Policing the Lord Mayors Show
Dear City of London Police,
Dear Sir or Madam,
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 I seek the following information about the policing of the 2011 Lord Mayor's Show
1. A breakdown of the total cost of policing of the 2011 Lord Mayors Show, on Saturday 12 November.
2. The number of officers engaged in policing the 2011 Lord Mayor's show.
3. The number of officers involved in policing the Occupy London 'Not the Lord Mayors Show' event at St Paul's Cathedral on Saturday 12 November 2011.
4. If possible at this stage I would also like information about the cost and staffing, either prospective or actual, of the 2012 Lord Mayors Show
If the decision is made to withhold some of this data using exemptions in the Data Protection Act, please inform me of that fact and cite the exemptions used.
If some parts of this request are easier to answer than others, I would ask that you release the available data as soon as possible.
If you need any clarification then please do not hesitate to contact me. Under Section 16 it is your duty to provide advice and assistance and so I would expect you to contact me if you find this request unmanageable in any way.
I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request, and I look forward to hearing from you within the 20-working day statutory time period.
Regards,
Ellie Clayton
Dear Kathryn Grunblat ,
I have yet to receive a response or any notification of exemptions or delays to my FoI request, dated 8 November 2012.
By law, I should have received a response by 7 December 2012,
Could you please contact me as soon as possible with the information requested or the details of any legal exemptions or justifications for the delay.
Yours sincerely,
Ellie Clayton
NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED
Dear Ms Clayton,
A reply to your request for information ref COL/12/616 has been drafted
however I am just waiting for clarification and as soon as I receive
this the reply will be sent to you. Please accept my apologies for the
delay in replying to your request. Should you have any further
questions, please contact me via e-mail, letter or telephone, quoting
the reference number above.
Regards
Katy Grunblat
.........................
Senior Information Access Officer
Information Management Services
City of London Police
Tel Direct: 02076012287
Email: [email address]
NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED
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Dear Ms Clayton,
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION REF: COL/12/616
I write in connection with your request for information dated 8 November
2012 in which you seek access to the following information:
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 I seek the following information
about the policing of the 2011 Lord Mayor's Show
1. A breakdown of the total cost of policing of the 2011 Lord Mayors Show,
on Saturday 12 November.
2. The number of officers engaged in policing the 2011 Lord Mayor's show.
3. The number of officers involved in policing the Occupy London 'Not the
Lord Mayors Show' event at St Paul's Cathedral on Saturday 12 November
2011.
4. If possible at this stage I would also like information about the cost
and staffing, either prospective or actual, of the 2012
Lord Mayors Show
If the decision is made to withhold some of this data using exemptions in
the Data Protection Act, please inform me of that fact and cite the
exemptions used.
Questions 1, 2, 3 and 4
I confirm that information relating to the cost and staffing of the Lord
Mayor’s Show is held by the City of London Police.
It is our decision that this information is subject to the following
exemptions in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act:
Section 24(1) - National Security
Section 31(1) (a) and (b) - Law Enforcement
Information is exempt by virtue of section 24 where the exemption is
required for the purpose of safeguarding national security. This is a
prejudice-based exemption subject to the identification of harm, which is
detailed below. It is also a qualified exemption subject to an assessment
of the public interest and the factors favouring disclosure and
non-disclosure are listed below.
Information is exempt by virtue of section 31 where its disclosure would,
or would be likely to prejudice the prevention or detection of crime, the
apprehension or prosecution of offenders, or the administration of
justice. This is a prejudice-based exemption subject to the identification
of harm, which is detailed below. It is also a qualified exemption
subject to an assessment of the public interest and the factors favouring
disclosure and non-disclosure are listed below.
Identification of harm – Section 24
The greatest priority for City of London Police is to ensure the safety
and security of the Lord Mayor, the participants of the show as well as
members of the public. The release of information identifying the focus of
policing activity could affect the safeguarding of public order and the
prevention of terrorism as this information could be used to the advantage
of terrorists or criminal organisations. The Lord Mayor’s Show also passes
many iconic UK sites which may be potential targets for national and
international terrorists and protestors. The disclosure of information
that undermines operational integrity will adversely affect public safety,
and have a negative impact on national security. The Lord Mayor’s Show is
an annual event and disclosure of the requested information could lead to
ineffective policing of this event in the future.
Identification of harm – Section 31
The disclosure of costs and staffing of the Lord Mayor’s Show could
highlight the level of policing involved for this event which would enable
those intent on public disorder and those engaged in criminal activity to
identify the focus of the policing and use this information to commit
crime or avoid apprehension. The disclosure of such information would
reveal operational information which would be to the detriment of
providing an efficient policing service and a failure in providing a duty
of care to all members of the public. This would also affect law
enforcement in the future as more resources would be required to police
this annual event.
Assessment of the public interest
The public interest is not what interests the public, but what will be of
greater good if released to the community as a whole. It is not in the
public interest to disclose information that may compromise the City of
London Police’s ability to fulfil its core functions. Information
concerning the costs and staffing of the Lord Mayor’s Show is rarely
disclosed so that the intelligence and resources used do not become public
knowledge thereby rendering them ineffective.
Factors favouring disclosure – section 24
Disclosure would enable the public to see where public funds are being
spent and where resources are being distributed within a specific area of
policing. In the current financial climate of cuts and with the call for
transparency of public spending, disclosure would increase public
awareness and reinforce the City of London Police’s commitment to openness
and transparency.
Factors favouring non-disclosure – section 24
Disclosure of operational information is not in the public interest if the
safety and security of individuals would be compromised in the future.
Security measures are put in place to protect the community we serve and
as evidenced above, disclosure
of information that undermines operational integrity will adversely affect
public safety, and have a negative impact on national security.
Factors favouring disclosure – section 31
Disclosure would enable the public to see where public funds are being
spent and where resources are being distributed within a specific area of
policing. In the current financial climate of cuts and with the call for
transparency of public spending, disclosure would increase public
awareness and reinforce the City of London Police’s commitment to openness
and transparency.
Factors favouring non-disclosure – section 31
Disclosure of this information would compromise the core policing
objective of law enforcement, as outlined earlier, by enabling those
intent on public disorder and those engaged in criminal activity to
identify the focus of the policing and use this information to commit
crime or avoid apprehension. The Lord Mayor’s Show is an annual event and
so it would also affect law enforcement in the future as more resources
would be required to police this event.
Balancing the public interest
The strongest reason favouring disclosure of the requested information is
the public interest in the use of public funds and where these resources
are being distributed within a specific area of policing.
The strongest reason favouring non-disclosure is that disclosure would
affect the policing of future events which would impact on both law
enforcement and national security. Disclosure would hinder the ability of
City of London Police to prevent and detect crime at future shows and
would likely have to adapt its strategies at future events if through the
Freedom of Information Act, the public at large are able to ascertain the
capabilities and resources available for planning and policing this annual
event. Disclosure would also enable criminals to evade apprehension and
detection at future events.
I consider that the benefit that would result from the information being
disclosed does not outweigh the arguments favouring exemption. For this
reason, I am of the opinion that the public interest does not favour
disclosure at this time.
Please accept my apologies for the delay in replying to your request.
Should you have any further questions, please contact me via e-mail,
letter or telephone, quoting the reference number above.
Yours sincerely
Katy Grunblat
.........................
Senior Information Access Officer
Information Management Services
City of London Police
Tel Direct: 02076012287
Email: [email address]
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