Recent taxi drivers sexual offences vs uber sexual offences

The request was refused by Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

Dear Metropolitan Police Service (MPS),
Due to the recent controversy of the london uber license ban I would like to request statistcs showing a breakdown of Private taxi and licensed private hire violent and sexual assaults showing the number of claims and number of charges versus the number of uber drivers with the same criteria.

Yours faithfully,
Peter mckain PI

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Dear Mr Mckain

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2017090000808

I write in connection with your request for information which was received
by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 23/09/2017.  I note you seek
access to the following information:

"Due to the recent controversy of the london uber license ban I would like
to request statistcs showing a breakdown of Private taxi and licensed
private hire violent and sexual assaults showing the number of claims and
number of charges versus the number of uber drivers with the same
criteria."

This is to inform you that the MPS are unable to proceed with your request
as we require further information from you.  

* We require a timescale from you.
* Please clarify if you would like the information to refer to calendar
years OR financial years OR if you would like to specify other start
and end times.
* Please also clarify if you would like the figures to be broken down by
month or to be presented in whole years.

After receiving your reply, your request will then be considered and you
will receive a response within the statutory timescale of 20 working days.

However, if the requested additional information has not been received by
Monday 23rd October 2017, I will assume you no longer wish to proceed with
this request and will treat it as withdrawn.

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

Yours sincerely,

R. Loizou
Support Officer - Freedom of Information Triage 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
Information Rights Unit
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.ico.org.uk.  Alternatively, write to or
phone:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone: 0303 123 1113

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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Dear Metropolitan Police Service (MPS),
The range would be from 2012 to 2017, It would need to be in calendar years and i would like it to be broken down into months with a total for each year if thats not possible then just the yearly totals would be adequate.

Yours faithfully,

Peter Mckain PI

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

Dear Mr Mckain

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2017090000808

I write in connection with your request for information which was received
by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 23/09/2017.  I note you seek
access to the following information:

"Due to the recent controversy of the london uber license ban I would like
to request statistcs showing a breakdown of Private taxi and licensed
private hire violent and sexual assaults showing the number of claims and
number of charges versus the number of uber drivers with the same
criteria.

Clarified on 25/09/2017:
The range would be from 2012 to 2017, It would need to be in calendar
years and i would like it to be broken down into months with a total for
each year if thats not possible then just the yearly totals would be
adequate."

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.  

If you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please contact
us at [email address] or on the phone at 0207 161 3500, quoting the
reference number above. Should your enquiry relate to the logging or
allocations process we will be able to assist you directly and where your
enquiry relates to other matters (such as the status of the request) we
will be able to pass on a message and/or advise you of the relevant
contact details.

Yours sincerely

R. Loizou
Support Officer - Freedom of Information Triage 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
Information Rights Unit
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.ico.org.uk.  Alternatively, write to or
phone:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone: 0303 123 1113

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 Mr McKain

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2017090000808

I write in connection with your request for information which was received
by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 23/09/2017. I note you seek
access to the following information:

"Due to the recent controversy of the london uber license ban I would like
to request statistics showing a breakdown of Private taxi and licensed
private hire violent and sexual assaults showing the number of claims and
number of charges versus the number of uber drivers with the same
criteria.

The range would be from 2012 to 2017, it would need to be in calendar
years and I would like it to be broken down into months with a total for
each year if that's not possible then just the yearly totals would be
adequate."

SEARCHES TO LOCATE INFORMATION

To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted
within the Met HQ Performance and Assurance Unit Data Team and the Roads
and Transport Policing Command. The searches located information relevant
to your request.

DECISION

This letter is to inform you that it will not be possible to respond to
your request within the cost threshold. This response serves as a Refusal
Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act).
Please see the legal annex for further information on the exemptions
applied in respect of your request.

REASONS FOR DECISION

Having made initial enquiries with the Met HQ Data Team in order to
establish if the requested data could be located, retrieved and extracted
within the appropriate limit, it became clear that it would exceed 18
hours to comply with your request. Within the Crime Recording and
Information System (CRIS), there is a flag "MI" on the sexual offences
screen of the victim page which denotes a cab/taxi/private hire
vehicle-related sexual offence. This flag is used where a sexual offence
was committed by a licenced taxi or private hire vehicle driver or someone
posing as a taxi/private hire vehicle driver against a passenger. However
the system itself does not allow for accurate recording of what type of
driver is involved, so each record would have to be read in order to
determine this information. There are in excess of 100 offences a year,
which means that reading them all would well exceed 18 hours even based
upon a conservative estimate of 3 minutes reading time per record.

In addition, violent offences would be reliant on a crime classification
of "Violence Against the Person" where the occupation is taxi driver, mini
cab driver etc - there are around 2,200 records in the period requested
that would need to be read as it is possible that the driver may not be on
duty at the time of the offence and that the nature of their employment is
of no relevance. It is also possible that the suspect occupation may have
been left blank as it is not a mandatory field, there will therefore be an
unknown number of unknowns. We estimate that this aspect of your request
alone would take at least 183 hours. Similar searches would be required
for the requested charge data in which there are hundreds of records to
individually review in order to ascertain the type of taxi driver charged.

We estimate that the cost of complying with this request would exceed the
appropriate limit. The appropriate limit has been specified in regulations
and for agencies outside central Government; this is set at £450.00. This
represents the estimated cost of one person spending 18 hours (at a rate
of £25 per hour) in determining whether the MPS holds the information, and
locating, retrieving and extracting the information.

Section 16

Under Section 16 we are required to provide you with advice and assistance
to assist you with submitting a new request for recorded information that
can be located, retrieved and extracted within the 18 hours specified by
the Act. As explained, it is determining what type of taxi driver is
involved in the sexual or violent offence that would take the request over
the cost threshold. If you were to therefore remove this requirement and
request sexual and violent offence data on all taxi drivers then it may be
possible to comply with your request, subject to any exemptions that may
apply. Alternatively, if you were to significantly reduce the time period
it may be possible to provide charge data alone broken down by the type of
taxi driver.

Please note that Transport for London are due to publish updated taxi
private hire journey related sexual offences statistics by the end of
November 2017, which will be available via the following link:
https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/safety-and-....

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please
contact me on 0207 161 4291 or via email at [email address],
quoting the reference number above.

Yours sincerely

Deborah Solomon
Information Manager
MPS Information Rights Unit

LEGAL ANNEX

Section 17(5) of the Act provides:

(5) A public authority which, in relation to any request for information,
is relying on a claim that section 12 or 14 applies must, within the time
for complying with section 1(1), give the applicant a notice stating that
fact.

Section 12(1) of the Act provides:

(1) Section 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.

Section 16(1) of the Act provides:

(1) It shall be the duty of a public authority to provide advice and
assistance, so far as it would be reasonable to expect the authority to do
so, to persons who propose to make, or have made, requests for information
to it.
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
Information Rights Unit
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.ico.org.uk.  Alternatively, write to or
phone:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone:  0303 123 1113

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