Prosecution of homophobic assault

[name removed] made this Freedom of Information request to Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was successful.

Dear Metropolitan Police Service (MPS),

Date of incident: 28/06/11
Locus: Bridge street, Parliament Square

CCTV footage of an assault by police officers on a gay couple; Alex Bryce and his partner Ian Fise has become available to the public, see this source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24...

Have the officers been prosecuted for common assault or another offence?

Yours faithfully,

[name removed] [name removed]

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Dear Mr [name removed]

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2013100002665
I write in connection with your request for information  which was
received by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 23/10/2013.  I note
you seek access to the following information:

* "Date of incident: 28/06/11 Locus: Bridge street, Parliament Square
CCTV footage of an assault by police officers on a gay couple; Alex
Bryce and his partner Ian Fise has become available to the public, see
this source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24... Have the
officers been prosecuted for common assault or another offence?"

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,
subject to the information not being exempt or containing a reference
to a third party.  In some circumstances the MPS may be unable to
achieve this deadline.  If this is likely you will be informed and
given a revised time-scale at the earliest opportunity.

Some requests may also require either full or partial transference to
another public authority in order to answer your query in the fullest
possible way. Again, you will be informed if this is the case.

COMPLAINT RIGHTS

Your attention is drawn to the attached sheet, which details your
right of complaint.

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please
contact me at the above address or my colleagues at [email address]
quoting the reference number above.

Yours sincerely

S Bhaskaran
Customer Services Administration Team
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
Public Access Office
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.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.  Alternatively, phone or write to:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone:  01625 545 700

Total Policing is the Met's commitment to be on the streets and in your
communities to catch offenders, prevent crime and support victims. We are
here for London, working with you to make our capital safer.

 

Consider our environment - please do not print this email unless
absolutely necessary.

NOTICE - This email and any attachments may be confidential, subject to
copyright and/or legal privilege and are intended solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and delete it from your system.  To avoid incurring
legal liabilities, you must not distribute or copy the information in this
email without the permission of the sender. MPS communication systems are
monitored to the extent permitted by law.  Consequently, any email and/or
attachments may be read by monitoring staff. Only specified personnel are
authorised to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of the MPS by
email. The MPS accepts no responsibility for unauthorised agreements
reached with other employees or agents.  The security of this email and
any attachments cannot be guaranteed. Email messages are routinely scanned
but malicious software infection and corruption of content can still occur
during transmission over the Internet. Any views or opinions expressed in
this communication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

 

Find us at:

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Twitter: @metpoliceuk

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Dear Mr/Ms [name removed]

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2013100002665
I write in connection with your request for information which was
received by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 23/10/2013.  I note
you seek access to the following information:

Date of incident: 28/06/11
Locus: Bridge street, Parliament Square
CCTV footage of an assault by police officers on a gay couple; Alex Bryce
and his partner Ian Fise has become available to the public,

see this source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24...

Have the officers been prosecuted for common assault or another offence?

DECISION

I have tried to connect to the link you have provided and cannot find any
information in relation to your request.
The link just refers me to 'Plebgate' articles.

In accordance with the Act, this email represents a Refusal Notice for
this particular request under Section 17(1) of the Act. The MPS can
neither confirm nor deny that it holds the information you have requested
as the duty in Section 1(1)(a) of the Act does not apply by virtue of
Section 40(5) of the Act.

Please find explanation below of the exemption relied upon under the Act.

Section 40 (5) - Personal Information
To confirm or deny whether information of the description specified by
your request is held by the MPS would publicly disclose information about
named individuals. For example, should the MPS confirm that information of
the description specified is held in response to any question, this would
confirm that an incident occurred on the date in question.  Conversely,
should the MPS state that no information is held, this would confirm that
no such incident concerning named individuals took place. I consider that
any information held, actual or non-existent, to be a confidential matter.
As such, this notice does not confirm nor deny whether any information is
held.

This response is a refusal under Section 17(1) of the Act and does not
confirm whether any information does or does not exist.

This notice concludes your request for information. I would like to take
this opportunity to thank you for your interest in the MPS.

COMPLAINT RIGHTS

Your attention is drawn to the attached sheet which details your right of
complaint.

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write
or contact Margaret Bunker on telephone number 02071616511 quoting the
reference number above.  

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Bunker
Information Manager
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
Public Access Office
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.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.
 Alternatively, phone or write to:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone:  01625 545 700

Total Policing is the Met's commitment to be on the streets and in your
communities to catch offenders, prevent crime and support victims. We are
here for London, working with you to make our capital safer.

 

Consider our environment - please do not print this email unless
absolutely necessary.

NOTICE - This email and any attachments may be confidential, subject to
copyright and/or legal privilege and are intended solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and delete it from your system.  To avoid incurring
legal liabilities, you must not distribute or copy the information in this
email without the permission of the sender. MPS communication systems are
monitored to the extent permitted by law.  Consequently, any email and/or
attachments may be read by monitoring staff. Only specified personnel are
authorised to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of the MPS by
email. The MPS accepts no responsibility for unauthorised agreements
reached with other employees or agents.  The security of this email and
any attachments cannot be guaranteed. Email messages are routinely scanned
but malicious software infection and corruption of content can still occur
during transmission over the Internet. Any views or opinions expressed in
this communication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

 

Find us at:

Facebook: Facebook.com/metpoliceuk

Twitter: @metpoliceuk

Dear Metropolitan Police Service (MPS),

Please review the video on the link at 8 seconds and you will see CCTV footage of the incident.

Yours faithfully,

[name removed] [name removed]

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Good morning,

I will carry out further research and return to you as soon as possible. I still can't access the cctv through the link, but will seek advice.
Be in touch soon,

Kind regards,
Margaret

show quoted sections

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Good afternoon,

I have tried to access the link again and it still only takes me to a BBC website which is all in relation to 'Plebgate'.
Unless I am able to access the topic of your request I will not be able to supply you with a suitable response.

Could you please check that the link you are sending me is correct.

Kind regards,
Margaret

show quoted sections

Dear Metropolitan Police Service (MPS),

I'm sorry you're still having difficulty. Please see this screenshot: http://postimg.org/image/5dlz4ok9p/

Reference the video on the upper left area, immediately above the headline 'Plebgate: Do police still enjoy public confidence?'.

Click on the play button to the left of the video and wait until around 8 seconds.

For confirmation, the URL is: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24...

Yours faithfully,

[name removed] [name removed]

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Dear Mr/Ms [name removed]

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2013100002665

I write in connection with your request for information which was received
by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 23/10/2013.  I note you seek
access to the following information:

Date of incident: 28/06/11
Locus: Bridge Street, Parliament Square

CCTV footage of an assault by police officers on a gay couple; Alex Bryce
and his partner Ian Fise has become available to the public,
see this source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24...

Have the officers been prosecuted for common assault or another offence?

EXTENT OF SEARCHES TO LOCATE INFORMATION
To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted
at The Directorate of Professional Standards, The Directorate of Media and
Communications and The Directorate of Legal Services

RESULT OF SEARCHES
I have still been unable to access the CCTV footage you refer to, however,
further searches located records relevant to your request.

DECISION
I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

On 28th June 2011 there was a disturbance outside the Palace of
Westminster during which two members of the public were arrested. In
December 2011 at Westminster Magistrates Court, the CPS offered no
evidence against the two defendants and the case was dismissed. A
complaint was subsequently lodged in January 2012 and the Metropolitan
Police Service (MPS) referred the matter to the IPCC. The IPCC decided
that a supervised investigation should be carried out by the MPS. The
complainant withdrew the complaint in 2012.

An internal investigation was conducted into the actions of the officers
and subsequently two officers were subject to management action.

The Metropolitan Police Service takes any allegations of wrong doing by
officers or staff very seriously. Where appropriate, allegations of
criminal behaviour or misconduct are investigated thoroughly by officers
from the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards. Investigations may
also be managed or carried out independently by the Independent Police
Complaints Commission.

The DPS carries out these investigations so that the public can have
confidence in our commitment to ensuring the professionalism, honesty and
integrity of all our officers and staff.

It is important to note that the number of allegations is an extremely
small proportion of the total number of officers and staff in the MPS
which is over 50,000. The vast majority of our officers and staff carry
out their service to Londoners in the manner the MPS and the public
expects.

This notice concludes your request for information. I would like to take
this opportunity to thank you for your interest in the MPS.

COMPLAINT RIGHTS
Your attention is drawn to the attached sheet which details your right of
complaint.

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write
or contact Margaret Bunker on telephone number 02071616511 quoting the
reference number above.  

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Bunker
Information Manager

In complying with their statutory duty under sections 1 and 11 of the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 to release the enclosed information, the
Metropolitan Police Service will not breach the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988. However, the rights of the copyright owner of the
enclosed information will continue to be protected by law.  Applications
for the copyright owner's written permission to reproduce any part of the
attached information should be addressed to MPS Directorate of Legal
Services, 1st Floor (Victoria Block), New Scotland Yard, Victoria, London,
SW1H 0BG.
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
Public Access Office
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.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.
 Alternatively, phone or write to:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone:  01625 545 700

Total Policing is the Met's commitment to be on the streets and in your
communities to catch offenders, prevent crime and support victims. We are
here for London, working with you to make our capital safer.

 

Consider our environment - please do not print this email unless
absolutely necessary.

NOTICE - This email and any attachments may be confidential, subject to
copyright and/or legal privilege and are intended solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and delete it from your system.  To avoid incurring
legal liabilities, you must not distribute or copy the information in this
email without the permission of the sender. MPS communication systems are
monitored to the extent permitted by law.  Consequently, any email and/or
attachments may be read by monitoring staff. Only specified personnel are
authorised to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of the MPS by
email. The MPS accepts no responsibility for unauthorised agreements
reached with other employees or agents.  The security of this email and
any attachments cannot be guaranteed. Email messages are routinely scanned
but malicious software infection and corruption of content can still occur
during transmission over the Internet. Any views or opinions expressed in
this communication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

 

Find us at:

Facebook: Facebook.com/metpoliceuk

Twitter: @metpoliceuk

Dear Metropolitan Police Service (MPS),

I appreciate the information you have given me. My original request was whether the two officers had been prosecuted for an offence, eg. assault. Do you have information on this?

Yours faithfully,

[name removed] [name removed]

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Good afternoon Mr/Ms [name removed],

Please note that within the response I informed you that as a result of an internal investigation the two officers were subject to management action. Here is an explanation of what kind of action this involves.

Management Action: This refers to anything that can be locally resolved to address the misconduct of an officer and can include:
Pointing out how the behaviour fell short of the expectations set out in the Standards of Professional Behaviour.
Identifying expectations for future conduct
Establishing an improvement plan
Addressing any underlying causes of misconduct.

I hope this answers your query.

Kind regards,
Margaret

show quoted sections

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 'Prosecution of homophobic assault'.

I have already acknowledged receipt of the information regarding management action. Does MPS hold any information regarding whether or not these two officers were prosecuted, and if so what for?

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

Yours faithfully,

[name removed] [name removed]

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Dear [name removed] [name removed]

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2013110002033

I write in connection with your request for a review of the original MPS
decision relating to 2013100002665 which was received by the Metropolitan
Police Service (MPS) on 18/11/2013.  

Your request for a review will now be considered in accordance with the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act).  You will receive a response to
your request for a review of the original MPS case within a timescale of
20 working days.  In some circumstances the MPS may be unable to achieve
this deadline.  If this is likely you will be informed and given a revised
time-scale at the earliest opportunity.

COMPLAINT RIGHTS

Your attention is drawn to the attached sheet, which details your right of
complaint.

Yours sincerely

R. Loizou
Administration Team Officer
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
Public Access Office
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.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.
 Alternatively, phone or write to:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone:  01625 545 700

Total Policing is the Met's commitment to be on the streets and in your
communities to catch offenders, prevent crime and support victims. We are
here for London, working with you to make our capital safer.

 

Consider our environment - please do not print this email unless
absolutely necessary.

NOTICE - This email and any attachments may be confidential, subject to
copyright and/or legal privilege and are intended solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and delete it from your system.  To avoid incurring
legal liabilities, you must not distribute or copy the information in this
email without the permission of the sender. MPS communication systems are
monitored to the extent permitted by law.  Consequently, any email and/or
attachments may be read by monitoring staff. Only specified personnel are
authorised to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of the MPS by
email. The MPS accepts no responsibility for unauthorised agreements
reached with other employees or agents.  The security of this email and
any attachments cannot be guaranteed. Email messages are routinely scanned
but malicious software infection and corruption of content can still occur
during transmission over the Internet. Any views or opinions expressed in
this communication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

 

Find us at:

Facebook: Facebook.com/metpoliceuk

Twitter: @metpoliceuk

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Dear [name removed] [name removed]

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2013110002033

I write in connection with your correspondence dated 18th November 2013
concerning your request for information received by the Metropolitan
Police Service on the 23rd October 2013 under reference 2013100002665  

Please find below a response to your complaint below.

Request for information

Date of incident: 28/06/11
Locus: Bridge Street, Parliament Square

CCTV footage of an assault by police officers on a gay couple; Alex Bryce
and his partner Ian Fise has become available to the public,
see this source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24...

Have the officers been prosecuted for common assault or another offence?

Request for Review

I have already acknowledged receipt of the information regarding
management action. Does MPS hold any information regarding whether or not
these two officers were prosecuted, and if so what for?

DECISION

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has completed its review and has
decided to uphold the original decision and provide you with additional
advice and assistance by virtue of Section 16 of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (FoIA).

Section 16 FoIA Advice and Assistance

Section 16 of the FoIA provides an obligation for a public authority to
provide advice and assistance to a person making a request, so far as it
would be reasonable to do so. The review has regard for your comment ‘I
have already acknowledged receipt of the information regarding management
action. Does MPS hold any information regarding whether or not these two
officers were prosecuted…’ and can advise you that there were no
prosecutions in this case and as stated in the original response ‘…two
officers were subject to management action.’ I hope this review now
clarifies the response in this case.

Yours sincerely

Mike Lyng
FoIA Quality and Assurance Advisor

COMPLAINT RIGHTS

If you are dissatisfied with this response please read the attached paper
entitled Complaint Rights which explains how to make a complaint.  

COMPLAINT RIGHTS

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.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.
 Alternatively, phone or write to:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone:  01625 545 700

Total Policing is the Met's commitment to be on the streets and in your
communities to catch offenders, prevent crime and support victims. We are
here for London, working with you to make our capital safer.

 

Consider our environment - please do not print this email unless
absolutely necessary.

NOTICE - This email and any attachments may be confidential, subject to
copyright and/or legal privilege and are intended solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and delete it from your system.  To avoid incurring
legal liabilities, you must not distribute or copy the information in this
email without the permission of the sender. MPS communication systems are
monitored to the extent permitted by law.  Consequently, any email and/or
attachments may be read by monitoring staff. Only specified personnel are
authorised to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of the MPS by
email. The MPS accepts no responsibility for unauthorised agreements
reached with other employees or agents.  The security of this email and
any attachments cannot be guaranteed. Email messages are routinely scanned
but malicious software infection and corruption of content can still occur
during transmission over the Internet. Any views or opinions expressed in
this communication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

 

Find us at:

Facebook: Facebook.com/metpoliceuk

Twitter: @metpoliceuk