Number of unreasonable complainants

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

Dear Metropolitan Police Service (MPS),

With reference to your unreasonable complainants policy can you please provide me the following information;

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/m...

1. How many unreasonable complainants have the Metropolitan police applied restrictions as per the policy

2. Please provide the number of individuals subjected to this unreasonable complainants policy as an annual figure going back 5 yr period.

3. How many people are currently still subject to restrictions as per the policy to date?

Yours faithfully,

Mr Paul Andrews

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Dear Mr Andrews

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2014060001391

I write in connection with your request for information which was received
by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 12/06/2014.  I note you seek
access to the following information:

* With reference to your unreasonable complainants policy can you please
provide me the following information;
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/m...
1. How many unreasonable complainants have the Metropolitan police
applied restrictions as per the policy 2. Please provide the number of
individuals subjected to this unreasonable complainants policy as an
annual figure going back 5 yr period. 3. How many people are currently
still subject to restrictions as per the policy to date?

Your request will now be allocated to the relevant unit within the MPS and
will be processed in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000
(the Act).  

You will receive your response directly from the relevant unit within the
statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Act.  

In some circumstances the MPS 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.

COMPLAINT RIGHTS

Your attention is drawn to the attached sheet, which details your right of
complaint.

If you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please contact
us at [email address] or on the phone at 0207 161 3500, quoting the
reference number above.  Should your enquiry relate to the logging or
allocations process we will be able to assist you directly and where your
enquiry relates to other matters (such as the status of the request) we
will be able to pass on a message and/or advise you of the relevant
contact details.

Yours sincerely

Peter Deja
Logging and Allocations Team
Public Access Office

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 the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to
review their decision.

Prior to lodging a formal complaint you are welcome to discuss the
response with the case officer who dealt with your request.  

Complaint

If you are dissatisfied with the handling procedures or the decision of
the MPS made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) regarding
access to information you can lodge a complaint with the MPS to have the
decision reviewed.

Complaints should be made in writing, within forty (40) working days from
the date of the refusal notice, and addressed to:

FOI Complaint
Public Access Office
PO Box 57192
London
SW6 1SF
[email address]

In all possible circumstances the MPS will aim to respond to your
complaint within 20 working days.

The Information Commissioner

After lodging a complaint with the MPS 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 www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.
 Alternatively, phone or write to:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone:  01625 545 700

Total Policing is the Met's commitment to be on the streets and in your
communities to catch offenders, prevent crime and support victims. We are
here for London, working with you to make our capital safer.

 

Consider our environment - please do not print this email unless
absolutely necessary.

NOTICE - This email and any attachments may be confidential, subject to
copyright and/or legal privilege and are intended solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and delete it from your system.  To avoid incurring
legal liabilities, you must not distribute or copy the information in this
email without the permission of the sender. MPS communication systems are
monitored to the extent permitted by law.  Consequently, any email and/or
attachments may be read by monitoring staff. Only specified personnel are
authorised to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of the MPS by
email. The MPS accepts no responsibility for unauthorised agreements
reached with other employees or agents.  The security of this email and
any attachments cannot be guaranteed. Email messages are routinely scanned
but malicious software infection and corruption of content can still occur
during transmission over the Internet. Any views or opinions expressed in
this communication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

 

Find us at:

Facebook: Facebook.com/metpoliceuk
Twitter: @metpoliceuk

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Dear Mr Andrews

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2014060001391

I write in connection with your request for information which was received
by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 12/06/2014.  I note you seek
access to the following information:

With reference to your unreasonable complainants policy can you please
provide me the following information;
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/m...

1. How many unreasonable complainants have the Metropolitan police applied
restrictions as per the policy

2. Please provide the number of individuals subjected to this unreasonable
complainants policy as an annual figure going back 5 yr period.

3. How many people are currently still subject to restrictions as per the
policy to date? .

This letter is to inform you that it will not be possible to respond to
your request within the cost threshold. The information you have requested
is held on a 'rolling list' so we are only able to give you a 'snapshot'
of what is currently recorded.   In order to research, identify, locate
and retrieve the information you have requested would require a manual
search of all personal records for over 48,000 staff.    We estimate that
the cost of complying with this request would exceed the appropriate
limit. The appropriate limit has been specified in regulations and for
agencies outside central Government; this is set at £450.00.   This
represents the estimated cost of one person spending 18 hours [at a rate
of £25 per hour] in determining whether the MPS holds the information, and
locating, retrieving and extracting the information.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts
as a Refusal Notice.

Section 17(5) of the Act provides:

(5) A public authority which, in relation to any request for information,
is relying on a claim that section 12 or 14 applies must, within the time
for complying with section 1(1), give the applicant a notice stating that
fact.

Section 12(1) of the Act provides:

(1) Section 1 does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request
for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with
the request would exceed the appropriate limit.

Section 16 of the Act provides:

(1) It shall be the duty of a public authority to provide advice and
assistance, so far as it would be reasonable to expect the authority to do
so, to persons who propose to make, or have made, requests for information
to it.

Under S16 I would like to provide you with the following information:-

1. How many unreasonable complainants have the Metropolitan police applied
restrictions as per the policy

This part of your request is refused under S12 of the Act. (See above).

2. Please provide the number of individuals subjected to this unreasonable
complainants policy as an annual figure going back 5 yr period.

This part of your request is refused under S12 of the Act. (See above).

3. How many people are currently still subject to restrictions as per the
policy to date? .

At the time of writing this response the MPS currently have 6 people
subject to restrictions under this policy.

The MPS is committed to delivering a professional service of the highest
standard to the public and expects its employees to conduct themselves
professionally, ethically and with the utmost integrity at all times.  Any
instance where the conduct of our staff brings the MPS into disrepute is
treated extremely seriously by the MPS.

This notice concludes your request for information. I would like to take
this opportunity to thank you for your interest in the MPS.

COMPLAINT RIGHTS

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

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write
or contact Margaret Bunker on telephone number 02071616511 quoting the
reference number above.

Yours sincerely

Margaret Bunker
Information Manager
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 the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to
review their decision.

Prior to lodging a formal complaint you are welcome to discuss the
response with the case officer who dealt with your request.  

Complaint

If you are dissatisfied with the handling procedures or the decision of
the MPS made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) regarding
access to information you can lodge a complaint with the MPS to have the
decision reviewed.

Complaints should be made in writing, within forty (40) working days from
the date of the refusal notice, and addressed to:

FOI Complaint
Public Access Office
PO Box 57192
London
SW6 1SF
[email address]

In all possible circumstances the MPS will aim to respond to your
complaint within 20 working days.
The Information Commissioner

After lodging a complaint with the MPS 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 www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.
 Alternatively, phone or write to:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone:  01625 545 700

Total Policing is the Met's commitment to be on the streets and in your
communities to catch offenders, prevent crime and support victims. We are
here for London, working with you to make our capital safer.

 

Consider our environment - please do not print this email unless
absolutely necessary.

NOTICE - This email and any attachments may be confidential, subject to
copyright and/or legal privilege and are intended solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and delete it from your system.  To avoid incurring
legal liabilities, you must not distribute or copy the information in this
email without the permission of the sender. MPS communication systems are
monitored to the extent permitted by law.  Consequently, any email and/or
attachments may be read by monitoring staff. Only specified personnel are
authorised to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of the MPS by
email. The MPS accepts no responsibility for unauthorised agreements
reached with other employees or agents.  The security of this email and
any attachments cannot be guaranteed. Email messages are routinely scanned
but malicious software infection and corruption of content can still occur
during transmission over the Internet. Any views or opinions expressed in
this communication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

 

Find us at:

Facebook: Facebook.com/metpoliceuk

Twitter: @metpoliceuk

Dear Metropolitan Police Service (MPS),

You state that you are refusing this request claiming the 'cost threshold' would be exceeded.

You claim that you would have to search 'personal records' of your 48,000 staff to examine whether a member of public has been put on an unreasonable complainant sanction.

Could you please explain why these records are held on the files of individual members of the Metropolitan Police.

Yours faithfully,

Mr Paul Andrews

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Good morning Mr Andrews,

I apologise for the confusing response to your request for information regarding unreasonable complainants. This was because I initially interpreted your request as unreasonable 'complaints' and therefore responded with a cost exemption because the only way to establish unreasonable 'complaints' would be to search all staff records.

It should have read 'a search would need to be conducted on all complaints received which would far exceed 48,000 (number of staff) and therefore the cost exemption will still apply.

I have, under S16 of the Act (Duty to assist) given you a response on the current number of 'unreasonable complainants' which is 6. This information is held on a rolling list and we are therefore unable to give you historic figures.

I hope this clarifies your response and once again I apologise for the confusion.

Kind regards,
Margaret

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Dear Metropolitan Police Service (MPS),

Are you seriously suggesting that you do NOT hold a centralised list of people placed on the unreasonable complainant list?

And can you confirm that you do not retain HISTORIC copies of this list.

Please confirm the earliest date to which you are able to confirm the list relates to

i.e list creation date

Yours faithfully,

Mr Andrews

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Dear Mr Andrews,
I shall forward your further question to the Customer Complaints and Satisfaction Team to clarify what you are asking.

Kind regards,
Margaret

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