PSNI Firearms

[Name Removed] made this Freedom of Information request to Police Service of Northern Ireland This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was partially successful.

Dear Police Service of Northern Ireland,

- Could you please provide me with a list of all types of firearm currently in your inventory and used by the officers.

- Please break down which firearms are used by each department.

- What is the PSNI policy on warning shots with firearms?

- Why is it that you'd see some normal officers carrying big guns such as the Heckler and Koch G36C assault rifle and others don't? Are all officers trained to use these? Does it depend on what duty they are on? Does it depend on which area they are in? Etc...

Yours faithfully,

[Name Removed] R

Dear Police Service of Northern Ireland,

My full name is [Name Removed] [Name Removed].

Police Service of Northern Ireland

This e-mail has been marked OFFICIAL [PUBLIC];

20th May 2019

Dear Mr [Name Removed],

FREEDOM of INFORMATION ACT 2000

I write in connection with your request for information dated 20th May
2019 which was received by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)
on 20th May 2019.  I note you seek access to the following information:

PSNI Firearms, training, and policy on warning shots

This request will be dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000. A response should be sent to you within 20 working
days however I would like to advise you that PSNI are currently
experiencing a delay in the processing of requests and we aim to respond
to your request as soon as possible.

If your request is unclear and clarification is required the 20 day
legislative time limit dictated by the Freedom of Information Act 2000
will be stopped until we receive clarification of your request. The ICO
guidance at paragraph 40 of the link below sets out that the clock begins
anew the day after the clarification is received. It states

“If the requester subsequently provides enough detail to enable the
authority to identify and locate the information, then the authority must
respond to the clarified request within a new 20 working day time limit
with the ‘clock’ starting the day after it receives the required
clarification. “

The link for this is:

[1]https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...

In the event where the cost of complying with the request would exceed the
“appropriate level”, which is fixed at £450, as stated in the Freedom of
Information Regulations 2004, it is the policy of the PSNI to close the
request. You will however be notified of this decision and given an
opportunity to refine and resubmit the request.

If your request requires either full or partial transference to another
public authority in order to answer your query, again, you will be
notified.

If you have any queries regarding your request please write or contact the
Freedom of Information Team on 028 9070 0164. Please remember to quote the
reference number listed above in any future communications with the
Freedom of Information Team.

If you are dissatisfied in any way with the handling of your request, you
have the right to request a review. You should do this as soon as
possible, or in any case within two months of the date of issue of this
letter. In the event that you require a review to be undertaken, you can
do so by writing to the Head of Freedom of Information, PSNI Headquarters,
65 Knock Road, Belfast, BT5 6LE or by emailing [email address]. 

If following an internal review, carried out by an independent decision
maker, you were to remain dissatisfied in any way with the handling of the
request you may make a complaint, under Section 50 of the Freedom of
Information Act, to the Information Commissioner’s Office and ask that
they investigate whether the PSNI has complied with the terms of the
Freedom of Information Act.  You can write to the Information Commissioner
at Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. In most circumstances the Information
Commissioner will not investigate a complaint unless an internal review
procedure has been carried out, however the Commissioner has the option to
investigate the matter at his discretion.

Yours sincerely,

FOI Decision Maker
FOI Unit
PSNI HQ Brooklyn

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References

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1. https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...

Dear Police Service of Northern Ireland,

Thanks very much for your swift reply.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

[Name Removed] [Name Removed]

Dear Police Service of Northern Ireland,

I would like to remind you of your obligation to reply by the 18th of June 2019.

Yours faithfully,

[Name Removed] [Name Removed]

Police Service of Northern Ireland

This e-mail has been marked OFFICIAL [PUBLIC];

[Name Removed] [Name Removed]

In reply to your email below, the PSNI Corporate Information Branch are currently experiencing a high volume of requests which are causing a delay in issuing responses.

We can assure you that we are endeavouring to expedite your request as quickly as possible; however, we cannot offer a specific time-scale.

Please accept our apologies for the delay. We appreciate your patience.

Corporate Information Branch
PSNI

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Dear Police Service of Northern Ireland,

I sent my email on the 20th of May. It's now the 10th of August. This has been a very long time.

Please reply.

Yours faithfully,

[Name Removed] [Name Removed].

Police Service of Northern Ireland

This e-mail has been marked OFFICIAL [PUBLIC];

Mr [Name Removed]

Thank you for your email.

The FOI and Data Protection Unit are currently dealing with a high volume
of requests and this has impacted our ability to issue responses within
the 20 day legislative time-frame.

This delay has been communicated to requesters in the initial
acknowledgement email to make them aware of the situation.

I can advise you that PSNI are aware of their legislative responsibilities
and have contacted the Information Commissioner’s Office to make them
aware of our delay in processing requests.

Your request is allocated to a Decision Maker and is currently being
processed.

I can assure you that all requests are progressed as quickly as possible.

I can only offer you my sincere apology for this delay and thank you for
your patience.

Kind Regards

FOI Decision Maker
FOI Unit
PSNI HQ Brooklyn

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Police Service of Northern Ireland

1 Attachment

This e-mail has been marked OFFICIAL [PUBLIC];

Subject: FOI-2019-01195
21st August 2019

Dear Mr. [Name Removed],

FREEDOM of INFORMATION ACT 2000

I apologise for the delay in responding to your request.

I write in connection with your request for information received by the
Police Service of Northern Ireland concerning:

PSNI Firearms, Training and Policy regarding Warning Shots

Please find attached response to your request.

Yours sincerely,

Gillian

FOI Decision Maker
Corporate Information Branch
PSNI HQ Brooklyn

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