Operations Exmoor, Green Jacket, Hexagon

The request was partially successful.

Dear Greater Manchester Police,

Please disclose the following information by way of the Freedom of Information Act, 2000:

In the case of each of the three named operations, A. Exmoor B. Green Jacket and C. Hexagon:

1. The rank and name of the Gold Commander

2. The Senior Investigating Officer

3. The Terms of Reference

4. The date of the first entry in the Policy Log (or Policy Book).

5. Budget allocated in financial years 2020/21 and 2021/22.

6. Number of arrests from inception to 1st March 2021.

7. Number of files sent to CPS for charging decision in same period.

Thank you,

Neil Wilby
Investigative journalist

Twitter: @Neil_Wilby

Web: neilwilby.com

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 'Operations Exmoor, Green Jacket, Hexagon'.

A response to this request was due on, or before, 9th April, 2021. Consequently:

1. Section 10 of the Act has been breached.

2. Section 17 0f the Act has been breached.

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,

Neil Wilby

Greater Manchester Police

Dear Mr Wilby,

Thank you for your email requesting an internal review regarding GSA/899/21.

We cannot carry out an ‘Internal Review’ as we have not responded to your request as yet, we can only review a FOI Request when we have submitted a response, at this time there is no data to review.

We can only apologise for this delay, which has been down to us still waiting for a response from the unit/department which holds the data.

As soon as we receive the information we will forward it on to you as soon as practicable.

Kind regards

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

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Dear Greater Manchester Police (GMP),

Your response is wrong both in fact and law. An internal review is raised under section 45 of the Act and concerns the handling of the FOIA request at the time the review is submitted.

A failure to disclose within the statutory time limit is deemed, by case law, as a refusal under section 17 of the Act. Aggravated in the instant request by the failure to even acknowledge the request, let alone issue a holding letter or seek an extension of time.

Attention is further invited to the College of Policing's Authorised Professional Practice (APP) on internal reviews. APP is enshrined in law by way of the Code of Ethics at Section 39A of the Police Act, 1996.

https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-co...

Sending out anonymous emails is also a breach of the Code of Ethics (respect and courtesy). Quite apart from the obvious lack of professionalism. A FOIA applicant is entitled to know with whom he is dealing at the public authority to whom the request is made.

The matters raised here are, on any independent view, troubling, given that GMP purports to be a law enforcement agency. Albeit one both in Home Office 'Special Measures', after spectacularly letting down tens of thousands of crime victims - and presently being monitored by the Information Commissioner's Office over past FOIA failings.

In these circumstances, taken together with GMP's failure to provide an estimate of when the request is likely to be finalised (past requests have taken up to 18 months), I have taken the exceptional step of making early notification of a complaint under section 50 of the Act - and requested that the Information Commissioner issues specific guidance to the new chief constable.

Yours faithfully,

Neil Wilby

Dear Greater Manchester Police,

A section 50 complaint has been made to the Information Commissioner's Officer.

Yours faithfully,

Neil Wilby
Investigative Journalist

Twitter: @Neil_Wilby
Web: neilwilby.com

Greater Manchester Police

1 Attachment

Good Afternoon Neil

Sorry for the delay in providing a response to you.

Please see attached the response to your FOI request.

Thanks

Kind Regards

Georgia Boardman
Information Compliance & Records Management Assistant

Information Compliance & Records Management Unit|Greater Manchester Police
Tel: 0161 856 2532 | Postal address: c/o Openshaw Complex, Lawton Street, Openshaw, Manchester M11 2NS

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Dear Greater Manchester Police,

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

I am writing to request a second internal review of Greater Manchester Police's handling of my FOI request 'Operations Exmoor, Green Jacket, Hexagon'. My first request for an internal review request on 10th April, 2021 remains unfinalised on what can only be described as spurious grounds.

This information request, submitted on 12th March, 2021, has caused me considerable anxiety and a great deal of thought has gone into this second internal review request in the intervening week or so since your purported finalisation. Not least, because this is the first information request, from this quarter, dealt with under the new regime of Chief Constable Stephen Watson.

What is alleged is very serious and requires a robust enquiry by an external police force, given the seniority of those involved at GMP (ACC Bailey and DCC Hussain) and the fact that collusion and connivance with the Information Commissioner's Office, and the Central Referral Unit of the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), is also under scrutiny. I am writing letters to CC Watson, the NPCC and the Information Commissioner, separately on those particular issues.

With specific regard to the refusal of the request, relying on a section 12 exemption, the following submission is made.

1. The correct response to Question 5, under Section 1 (1)(a) of the Act is, plainly, 'information not held'. No public authority is, or can be, expected to contrive or construct information following a request for disclosure of same. The disclosure that there are no budgets in existence for three very high profile investigations is very important information of itself and further informs the wider public that GMP is a police force with very serious management issues and remains so, six months after being placed in special measures..

2. GMP are more than aware of the points made in para 1 above and have, deliberately it seems, invented this class of response, at very short notice and in consultation with the ICOand the NPCC CRU, to frustrate disclosure of the information pertaining to the remaining questions. None of those question remotely pose any measurable burden on GMP. The disclosure should have been made weeks ago. The disclosure of the fact that Green Jacket, Exmoor and Hexagon is, of course, potentially very embarrassing and that is also put forward as a reason for the GMP response in this form.

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,

Neil Wilby
Investigative Journalist

Twitter: @Neil_Wilby

Web: neilwilby.com

Dear Greater Manchester Police,

A second section 50 complaint has been made to the Information Commissioner's Office.

It would appear, on the evidence so far, that Chief Constable Watson's arrival has made no difference whatsoever to the relentless lawlessness of GMP.

Yours faithfully,

Neil Wilby
Investigative journalist

Twitter: @Neil_Wilby
Web: neilwilby.com

Greater Manchester Police

1 Attachment

Dear Sir,

Please find attached our response to your Internal FOI Review.

Kind Regards

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

You can access many of our services online at www.gmp.police.uk.

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DISCLAIMER: This message and any attachment may contain information which is confidential or privileged. It is intended for the addressee(s) only. If you have received this message in error, notify the sender and delete it and any attachments without retaining a copy.

Unauthorised use or disclosure of the contact may be unlawful. Any opinions expressed may not be official policy.

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Thank you for your co-operation.

Dear Greater Manchester Police,

This is a response so weak, deceitful, shameful and unlawful that each and every officer involved in it, be that within GMP, the NPCC or the ICO, should be the subject of disciplinary proceedings.

It falsely states what an internal review should constitute and, in any event, does not address the core point in the complaint: Namely, that the correct response insofar as the budgets are concerned is 'information not held'.

It would be, in my respectful submission, virtually impossible for two independent minds to come to the same conclusion over this request (relying on section 12). The only reasonable conclusion to be drawn, therefore, is that the reviewer has been primed with a pre-formed decision and undertaken no assessment of his/her own.

This class of conduct is entirely consistent with the finalisation of almost every other request either made to, or involving, GMP over past four years.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/user/neil...

I will now pursue question 5 as a discrete entity with the ICO and request that you now exclude that question from a refined request that only includes questions 1 to 4 (6 and 7 also now excluded).

Yours faithfully,

Neil Wilby
Investigative journalist

Twitter: @Neil_Wilby
Web: neilwilby.com

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 'Operations Exmoor, Green Jacket, Hexagon'.

This is a request for a third internal review.

The first and second internal reviews remain unfinalised.

The refined request was made more than 20 working days ago. Accordingly, yet again GMP is in breach of section 10 and 17 of the Act.
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,

Neil Wilby
Investigative journalist

Twitter: @Neil_Wilby

Web: neilwilby.com

Dear Greater Manchester Police,

A section 77 complaint was lodged with the Information Commissioner's Office yesterday.

They will no doubt be in touch with you in due course.

Yours faithfully,

Neil Wilby
Investigative journalist

Twitter: @Neil_Wilby

Web: neilwilby.com

Edward Williams left an annotation ()

GMP really is a rotten organisation. The fish rots from the head.

Dear Greater Manchester Police,

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

I am writing to request a third internal review of Greater Manchester Police's handling of my FOI request 'Operations Exmoor, Green Jacket, Hexagon'.

Sections 10 and 17 of the Act has been breached. A response to the amended request should have been received PROMPTLY and, in any event, not later than 20 working days after it was made.

You should, by now, be aware, via the Information Commissioner's Office, that this request is already the subject of a criminal complaint by way of section 77.

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,

Neil Wilby
Investigative journalist

Twitter: @Neil_Wilby

Web: neilwilby.com

Dear Greater Manchester Police,

A second section 77 complaint has been made to the Information Commissioner's Office:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/200...

Separately, I have written to Max Hill QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions, alleging that the disclosure sought is being deliberately concealed and seeking permission from him to bring a private prosecution against the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police over that offence.

Whether or not permission is ultimately granted it will mean that, once again, the cavalier law-breaking of that same chief constable will be raised at the highest levels of Government and with other policing bodies.

Yours faithfully,

Neil Wilby
Investigative journalist

Twitter: @Neil_Wilby

Web: neilwilby.com

Data Protection, Greater Manchester Police

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Wilby,

 

As Data Protection Officer at Greater Manchester Police, I have taken
personal ownership of your recent Freedom of Information request and
subsequent complaint.

 

In reviewing your case, I have asked the team to re-process your request
in its entirety, and the attached is the information that is
disclosable. The attached letter also outlines some exemptions that GMP
has applied to this request, the justification for the exemptions and,
where appropriate, details the balancing tests that have been considered
in engaging the exemptions.

 

A copy of this correspondence will also be forwarded onto the Information
Commissioners Office to show how we have dealt with the matter.

 

I thank you for your interest in the affairs of GMP and for the patience
that you have shown whilst I have been reviewing your case.

 

Should you have any further queries about this matter, please do not
hesitate to come back to me.

 

Sincerely,

 

Mike Gillespie

Data Protection Officer

Greater Manchester Police

You can access many of our services online at gmp.police.uk.

For emergencies only call 999, or 101 if it's a less urgent matter.

You can also connect with us on: 

◦ Facebook:  [1]www.facebook.com/GtrManchesterPolice
Twitter: [2]www.twitter.com/gmpolice
Instagram: [3]www.instagram.com/gtrmanchesterpolice
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YouTube: [5]www.youtube.com/gmpolice
Pinterest: [6]www.pinterest.co.uk/gmpolice

To find out what is happening in your area, visit
[7]www.gmp.police.uk/a/your-area where you will be able to follow local
social media accounts.

DISCLAIMER: This message and any attachment may contain information which
is confidential or privileged. It is intended for the addressee(s) only.
If you have received this message in error, notify the sender and delete
it and any attachments without retaining a copy. 

Unauthorised use or disclosure of the contact may be unlawful. Any
opinions expressed may not be official policy. 

Unless encrypted, internet email is not to be treated as a secure means of
communication. Greater Manchester Police records and monitors all email
activity and content and you are advised that any email you send may be
subject to monitoring. 

Thank you for your co-operation.

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