communication.
To ensure regulatory compliance Humberside Police monitors all Internet
Email activity and content. This communication is intended for the
addressee(s) only. Unauthorised use or disclosure of the content may be
unlawful. If you are not a named addressee, you must not disclose, copy,
print, or in any other way use or rely on the data contained in this
transmission. If received in error you should notify the sender
immediately and delete this Email Humberside Police routinely checks
e-mails for computer viruses. However addressees are advised to conduct
their own virus checks of all e-mails, & any attachments). Opinions
expressed in this document may not be official policy. Thank you for your
co-operation. Humberside Police

References

Visible links
1. https://www.humberside.police.uk/your-ri...

Suddaby, Philip 9625, Humberside Police

Good afternoon Colin

Thank you for your email to Humberside Police Information Compliance Unit.

I trust you will understand that we as a team always try to deliver replies to Freedom of Information requests to a high standard and on time. However there are occasions when circumstances beyond our control limit our ability to meet the deadline. Currently one factor that is influencing this is the sheer volume of requests that are coming in.

However I have looked into this case to see where it currently stands and in the absence of a formal reply hope to be able to give you something to be going on.

As you rightly say Humberside Police try and comply with the ICO guidance to turn round requests such as yours in 20 working days. This 20 working days DOES NOT include Saturdays and Sunday's

I note from our file that your request is actually due a reply today and is therefore not in breach of any of the guidelines as you claim.

I have spoken with the with the officer allocated the your request and am assured that work is currently being undertaken to get a reply to you before midnight tonight.

I trust you will find this acceptable and hope my explanation of how the time frames are calculated assists.

Many thanks for your enquiry

Phil Suddaby
Information Compliance Unit

show quoted sections

Livingston, Adele 9353, Humberside Police

3 Attachments

Our Ref:F-2019-02292

07 October, 2019

Dear Mr. Webb,

Thank you for your request for information dated 09 September, 2019 concerning; Firearms Enquiry Officer.

This is to inform you that all information relating to your request has been considered and a relevant response has been attached.

Should any further information be requested regarding this topic, a separate request will need to be submitted.

If I can be of any further assistance on this matter please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Adele Livingston
Information Compliance Officer

Internet Email should not be treated as a secure means of communication. To ensure regulatory compliance Humberside Police monitors all Internet Email activity and content. This communication is intended for the addressee(s) only. Unauthorised use or disclosure of the content may be unlawful. If you are not a named addressee, you must not disclose, copy, print, or in any other way use or rely on the data contained in this transmission. If received in error you should notify the sender immediately and delete this Email Humberside Police routinely checks e-mails for computer viruses. However addressees are advised to conduct their own virus checks of all e-mails, & any attachments). Opinions expressed in this document may not be official policy. Thank you for your co-operation. Humberside Police

Dear Humberside Police,

Thank you for your response.

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Humberside Police's handling of my FOI request 'Firearms Enquiry Officer (FEO) policies and procedures'.

My request states:

“Therefore, I would be most grateful if Humberside Police could provide full and complete copies of the following information to me:

- Policies and procedures relating to the roles and responsibilities of FEOs;”

Unfortunately, I have not received a response to this specific element of my request.

One of the documents I received from Humberside Police concerning the role requirement of a Firearms Licensing Officer states:

“Ability to make day to day decisions on administrative and operational matters in accordance with the relevant policy procedures and legislation.

Consults with and assists the Firearms Licensing Manager in the implementation of the administrative policies and procedures pertaining to Firearms and Explosives.”

This document from Humberside Police refers to policies and procedures relating to the roles and responsibilities of FEOs and is therefore evidence that such policies and procedures are held by your organisation.

Once again, I would be most grateful if Humberside Police could provide full and complete copies of those policies and procedures to me.

My request also states:

“Therefore, I would be most grateful if Humberside Police could provide full and complete copies of the following information to me:

- Names and contact details of all FEO's including a brief description of the local areas they cover.”

In response, Humberside Police state:

“3. 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 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.

It has been determined to provide staff member names, direct contact details and areas they cover within their employment would identify living individuals. Therefore section 40(2) of the Act is engaged. As section 40(2) is an absolute exemption there is no requirement for me to conduct a public interest test. However, I am satisfied that disclosure would breach the 1st principle of the Data Protection Act – fair and lawful processing.”

Within same document concerning the role requirement of a Firearms Licensing Officer, it also states:

“3. Visits applicants who apply for the grant and renewal of explosive certificates and licenses.

6. Provides technical and expert advice in relation to any correspondence, complaints and requests for information, from members of the public and external agencies/partnerships in relation to Firearms and Explosives, in accordance with Force policy and current legislation. Liaises with force solicitors, shooting organisations, other forces, the Home Office and other relevant partnership agencies.

10. Represents the Force at Regional Firearms meetings and National Conferences.

14. Ensures changes in legislation relating to Firearms and Explosives are implemented within the appropriate timescales, ensuring that all certificate holders and members of the public are notified of the relevant changes.”

Clearly, FEOs at Humberside Police are representing the Firearms Licensing Unit in respect of its external functions and therefore they have a public facing role.

Guidance from the ICO states:

“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 your organisation.”

In view of this guidance from the ICO, police forces are now endorsing it by publicly displaying the contact names and telephone numbers of their FEOs together with details of the local areas they cover. The website links below are evidence of this:

https://northyorkshire.police.uk/what-we...

https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/our...

https://www.wiltshire.police.uk/article/...

https://www.lancashire.police.uk/contact...

https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/do...

Consequently, I would be most grateful if Humberside Police could now review their decision and provide a full and complete copy of the requested information pertaining to the names and contact details of all FEO's including a brief description of the local areas they cover.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/f...

Thank you for your cooperation.

Yours faithfully,

Colin Webb

Information Compliance, Humberside Police

1 Attachment

Thank you for your email to the Information Compliance Unit – Humberside
Police.

 

If you are requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act,
you will receive a response within the statutory 20 working days.

 

If you are requesting information under Subject Access (The Data
Protection Act) you will receive a response within the statutory 28 days.
Please note we require two forms of ID which show your name, date of
birth, current living address and a signature, for us to process your
application. 

 

We aim to respond to any other enquiries within 20 working days. Further
information on requesting information can be found on the following link -
[1]https://www.humberside.police.uk/your-ri....

 

If you are chasing up a submission, please note we are currently
experiencing a high volume of requests and we are working to respond as
soon as possible.

 

We appreciate your patience in the matter.

 

 

[2]Description: Description: Description:
cid:image001.png@01D52A70.2FA8E800

Internet Email should not be treated as a secure means of communication.
To ensure regulatory compliance Humberside Police monitors all Internet
Email activity and content. This communication is intended for the
addressee(s) only. Unauthorised use or disclosure of the content may be
unlawful. If you are not a named addressee, you must not disclose, copy,
print, or in any other way use or rely on the data contained in this
transmission. If received in error you should notify the sender
immediately and delete this Email Humberside Police routinely checks
e-mails for computer viruses. However addressees are advised to conduct
their own virus checks of all e-mails, & any attachments). Opinions
expressed in this document may not be official policy. Thank you for your
co-operation. Humberside Police

References

Visible links
1. https://www.humberside.police.uk/your-ri...

Information Compliance, Humberside Police

Good Morning Mr Webb,

I write in response to the below request for an Internal Review on FOI - 02292, there are no specific/formal policies or procedures in place for the FEO’s employed by Humberside Police. Therefore we do not have a Policy to provide.

Humberside Police currently employ 1 full time FEO and 2 further temporary FEO’s, none of whom, are responsible for any specific area. All enquiries are allocated on a pro rata basis. The FEO’s can be contacted by calling the Firearms Licensing Department 01482 220139 or see further details at https://www.humberside.police.uk/firearm... .

Please see below Officers -

FEO Ward 9490
FEO Abblett 9828
FEO Hellewell 8966

Kind Regards,

Ellie Marshall
Information Compliance Officer | Information Compliance Unit |Humberside Police |Ext: 6662

show quoted sections

Colin Webb left an annotation ()

13th December 2019
 
Case Reference Number FS50896208
 
Dear Sir/Madam

Your reference: F-2019-02292
Complaint from Colin Webb
 
The Information Commissioner has received a complaint from Colin Webb stating that he has not received a decision regarding the internal review he requested on 9 October 2019. See https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/f...
 
Guidance
 
The Commissioner has issued guidance regarding the time limits on carrying out internal reviews. The Commissioner considers that a reasonable time for completing an internal review is 20 working days from the date of the request for review, and in no case should the total time taken exceed 40 working days.
 
A full copy of this guidance is available on our website (www.ico.org.uk) under the Freedom of Information guidance section.
 
Enforcement
 
The Commissioner wants to ensure that a complainant has exhausted a public authority’s internal review procedure, but at the same time the complainant should not be unreasonably delayed in having their complaint considered under section 50.
 
Internal reviews are referred to in the section 45 Code of Practice, and significant or repeated unreasonable delays in dealing with internal reviews will be monitored by the Enforcement team. In some instances regulatory action may be necessary.
 
Our Regulatory Action Policy is available on our website here:
 
https://ico.org.uk/media/about-the-ico/d...
 
Actions
 
If it is the case that you have not issued an internal review decision to Colin Webb we recommend that you do so within 20 working days from the date of receipt of this letter.
 
If you have, in fact, already responded to Colin Webb, and believe that your response should already have been received we would recommend you contact him to confirm receipt if you have not already done so. 
 
If you need to contact us about this complaint I can be contacted on the number below. Please quote the reference number at the top of this letter.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Michael Lea
Case Officer
Information Commissioner’s Office
Direct telephone: 0330 313 1641
 
For information about what we do with personal data see our privacy notice