Police officer relationship with criminal

The request was refused by Essex Police.

Dear Essex Police,

Please could you supply information regarding how many police officers have started a relationship with a criminal or someone with a criminal record .
How many officers have been investigated for gross misconduct for notifiable association , sacked or resigned .

Yours faithfully,

Dean leeks

Data FOI Essex, Essex Police

1 Attachment

Thank you for your enquiry which has been logged under the above
reference.

Under the Freedom of Information Act we are required to reply within 20
working days.  The Act does not specify a limit to the number of
information requests a public authority may receive or the number of
requests or questions an applicant may submit.  However, there are
exemptions in the Act that can apply and these include where the cost of
complying with the request would extend beyond the reasonable cost limit,
(currently 18 hours or £450), or if the request is otherwise manifestly
unreasonable in its scope or nature.  Requests that ask a great many
questions, or a number of detailed requests submitted at the same time,
may make it necessary for Essex Police to refuse the requests wholly or in
part.

 

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has responsibility for
providing oversight and guidance for the legislation and they have
produced advice for applicants on submitting effective requests.  Further
information can be found on the Commissioner’s website at
[1]www.ico.gov.uk specific information relating to submitting a request
can be found at:
[2]https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/offici...

 

While we process your request, please take the time to consider the ICO’s
advice and whether you feel it may be beneficial to amend or refine your
request. Our team is happy to discuss your request with you and will be
able to provide advice as to what kind of information will be available
from Essex Police.

 

 

 

Steve Grayton

Senior Information Officer

Data Protection & Freedom of Information

Information Management

Corporate Services

Essex Police Headquarters

PO Box 2, Springfield, Chelmsford, CM2 6DA

 

Internal extension 150044

External Dial 101 then ext.150044

Data Protection / FOI Team direct dial: 01245 452647

Fax: 01245 452256 Internal 150045

Email : data[Essex Police request email]

Personal email: [email address]

Website: www.essex.police.uk

 

Office hours: Mon-Thur 8:00 - 16:00, Fri 8:00 - 15:30

 

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your FOI request, you have
the right to ask for an internal review.

 

Internal review requests should be submitted within 20 working days of the
date of receipt of the response to your original request and should be
addressed to the Senior Information Officer at the above address or by
email to: [3]data[Essex Police request email]

 

They will conduct an internal review to investigate the handling of your
request and endeavour to reply within 20 working days. If your complaint
refers to a decision to apply an exemption it would assist the review if
you would outline the reasons why you feel the exemption does not apply.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information
Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF or via [4]https://ico.org.uk/

 

 

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Data FOI Essex, Essex Police

1 Attachment

Thank you for your enquiry which has been logged under the above
reference. Having completed my enquiries I am able to respond as follows:

Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) places two duties
on public authorities. Unless exemptions apply, the first duty at
Sec1(1)(a) is to confirm or deny whether the information specified in a
request is held. The second duty at Sec1(1)(b) is to disclose information
that has been confirmed as being held. Where exemptions are relied upon
s17 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.

In respect of your enquiry:

Please could you supply information regarding how many police officers
have started a relationship with a criminal or someone with a criminal
record.

 

How many officers have been investigated for gross misconduct for
notifiable association, sacked or resigned .

 

Information is held by PSD for the management of the individual case and
it is not entered onto a system for the purposes of creating statistical
data.  Some statistical data concerning PSD investigations into officer
misconduct is created by PSD for reports to the Police & Crime
Commissioner and to the Home Office but this information would not be
captured as part of those processes.

 

In this instance, to determine whether or not Essex Police even hold the
information as specified in your request would require the manual
examination of a very high number of records, simply in order to ascertain
whether the information as held. We do not record the information
requested in a format that allows it to be retrieved as details are kept
in individual investigation files.

Such an exercise would extend beyond the reasonable amount that a public
authority is required to expend in responding to a request under the
Freedom of Information Act, as set out in the Data Protection and Freedom
of Information (Fees and appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004, which
currently stands at £450 or eighteen hours. 

Consequently, and by virtue of the exception at section 12(2) of the FOI
Act 2000, Essex Police are exempt from the duty to comply with section
1(1)(a) of the FOI Act  as follows-

12 - Exemption where cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit.

(1) Section 1(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.

(2) Subsection (1) does not exempt the public authority from its
obligation to comply with paragraph (a) of section 1(1) unless the
estimated cost of complying with that paragraph alone would exceed the
appropriate limit.

Therefore, and in accordance with section 17 of the Act, this
communication must act as a refusal notice to comply with section 1(1)(a)
of the FOI Act by confirming whether information is held or not.

Having said that, and in an effort to assist - Although excess cost
removes the forces obligations under the Freedom of Information Act, Essex
Police have accepted the need for more publication of data,  I have
supplied a link to published information regarding Complaints and
Discipline. The reports contained in these links will give you brief
details about various complaints received from members of the public and
others resulting from internal matters. No further details will be
released under FOI Section 40(2) Personal Information.

I trust this is helpful, but it does not affect our legal right to rely on
the fees regulations for the remainder of your request.

 

[1]http://www.essex.police.uk/about/freedom...

[2]http://www.essex.police.uk/about/publica...

Other information is published by the IPCC and can be found at:
[3]http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/page/annual-polic...

I hope that the information provided is of assistance. Thank you for your
interest in Essex Police.

 

Kind regards

 

 

 

Kerry Nicholson
Information Officer 
Corporate Services 
Essex Police HQ
Internal extension 150028
Direct Dial 01245 452647
Essex Police Non emergency Telephone Number (within Essex) 101 (Outside
Essex) 0300 333 4444
Fax: Internal 150045 External 01245 452256
Website: [4]www.essex.police.uk

Information Management, Corporate Services , Essex Police Headquarters, PO
Box 2, Springfield, Chelmsford, CM2 6DA

[5]cid:image003.jpg@01D0EFB3.CE5DE9B0

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your FOI request, you have
the right to ask for an internal review.

 

Internal review requests should be submitted within 20 working days of the
date of receipt of the response to your original request and should be
addressed to the Senior Information Officer at the above address or by
email to: [6]data[Essex Police request email]

 

They will conduct an internal review to investigate the handling of your
request and endeavour to reply within 20 working days. If your complaint
refers to a decision to apply an exemption it would assist the review if
you would outline the reasons why you feel the exemption does not apply.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information
Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF or via [7]https://ico.org.uk/

 

 

 

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