Dear Sean

Our Ref:  GSA  573/14
I write in connection with your request for information dated 22/02/14
which was received by Greater Manchester Police on 24/02/14.    I note you
require access to the following information:

As per email below

Your request will now be considered in accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (the Act). You will receive a response within the
statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Act, subject to
the information not being exempt or containing a reference to a third
party.
In some circumstances Greater Manchester Police may be unable to achieve
this deadline.  If this is likely you will be informed and given a revised
time-scale at the earliest opportunity.
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 choose not to make payment then your request will remain
unanswered.

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 inquiries concerning this matter, please write
or contact the Information Compliance & Records Management Unit, on
telephone number 0161 856 2529

Kind regards

Information Compliance & Records Management Unit

From: Sean Moran <[FOI #198996 email]>
To: FOI requests at Greater Manchester Police
<[Greater Manchester Police request email]>
Date: 22/02/2014 23:54
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Greater Manchester Police And
Proscribed Organisations

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Greater Manchester Police,

Please provide me with the following information as per a Freedom Of
Information Act Request:

Which of the following organisations/Political Parties are proscribed for
Greater Manchester Police Officers and/or Police Community Support
Officers to be members of?

1. British National Party (British)
2. Labour Party (British)
3. Liberal Democrat Party (British)
4. Conservative Party (British)
5. Green Party (British)
6. Monster Raving Loony Party (British)
7. Scottish National Party (Scottish)
8. Communist Party Of Great Britain (British)
9. Cymru Plaid (Welsh)
10.Sinn Fein Party (Irish)
11.Fine Gael (Irish Republic)
12.Fianna Fáil (Irish Republic)
13.Workers' Party (Irish Republic)
14.Unite Against Fascism (British)
15.Manchester Anti-Fascist Action (British)
16.Anti-Fascist Action (British)
17.Unite Union (British)
18.Solidarity Union (British)
19.Anti-Nazi League (British)
20.Paedophile Information Exchange (British)
21.Paedophile Action for Liberation (British)
22.Muslim Brotherhood (Global)
23.Al-Qaeda (Global)
24.Taliban (Afghanistan)
25.New Black Panthers (USA)
26.American Revolutionary Party (USA)
27.Cuban Communist Party (Cuba)
28.Golden Dawn (Greece)
29.Socialist Workers'Party (Britain)
30.Sicilian Mafia (Sicilly/Global)
31.Mossad Israeli Secret Sevice (Israel/Global)
32.Central Intelligence Agency (USA/Global)
33.United Kingdom Independence Party (British)
34.English Defence League (English)
35.National Front (British)
36.Scottish Defence League (Scottish)
37.Welsh Defence League (Welsh)

Yours faithfully,

Sean Moran

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #198996 email]

Is [Greater Manchester Police request email] the wrong address for Freedom of
Information requests to Greater Manchester Police? If so, please contact
us using this form:
[1]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/cont...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
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If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
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-------------------------------------------------------------------

To contact the police in an emergency call 999 or to contact Greater
Manchester Police for a less urgent matter call 101.
For the latest news and information about your Neighbourhood Policing Team
visit www.gmp.police.uk. You can also follow us on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/gmpolice or find us on Facebook:
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YouTube: www.youtube.com/gmpolice

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Dear Mr Sean Moran,

Please see attached response.

Regards

Caroline Barker
Information Compliance and Records Management Unit
Information Services Branch - Business Operations
Greater Manchester Police
c/o Openshaw Complex, Lawton Street, Manchester M11 2NS

External Tel: 0161 856 2532
Internal Extension: 62532
email: [1][email address]

From: Sean Moran <[FOI #198996 email]>
To: FOI requests at Greater Manchester Police
<[Greater Manchester Police request email]>
Date: 22/02/2014 23:54
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Greater Manchester Police And
Proscribed Organisations

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Greater Manchester Police,

Please provide me with the following information as per a Freedom Of
Information Act Request:

Which of the following organisations/Political Parties are proscribed for
Greater Manchester Police Officers and/or Police Community Support
Officers to be members of?

1. British National Party (British)
2. Labour Party (British)
3. Liberal Democrat Party (British)
4. Conservative Party (British)
5. Green Party (British)
6. Monster Raving Loony Party (British)
7. Scottish National Party (Scottish)
8. Communist Party Of Great Britain (British)
9. Cymru Plaid (Welsh)
10.Sinn Fein Party (Irish)
11.Fine Gael (Irish Republic)
12.Fianna Fáil (Irish Republic)
13.Workers' Party (Irish Republic)
14.Unite Against Fascism (British)
15.Manchester Anti-Fascist Action (British)
16.Anti-Fascist Action (British)
17.Unite Union (British)
18.Solidarity Union (British)
19.Anti-Nazi League (British)
20.Paedophile Information Exchange (British)
21.Paedophile Action for Liberation (British)
22.Muslim Brotherhood (Global)
23.Al-Qaeda (Global)
24.Taliban (Afghanistan)
25.New Black Panthers (USA)
26.American Revolutionary Party (USA)
27.Cuban Communist Party (Cuba)
28.Golden Dawn (Greece)
29.Socialist Workers'Party (Britain)
30.Sicilian Mafia (Sicilly/Global)
31.Mossad Israeli Secret Sevice (Israel/Global)
32.Central Intelligence Agency (USA/Global)
33.United Kingdom Independence Party (British)
34.English Defence League (English)
35.National Front (British)
36.Scottish Defence League (Scottish)
37.Welsh Defence League (Welsh)

Yours faithfully,

Sean Moran

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #198996 email]

Is [Greater Manchester Police request email] the wrong address for Freedom of
Information requests to Greater Manchester Police? If so, please contact
us using this form:
[2]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/cont...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[3]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

To contact the police in an emergency call 999 or to contact Greater
Manchester Police for a less urgent matter call 101.
For the latest news and information about your Neighbourhood Policing Team
visit www.gmp.police.uk. You can also follow us on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/gmpolice or find us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/GtrManchesterPolice , Flickr: www.flickr.com/gmpolice1 or
YouTube: www.youtube.com/gmpolice

You can find your local policing team on social media at
www.gmp.police.uk/socialmedia.
Download our smartphone app from the App Store or Google Play
www.gmp.police.uk/apps

This e mail carries a disclaimer, a copy of which may be read at:
   
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References

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Dear Sean Moran,

Sorry for the delay in providing you with a response to the additional
question that you specified on 25/03/14, unfortunately we have been
awaiting a response from GMP's Professional Standards Branch.

Please note that the information you specified on the 25/03/14 has been
processed as an additional question under your original request
(GSA573/14).

The below is the response from GMP's Professional Standards Branch:

In addition the regulations require that a member of a police force should
at all times abstain from any activity which is likely to interfere with
the impartial discharge of.. duties, or which is likely to give rise to
the impression amongst members of the public that it may so interfere.

Although these are the only formal prohibitions officers and staff have to
abide by the Standards of Professional Behaviour and Police Conduct
Regulations for police officers and the GMP Police Staff Discipline
Policy.  

Kind regards

Caroline Barker
Information Compliance and Records Management Unit
Information Services Branch - Business Operations
Greater Manchester Police
c/o Openshaw Complex, Lawton Street, Manchester M11 2NS

From: Sean Moran <[FOI #198996 email]>
To: FOI requests at Greater Manchester Police
<[Greater Manchester Police request email]>
Date: 27/04/2014 10:02
Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Greater
Manchester Police And Proscribed Organisations

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Greater Manchester Police,

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

I am writing to request an internal review of Greater Manchester Police's
handling of my FOI request 'Greater Manchester Police And Proscribed
Organisations'.

This request is long overdue so please respond as soon as possible.

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

Yours faithfully,

Sean Moran

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #198996 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[2]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

To contact the police in an emergency call 999 or to contact Greater
Manchester Police for a less urgent matter call 101.
For the latest news and information about your Neighbourhood Policing Team
visit www.gmp.police.uk. You can also follow us on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/gmpolice or find us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/GtrManchesterPolice , Flickr: www.flickr.com/gmpolice1 or
YouTube: www.youtube.com/gmpolice

You can find your local policing team on social media at
www.gmp.police.uk/socialmedia.
Download our smartphone app from the App Store or Google Play
www.gmp.police.uk/apps

This e mail carries a disclaimer, a copy of which may be read at:
   
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Dear Mr Moran

with reference to your email dated 02.05.14 in which you state:

"Would it be possible to simply answer my very simple question clearly
please?"

Greater Manchester Police, GMP, has now concluded its internal review into
your requests.  

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides the general right of access
to information held (i.e. recorded) by a public authority at the time of
request, subject to the engagement of any exemption set by the Act.
 Should an exemption be engaged that must be communicated to the requester
and the Public Interest Test demonstrated if applicable.  The Act does not
obligate public authorities to respond to requests seeking opinion.

Your first request was received by GMP on 24th Feb 2014 and sought
information on the following:

"Which of the following organisations/Political Parties are proscribed for
Greater Manchester Police Officers and/or Police Community Support
Officers to be members of?

1. British National Party (British)
2. Labour Party (British)
3. Liberal Democrat Party (British)
4. Conservative Party (British)
5. Green Party (British)
6. Monster Raving Loony Party (British)
7. Scottish National Party (Scottish)
8. Communist Party Of Great Britain (British)
9. Cymru Plaid (Welsh)
10.Sinn Fein Party (Irish)
11.Fine Gael (Irish Republic)
12.Fianna Fáil (Irish Republic)
13.Workers Party (Irish Republic)
14.Unite Against Fascism (British)
15.Manchester Anti-Fascist Action (British)
16.Anti-Fascist Action (British)
17.Unite Union (British)
18.Solidarity Union (British)
19.Anti-Nazi League (British)
20.Paedophile Information Exchange (British)
21.Paedophile Action for Liberation (British)
22.Muslim Brotherhood (Global)
23.Al-Qaeda (Global)
24.Taliban (Afghanistan)
25.New Black Panthers (USA)
26.American Revolutionary Party (USA)
27.Cuban Communist Party (Cuba)
28.Golden Dawn (Greece)
29.Socialist WorkersParty (Britain)
30.Sicilian Mafia (Sicilly/Global)
31.Mossad Israeli Secret Sevice (Israel/Global)
32.Central Intelligence Agency (USA/Global)
33.United Kingdom Independence Party (British)
34.English Defence League (English)
35.National Front (British)
36.Scottish Defence League (Scottish)
37.Welsh Defence League (Welsh)"

GMPs response, dated 24th March 2014 confirmed that the information sought
could be located within the following link:

[1]https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...

Within the above response GMP did not provide you with a section 17 notice
advising the information was exempt nor specified the exemption - in this
case the applicable exemption is section 21 Information reasonably
Accessible by Other Means.  I apologise for this omission.  Section 21 is
an absolute exemption, therefore GMP is not obligated to demonstrate the
Public Interest Test.  

You then submitted another request dated 24th March 2014 seeking the
following information:

"Can you please confirm Greater Manchester Police have no restrictions on
officers and/or support staff being members of any of the groups/political
parties listed apart from the National Front and the British National
Party?  And are therefore quite free to join/belong/support all the other
groups/political parties listed?"

GMP responded to the additional request with the following information
(taken from the Police Regulations and comments by Professional Standards
Branch):

In addition the regulations require that a member of a police force should
at all times abstain from any activity which is likely to interfere with
the impartial discharge of.. duties, or which is likely to give rise to
the impression amongst members of the public that it may so interfere.

Although these are the only formal prohibitions officers and staff have to
abide by the Standards of Professional Behaviour and Police Conduct
Regulations for police officers and the GMP Police Staff Discipline
Policy.  
In compliance with section 16 - the duty to provide advice and assistance
- of the Act and in response to your request for internal review, I can
confirm that GMP holds no additional information relevant to the specifics
of your request, and as described above GMP is not obligated to provide
opinion.

The Police Regulations 2003
 [2]http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/...  and  Annex AA
[3]https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
apply nationally and to all members of all police services.  Additionally
you may find The Police (Conduct) Regulations 2012 useful
 [4]http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/...

I trust this is satisfactory however should you be unsatisfied with the
outcome of this internal review, i.e. information not held, then you have
the right to approach the Information Commissioners Office
[5]www.ico.gov.uk for further assistance.

kind regards

Philip

Philip Humphreys
Information Compliance & Records Management Unit
Greater Manchester Police
Tel 0161 856 2529
Follow us on twitter @gmpolice

To contact the police in an emergency call 999 or to contact Greater
Manchester Police for a less urgent matter call 101.
For the latest news and information about your Neighbourhood Policing Team
visit www.gmp.police.uk. You can also follow us on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/gmpolice or find us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/GtrManchesterPolice , Flickr: www.flickr.com/gmpolice1 or
YouTube: www.youtube.com/gmpolice

You can find your local policing team on social media at
www.gmp.police.uk/socialmedia.
Download our smartphone app from the App Store or Google Play
www.gmp.police.uk/apps

This e mail carries a disclaimer, a copy of which may be read at:
   
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References

Visible links
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3. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
4. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/...
5. file:///tmp/www.ico.gov.uk