Recovered vehicles

The request was successful.

Dear Central Scotland Police,

It is my understanding that when a vehicle is recovered (for example, after being stolen), the police will store this vehicle at cost to the vehicle owner or insurer.

Please let me know

1) Do you store recovered vehicles?

2) If so, what is the cost per day per vehicle charged to the owner or insurer? Please list cost for common vehicle types such as motorbikes, cars, vans and HGV's

3) Must all recovered vehicles be examined by a forensics team before they can be released by the police to the vehicles registered keeper or insurance company?

4) What is the average length of time (in days) between a vehicle being recovered and a forensics team examining the vehicle for the years 2008, 2009 and 2010?

5) Are your vehicle storage facilities owned and operated by you, or are they contracted to a third party?

6) If a third party is contracted to store vehicles on your behalf, what is the cost per day, per vehicle for vehicle storage incurred by you?

Yours faithfully,

Richard Newton

Freedom Of Information, Central Scotland Police

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Dear Mr Newton,

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Acknowledgment

Thank you for your request for information received on 25th March,
2011 and is being dealt with this in accordance with the Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act 2002. Your request has been given the unique
Reference Number : 2008 please quote this Reference on any correspondence
in relation to your request.

Under the terms of the Act, we have a statutory obligation to respond
within 20 working days from the after your request was received. A
response to your request for information will be sent to you promptly; and
in any event not later than 22nd April, 2011. Please allow for postal
time, if sent by mail.

Your request may result in us not supplying the information you have
requested, as the Act imposes certain conditions and exemptions on the
information we may supply. It is also possible that the information you
request is controlled by different legislation, but we will let you know
this.

If you require any clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me on
01786 456000 or Email: [1][email address] . However,
if you are not satisfied with the way in which your request has been
handled, you are entitled, in the first instance, to request a Review of
the decisions made. Should you wish to request a Review, please write to
Head of Professional Standards, Professional Standards Department, Central
Scotland Police, Police Headquarters, Randolphfield, Stirling FK8 2HD
within 40 working days of receiving this correspondence

If, after receiving a response to the Review, you remain dissatisfied, you
have six months within which you may Appeal to the Scottish Information
Commissioner who can be contacted at Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St
Andrews, Fife, KY16 9DS. Phone: 01334 464610 Fax: 01334 464611 or Email
[2][email address] .

For further information on Freedom of Information you can visit the
Scottish Information Commissioners website at
[3]www.itspublicknowledge.info .

Yours sincerely

Kind regards
Ilene

Freedom of Information Officer

Central Scotland Police
Police Headquarters

Tel: 01786 456000 Fax: 01786 456388
Email: [Central Scotland Police request email]

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Freedom Of Information, Central Scotland Police

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Dear Mr Newton,

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002

Thank you for your request for information received on 25th
March 2011. Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding.
Central Scotland Police have received a very large number of requests for
information in recent months stretching the resources available and
creating an unfortunate backlog. This backlog is now being addressed. I
have now dealt with your request in accordance with the Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and respond as follows :

Your Requests:

1. Do you store recovered vehicles?
2. If so, what is the cost per day per vehicle charged to the owner or
insurer? Please list cost for common vehicle types such as motorbikes,
cars, vans and HGV's
3. Must all recovered vehicles be examined by a forensics team before
they can be released by the police to the vehicles registered keeper
or insurance company?
4. What is the average length of time (in days) between a vehicle being
recovered and a forensics team examining the vehicle for the years
2008, 2009 and 2010?
5. Are your vehicle storage facilities owned and operated by you, or are
they contracted to a third party?
6. If a third party is contracted to store vehicles on your behalf, what
is the cost per day, per vehicle for vehicle storage incurred by you?

Responses:

1. No, the Force does not store recovered vehicles. We do not have that
facility.
2. The requested information is not held by Central Scotland Police for
the reason outlined in the response to Question 1.
3. No, recovered vehicles are not always required for SOC examination .
The officer(s) dealing with the vehicle will request this as required.
4. It is impossible to give an average. However, endeavours will be made
to carry out a SOC on a vehicle within 4 days of the officer making the
request to Forensics.
5. They are contracted through a 3rd party. Central Scotland Police have
an agreement with The Automobile Association Ltd which provides the
administration service to all our Recovery operators.
6. The AA Agreement states that the Police pay only the recovery fee if a
vehicle is a production/evidence/crime and/or it is a vehicle owned or
hired by the Police, and no storage fee applies. In all other instances,
all charges (including the fee for vehicle recovery) are payable by the
vehicle owner and/or 3rd party authorised to collect the vehicles. Storage
is charged **20 + VAT per day.

You should be aware that Central Scotland Police hold the Copyright for
the material provided and it may not be reproduced in any format or media
without acquiring specific permission. This will also be subject to the
material not being used in a derogatory manner or in a misleading context.
The source of the material must then be acknowledged as Central Scotland
Police, and the title of the document must be included when being
reproduced as part of another publication or service.

Police forces in the United Kingdom are routinely required to provide
crime statistics to government bodies and the recording criteria is set
nationally. However, the systems used for recording these figures are not
generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the crime data.
It should be noted that for these reasons this force's response to your
questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other
response you may receive.

If you require any clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me on
01786 456000 or Email: [1][email address] . However,
if you are not satisfied with the way in which your request has been
handled, you are entitled, in the first instance, to request a Review of
the decisions made. Should you wish to request a Review, please write to
Head of Professional Standards, Professional Standards Department, Central
Scotland Police, Police Headquarters, Randolphfield, Stirling FK8 2HD
within 40 working days of receiving this correspondence

If, after receiving a response, you remain dissatisfied, you have six
months within which you may Appeal to the Scottish Information
Commissioner who can be contacted at Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St
Andrews, Fife, KY16 9DS. Phone: 01334 464610 Fax: 01334 464611 or Email
[2][email address] .

Yours sincerely

John Brims
Records Manager
Central Scotland Police
Police Headquarters
Randolphfield
Stirling FK8 2HD

Tel: 01786 456387 Ext : 2387
Fax: 01786 456388
Email: [3][email address]

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