Operation Townhouse - request for any documents held

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),

Can you please release all documents you hold relating to 'Operation Townhouse'. I understand that this was the project which managed the flow of information between C011 and Special Branch between 1998 and 1999.

Yours faithfully,

Chris Brian

Cyclops on behalf of Jagroop Kalsi, Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

1 Attachment

 

 

 

Official Sensitive

 

 

 

 

 

 

Information Rights Unit
PO Box 57192
  London
SW6 1SF
  United Kingdom

  Our Ref: 01/FOI/19/002884

  Date: 21/06/2019

   

 

 

 

Dear Sir

 

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 01/FOI/19/002884

I write in connection with your request for information which was received
by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 18/06/2019.  I note you seek
access to the following information:

 

Can you please release all documents you hold relating to 'Operation
Townhouse'. I understand that this was the project which managed the flow
of information between C011 and Special Branch between 1998 and 1999. 

 

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.  

 

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

 

 

 

Jagroop Kalsi

 

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

Information Rights Unit

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.ico.org.uk.  Alternatively, write to or
phone:

 

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Phone: 0303 123 1113

 

NOTICE - This email and any attachments are solely for the intended
recipient and may be confidential.  If you have received this email in
error, please notify the sender and delete it from your system.  Do not
use, copy or disclose the information contained in this email or in any
attachment without the permission of the sender.  Metropolitan Police
Service (MPS) communication systems are monitored to the extent permitted
by law and any email and/or attachments may be read by monitoring staff. 
Only specified personnel are authorised to conclude binding agreements on
behalf of the MPS by email and no responsibility is accepted for
unauthorised agreements reached with other personnel.  While reasonable
precautions have been taken to ensure no viruses are present in this
email, its security and that of any attachments cannot be guaranteed.

 

Dear Cyclops on behalf of Jagroop Kalsi,

I note that the time period in which you are legally obliged to respond to my request has now lapsed. Please respond forthwith.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Brian

Dear Metropolitan Police Service (MPS),

I note the time period in which you are legally obliged to respond to the above request has lapsed. Please do so at the earliest opportunity.

Yours faithfully,

Chris Brian

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Good Morning Mr Brian,

Thank you for your email.

I have contacted the information manager who is currently dealing with your request to update you.

He will contact you directly, his name is Mr O'Shea.

Kind Regards,

Fionna

show quoted sections

Cyclops on behalf of Paul O'Shea, Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

1 Attachment

    Official Sensitive

 

 

 

Information Rights Unit
PO Box 57192
London
SW6 1SF
  United Kingdom

  Our Ref: 01/FOI/19/002884

  Date: 18/07/2019

 

 

 

 

Dear  Mr Brian

 

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 01/FOI/19/002884

 

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

 

Can you please release all documents you hold relating to 'Operation
Townhouse'. I understand that this was the project which managed the flow
of information between C011 and Special Branch between 1998 and 1999.

 

I am sorry to inform you that we have not been able to complete our
response to your request by the date originally stated. 

 

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act), we have 20 working
days to respond to a request for information unless we are considering
whether the information requested is covered by one of the 'qualified
exemptions' (exemptions which must be tested against the public interest
before deciding whether they apply to the information in question). 

 

Where we are considering the public interest test against the application
of relevant qualified exemptions, Section 17(2)(b) provides that we can
extend the 20 day deadline.  Please see the legal annex for further
information on this section of the Act.

 

For your information we are considering the following exemption:

 

 Section 31 Law Enforcement

 

I can now advise you that the amended date for a response is 12/08/2019

 

May I apologise for any inconvenience caused.

 

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please
contact me on  or via email at Paul.D.O'[email address], quoting the
reference number above.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Paul O'Shea

 

LEGAL ANNEX

 

Section 17(2) provides:

 

(2) Where- 

 

a) in relation to any request for information, a public authority is, as
respects any information, relying on a claim- 

i) that any provision of Part II which relates to the duty to confirm or
deny and is not specified in section 2(3) is relevant to the request, or 

ii) that the information is exempt information only by virtue of a
provision not specified in section 2(3), and 

b) at the time when the notice under subsection (1) is given to the
applicant, the public authority (or, in a case falling within section
66(3) or (4), the responsible authority) has not yet reached a decision as
to the application of subsection (1)(b) or (2)(b) of section 2, 

the notice under subsection (1) must indicate that no decision as to the
application of that provision has yet been reached and must contain an
estimate of the date by which the authority expects that such a decision
will have been reached.

 

 
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

Information Rights Unit

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.ico.org.uk.  Alternatively, write to or
phone:

 

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Phone:  0303 123 1113

 

NOTICE - This email and any attachments are solely for the intended
recipient and may be confidential.  If you have received this email in
error, please notify the sender and delete it from your system.  Do not
use, copy or disclose the information contained in this email or in any
attachment without the permission of the sender.  Metropolitan Police
Service (MPS) communication systems are monitored to the extent permitted
by law and any email and/or attachments may be read by monitoring staff. 
Only specified personnel are authorised to conclude binding agreements on
behalf of the MPS by email and no responsibility is accepted for
unauthorised agreements reached with other personnel.  While reasonable
precautions have been taken to ensure no viruses are present in this
email, its security and that of any attachments cannot be guaranteed.

 

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your email, I am sorry that the MPS has not been able to respond to your request within the 20-working day period. I have checked our system and can see that the person dealing with this matter is Paul.

Paul, I would be grateful if you can provide an update on this request.

Kind regards,

Jag Kalsi | Triage Team
Strategy & Insight | Strategy & Governance | METHQ | Metropolitan Police Service
Email: [email address]
Address: Information Rights Unit, PO Box 57192, LONDON SW6 1SF

Protective Marking: Official
Not Suitable for Publication
Recipients of this email should be aware that all communications within and to and from the Metropolitan Police Service are subject to consideration for release under the Data Protection Act, Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations. The MPS will consider information for release unless there is are valid and proportionate public interest reasons not to, therefore, sensitive information not for public disclosure must be highlighted as such. Further advice can be obtained from the Information Rights Unit - 020 7161 3500 (783500).

show quoted sections

Dear Metropolitan Police Service (MPS),

I am still awaiting a overdue response on this?

Yours faithfully,

Chris Brian

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Dear Chris,

Thank you for your email. I have forwarded your email to the case worker for them to respond to you. Apologies for the delay on your request.

Many thanks,

Emily
Emily Borland | Administration Assistant | Information Rights Unit 
Strategy & Insight | Strategy & Governance | Met HQ | Metropolitan Police Service

Email [email address]
Address Information Rights Unit, PO Box 57192, LONDON SW6 1SF
Protective Marking: Official
Not Suitable for Publication: N
Recipients of this email should be aware that all communications within and to and from the Metropolitan Police Service are subject to consideration for release under the General Data Protection Regulations, Data Protection Act, Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations. The MPS will consider information for release unless there is a valid and proportionate public interest reason(s) not to, therefore, sensitive information not for public disclosure must be highlighted as such. Further advice can be obtained from the Information Rights Unit - [email address].

show quoted sections

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Hello Mr Brian

Apologies for the continued delay to this request but this may take some time due to rather large files that need to be read through and examined, your patience with this request is appreciated.

Kind regards

Paul

show quoted sections

Dear Metropolitan Police Service (MPS),

I received an update on this request at the end of August. I would appreciate an update on its progress as by law, under all circumstances, the authority should have responded by now.

Thanks,

Chris Brian

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Good Afternoon,

Thank you for your email. I have checked our system and can see that the person dealing with this matter is Paul O'shea.

Paul , please would you provide Chris Brian with an update on this request?

Regards
Mayuree Patel| Administration Assistant | Information Rights Unit 
Strategy & Insight | Strategy & Governance | Met HQ | Metropolitan Police Service
Email : [email address]
Address : Information Rights Unit, PO Box 313, SIDCUP , DA15 0HH

Protective Marking: Official
Not Suitable for Publication: N
Recipients of this email should be aware that all communications within and to and from the Metropolitan Police Service are subject to consideration for release under the Data Protection Act, Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations. The MPS will consider all information suitable for release unless there are valid and proportionate public interest reasons not to, therefore, sensitive information not for public disclosure must be highlighted as such. Further advice can be obtained from the Information Rights unit  - [email address]

show quoted sections

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Hello Mr Brian

Again apologies for the continued delay to your request, it is on my list but I'm afraid reading through large boxed files takes a long time to do and will be done as soon as I can, I have many FOI requests older than yours which you understand will be given priority first and then I will hope to progress yours as soon as possible.

Kind regards

Paul

show quoted sections

Cyclops on behalf of Paul O'Shea, Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

2 Attachments

 

Official Sensitive

     

 

 

 

Dear Mr Brian

 

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 01/FOI/19/002884

 

Please see the attached in respect of your Freedom of Information request
referenced above.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Paul O'Shea

 

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

Information Rights Unit

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.ico.org.uk.  Alternatively, write to or
phone:

 

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Phone: 0303 123 1113

Dear Metropolitan Police Service (MPS),

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

I am writing to request an internal review of Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)'s handling of my FOI request 'Operation Townhouse - request for any documents held'.

The NCND response given can longer be sustained given a recent judgement,

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

Yours faithfully,

Chris Brian

Cyclops on behalf of Gary Quan, Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

1 Attachment

    Official Sensitive

 

 

 

Information Rights Unit
PO Box 57192
London
SW6 1SF
  United Kingdom

  Our Ref: 01/FOI/20/013812

  Date: 06/03/2020

 

 

 

 

Dear Mr Brian,

Freedom of Information Review Reference No: 01/FOI/20/013812

 

I write in connection with your request for a review of the handling
and/or decision relating to 01/FOI/19/002884 which was received by the
Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on .   

 

A review will now be conducted in accordance with the Code of Practice
issued under Section 45 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act).
 The reviewing officer will reconsider the original request before
responding to you with their findings.

 

There is no statutory time limit in relation to the completion of an
Internal Review.  However, the MPS aim to complete Internal Reviews within
20 working days or in exceptional cases, within 40 working days.  This is
based upon guidance published by the Information Commissioner.

 

If it is not possible to complete the Internal Review within this
timescale you will be informed at the earliest opportunity. 

 

If you are unhappy with the outcome of an Internal Review you may wish to
refer the matter to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

 

For information on how to make an application to the Information
Commissioner please visit their website at www.ico.org.uk.  Alternatively,
write to or phone: 

 

Information Commissioner's Office 

Wycliffe House 

Water Lane 

Wilmslow 

Cheshire 

SK9 5AF 

Phone:  0303 123 1113

 

Yours sincerely 

 

Gary Quan

Cyclops on behalf of Yvette Taylor, Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

2 Attachments

 

 

Information Rights Unit
PO Box 313
Sidcup
DA15 0HH

 

Email: [email address]

 

www.met.police.uk

 

Your ref:
Our ref: 01/FOI/20/013812

 

25/03/2020

 

 

 
 

 

Dear Mr Brian

 

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 01/FOI/20/013812

 

Please see the attached in respect of your Freedom of Information request
referenced above.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Yvette Taylor