Post Office Investigations Compliance 2008-2011
Dear Post Office Limited,
Please can you disclose documents which detail the Quality and Compliance Assurance processes for Investigations which were implemented by the Post Office Security Team 2008-2011. Please include reports which evidence any improvement in the quality and professionalism of investigation standards eg Investigations Standards Audits.
Yours sincerely,
Eleanor Shaikh
Our ref: FOI2023/00205
Dear Eleanor Shaikh,
Thank you for your request for information which was received on 10th
April. Your request is being considered under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.
The Act requires that a response must be given promptly, and in any event
within 20 working days. We will therefore reply at the latest by 10th May.
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications.
Regards,
Information Rights Team
Finsbury Dials
20 Finsbury Street
London
EC2Y 9AQ
Dear Eleanor Shaikh
We are writing in respect of your information request, FOI2023/00205. At
present our view is that your request falls within the scope of the
qualified exemption at section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act ("
FOIA"), relating to commercial interests.
As permitted by section 10 of the FOIA, Post Office Limited (" Post
Office") requires further time to consider the public interest test in
relation to this exemption. An extension is permitted until such time as
is reasonable in the circumstances. Having considered the FOIA Code of
Practice, Post Office considers that an extension of 20 working days is
appropriate in this instance and will therefore aim to respond to you by
8th June.
However, we are carrying out internal checks and hope to be able to
respond to you sooner.
With kind regards
Information Rights Team
Finsbury Dials
20 Finsbury Street
London
EC2Y 9AQ
[1][email address]
Post Office Limited is committed to protecting your privacy, information
about how we do this can be found on our website at
www.postoffice.co.uk/privacy
References
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Dear Eleanor Shaikh,
Thank you for your patience whilst we have been handling your information
request. After careful consideration, please find the attached response
letter and disclosable information.
Kind regards,
Information Rights Team
Finsbury Dials
20 Finsbury Street
London
EC2Y 9AQ
Dear [email address],
Thank you for the disclosure of ‘Post Office Security Operations Team Compliance’ document on 19 May 2023 in response to FOI2023/00205.
Please can you identify the date of this document?
You describe this document in your covering letter as obsolete, with reference to its use of ‘unacceptable terminology’.
I assume, although you are not specific, that you are referring to the Identification Codes by which the Post Office profiled suspect offenders, detailed on page 25.
I would be most grateful if you could release the document which superseded this document, in which updated and acceptable terminology was introduced for profiling suspect offenders. Please identify when this change was made.
Please can you also disclose the Identification Codes or equivalent which are currently used by the Post Office Security Operations Team when dealing with suspect offenders.
Yours sincerely
Eleanor Shaikh
Dear [email address],
Further to my query of 20 May 2023 regarding FOI FOI2023/00205.
You have disclosed a Post Office Security Team Compliance document which gives guidance on the preparation of Investigation Case Files (Offender and Discipline Reports).
It is stated, under the title ‘Details of failures in security, supervision, procedures and product integrity’ (p11, para 2.15):
‘Significant failures that may affect the successful likelihood of any criminal action and/or cause significant damage to the business must be confined, solely, to the confidential offender report. Care must be taken when including failures within the Discipline Report as obviously this is disclosed to the suspect offender and may have ramifications on both the criminal elements of the enquiry, as well as being potentially damaging to the reputation or security of the business’.
Failures in product integrity are also mentioned earlier in the document (p.9, para 1.24).
Please can you confirm if the phrase ‘failures in product integrity’ refers to, or includes, failures in the integrity of Horizon?
Yours sincerely,
Eleanor Shaikh
Our ref: FOI2023/00274
Dear Eleanor Shaikh,
Thank you for your requests for information which were received on 20th
May and 21st May. Your requests have been aggregated as one and are being
considered under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
The Act requires that a response must be given promptly, and in any event
within 20 working days. We will therefore reply at the latest by 19th
June.
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications.
Regards,
Information Rights Team
Finsbury Dials
20 Finsbury Street
London
EC2Y 9AQ
Dear Ms Shaikh,
Thank you for your patience whilst we handle your information request
reference FOI2023/00274.
As you may be aware, Post Office has established an investigation to
determine how the document containing identification codes with racist
descriptors came to be created and this is ongoing. We will therefore not
be able to provide your response until this investigation has been
completed. We do not have a date in which we will be able to respond to
your information request, but we will keep you updated with any progress.
You can find our recent update on this matter at the following link:
[1]https://corporate.postoffice.co.uk/en/bl...
With kind regards,
Information Rights Team
From: [Post Office request email] <[Post Office request email]>
Sent: 22 May 2023 10:14
To: [FOI #970116 email]
Subject: Request for information - Ref: FOI2023/00274
Our ref: FOI2023/00274
Dear Eleanor Shaikh,
Thank you for your requests for information which were received on 20th
May and 21st May. Your requests have been aggregated as one and are being
considered under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
The Act requires that a response must be given promptly, and in any event
within 20 working days. We will therefore reply at the latest by 19th
June.
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications.
Regards,
Information Rights Team
Finsbury Dials
20 Finsbury Street
London
EC2Y 9AQ
Post Office Limited is committed to protecting your privacy. Information
about how we do this can be found on our website at
www.postoffice.co.uk/privacy
References
Visible links
1. https://corporate.postoffice.co.uk/en/bl...
Dear Information Rights Team
Thankyou for your update of 19 June 2023. The news of your investigation into the origins of the document disclosed under FOI2023/00205 is most welcome and I look forward to the findings of your investigations.
Whilst I appreciate that this will necessary take some time, there is no reason for you to delay responding to the second follow-on request prompted by the release of this document. On 21 May 2023 I asked if the term ‘failures in product integrity’ used in the document refers to, or includes, failures in the integrity of the Horizon system.
You aggregated this with my question regarding the period over which the racial ID codes cited in the document were in use.
These two follow-on questions are very different; one is simply seeking qualification on a single phrase used in the document, the other necessitating more comprehensive and time-consuming research into any number of other documents. Your decision to aggregate my two questions is unnecessarily delaying your response to the very straightforward question regarding the phrase ‘failures in product integrity’.
As 20 working days have already passed since this follow-up question was submitted, I would be most grateful if you could respond to it without further delay.
Yours sincerely,
Eleanor Shaikh
Dear Information Rights Team,
I have not yet received a response to my email to you of 20 June 2023 regarding a follow-up question submitted to the Post Office on 21 May 2023 pertaining to FOI 2023/00205.
Many Thanks,
Yours sincerely
Eleanor Shaikh
Dear Ms Shaikh,
Thank you for your email asking about the phrase ‘failures in product
integrity’ in a security team document disclosed under FOIA. As your
question is not an FOI request, it has been passed to me for reply.
As you may be aware, the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry stated on 20 June
2023 that the substance of the document will be addressed to relevant
Phase 4 witnesses.
I hope this information is helpful.
Kind regards
Mel Corfield
Post Office
Logo, company name Description automatically generated
Post Office Limited is committed to protecting your privacy, information
about how we do this can be found on our website at
[1]www.postoffice.co.uk/privacy
Dear [2][Post Office request email],
Further to my query of 20 May 2023 regarding FOI FOI2023/00205.
You have disclosed a Post Office Security Team Compliance document which
gives guidance on the preparation of Investigation Case Files (Offender
and Discipline Reports).
It is stated, under the title ‘Details of failures in security,
supervision, procedures and product integrity’ (p11, para 2.15):
‘Significant failures that may affect the successful likelihood of any
criminal action and/or cause significant damage to the business must be
confined, solely, to the confidential offender report. Care must be taken
when including failures within the Discipline Report as obviously this is
disclosed to the suspect offender and may have ramifications on both the
criminal elements of the enquiry, as well as being potentially damaging to
the reputation or security of the business’.
Failures in product integrity are also mentioned earlier in the document
(p.9, para 1.24).
Please can you confirm if the phrase ‘failures in product integrity’
refers to, or includes, failures in the integrity of Horizon?
Yours sincerely,
Eleanor Shaikh
Post Office Limited is committed to protecting your privacy. Information
about how we do this can be found on our website at
www.postoffice.co.uk/privacy
References
Visible links
1. http://www.postoffice.co.uk/privacy
2. mailto:[post%20office%20request%20email]
Dear Ms Shaikh,
Further to our last email on 19 June 2023, our External Affairs team have
responded to you regarding the second part of your request.
As you are aware, the investigation into the identification codes document
is ongoing and we do not currently have a timescale for when this
investigation will be completed. However, as we believe the answers to
your information request will be provided via that investigation, we will
close down your information request. Of course, if you have any follow-up
questions once the investigation is completed, please let us know and we
will process them in the usual manner.
You can keep an eye out for updates about the investigation on our
corporate website at the following link:
[1]https://corporate.postoffice.co.uk
Thank you once again for your patience and understanding.
With kind regards,
Information Rights Team
From: information.rights <[2][Post Office request email]>
Sent: 19 June 2023 18:47
To: [3][FOI #970116 email]
Cc: information.rights <[4][Post Office request email]>
Subject: RE: Request for information - Ref: FOI2023/00274
Dear Ms Shaikh,
Thank you for your patience whilst we handle your information request
reference FOI2023/00274.
As you may be aware, Post Office has established an investigation to
determine how the document containing identification codes with racist
descriptors came to be created and this is ongoing. We will therefore not
be able to provide your response until this investigation has been
completed. We do not have a date in which we will be able to respond to
your information request, but we will keep you updated with any progress.
You can find our recent update on this matter at the following link:
[5]https://corporate.postoffice.co.uk/en/bl...
With kind regards,
Information Rights Team
From: [6][Post Office request email] <[7][Post Office request email]>
Sent: 22 May 2023 10:14
To: [8][FOI #970116 email]
Subject: Request for information - Ref: FOI2023/00274
Our ref: FOI2023/00274
Dear Eleanor Shaikh,
Thank you for your requests for information which were received on 20th
May and 21st May. Your requests have been aggregated as one and are being
considered under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
The Act requires that a response must be given promptly, and in any event
within 20 working days. We will therefore reply at the latest by 19th
June.
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications.
Regards,
Information Rights Team
Finsbury Dials
20 Finsbury Street
London
EC2Y 9AQ
Post Office Limited is committed to protecting your privacy. Information
about how we do this can be found on our website at
[9]www.postoffice.co.uk/privacy
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POST OFFICE LIMITED is registered in England and Wales no 2154540.
Registered Office: 100 Wood Street, London, EC2V 7ER.
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Post Office Limited is committed to protecting your privacy. Information
about how we do this can be found on our website at
www.postoffice.co.uk/privacy
References
Visible links
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2. mailto:[post%20office%20request%20email]
3. mailto:[foi%20#970116%20email]
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5. https://corporate.postoffice.co.uk/en/bl...
6. mailto:[post%20office%20request%20email]
7. mailto:[post%20office%20request%20email]
8. mailto:[foi%20#970116%20email]
9. http://www.postoffice.co.uk/privacy
Dear Data Protection and Information Rights Team,
Thank you for your emails of 19 June 2023 and 4 July 2023 regarding request FOI2023/00274.
As advised I have been monitoring the Post Office Corporate website for updates on the investigation into the identification codes document but after almost three months there have been no progress updates.
Are you in a position to say when this investigation will have completed its work?
Many Thanks,
Yours sincerely,
Eleanor Shaikh
Dear Eleanor Shaikh,
Thank you for your email.
The investigation is still ongoing, and we would ask you to come back to us at the end of September to get a further update.
With kind regards
Data Protection and Information Rights Team
Dear Data Protection and Information Rights Team,
Now we are at the end of September, are you able to give an update on your investigation?
Yours sincerely,
Eleanor Shaikh
Dear Eleanor Shaikh,
Thank you for your email.
The investigation is not yet fully completed, and it would be premature to comment further at this stage.
With kind regards,
Data Protection and Information Rights Team
100 Wood Street
London
EC2V 7ER
Dear Data Protection and Information Rights Team,
On 19 May 2023 you disclosed an undated Post Office Security Compliance document under FOI2023/00205.
On 20 May 2023 I submitted follow-up questions asking for the release of the document which superseded this document, the one in which updated and acceptable terminology was introduced for profiling suspect offenders. I requested to know when this change was made and I asked for disclosure of the Identification Codes or equivalent which are currently used by the Post Office Security Operations Team when dealing with suspect offenders.
On 19 June 2023 I was informed that the Post Office had established an investigation to determine how the document containing Identification Codes with racist descriptors came to be created and that you would ‘unable to provide a response’ to my follow-up questions until this investigation was completed.
I was informed that you would keep me ‘updated with any progress’.
On 4 July 2023 I was informed that, as you believed my information request would be provided by the investigation at some (indeterminate) future date, you were ‘closing down’ my request.
As I have received no answers to the follow-on questions, nor any legitimate grounds for exemption under the Freedom on Information Act, I consider FOI2023/00205 still open.
On querying the delay on 8 September 2023, I was advised by you to ‘come back’ at the end of September. When I did so, I was informed only that your investigation was still incomplete. No indicative timescale was given for a response to my FOI.
We are now at the end of October, over five months since I originally submitted straightforward follow-on questions under FOI2023/00205.
As advised by you, I have been monitoring the Post Office Corporate website for updates on your investigation but there have been no progress updates since its launch in June 2023.
I am therefore requesting an internal review into the way in which follow-up questions to FOI2023/00205 have been handled. It is not acceptable that the Post Office has placed the completion of its investigation into the provenance of the Security Compliance document over and above its obligation to comply with the Freedom of Information Act in a timely manner.
Yours sincerely,
Eleanor Shaikh
Dear Eleanor Shaikh,
Thank you for contacting us with your request for an internal review.
This has been assigned to a caseworker (our ref: IR2023/00630).
If you have any questions, then please do not hesitate to contact us.
Regards,
Data Protection and Information Rights Team
100 Wood Street,
London,
EC2V 7ER
Dear Data Protection & Information Rights Team,
It has been 20 working days since I requested an internal review into your delayed response to follow-up questions under FOI2023/00205. These were originally submitted on 20 May 2023.
Please be advised that if I receive no substantive response by 1 December 2023, I will be submitting a complaint to the Information Commissioner.
Yours sincerely,
Eleanor Shaikh
Good morning Eleanor,
We hope you're well.
Please accept our apologies for the delay in responding to you concerning this internal review request. Your case is being reviewed and we will respond to you as soon as possible.
We appreciate your understanding in this case.
Regards,
Data Protection and Information Rights Team
100 Wood Street,
London,
EC2V 7ER
Dear Eleanor Shaikh,
I am writing in response to your request for information, received on 30th
October.
Yours sincerely,
Data Protection and Information Rights Team
100 Wood Street,
London,
EC2V 7ER
Dear Eleanor Shaikh,
With sincere apologies for the delay, please find the attached response
relating to your Freedom of Information request.
Kind regards,
Information Rights Team
100 Wood Street
London
EC2V 7ER
John Cross left an annotation ()
This FOI request is linked to from here: https://postofficeinquiry.dracos.co.uk/d...
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G Kanter-Webber left an annotation ()
“We will not be able to respond” is not a valid reaction to an FOIA request. Either an exemption applies or it doesn’t.