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FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 394-2023
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 12th April 2023 as follows:
Q1. How many watches were reported stolen by your force over the past four calendar years? (2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022).
Q1a. If the data is available, please include the approximate value of the watches stolen each year – providing that doesn’t exceed the reasonable limits of an FOI.
Q2. How many attempted thefts of watches were recorded by your force over the past four calendar years? (2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022).
Q3. In each calendar year, how many reports of stolen watches or attempted stolen watches resulted in an arrest or charge?
Please find the Warwickshire Police response set out below.
Response: Please be advised that the requested information is not centrally recorded and is therefore not held in a readily retrievable format. There is no specific offence for theft of watch, and no flag or marker to identify where this has occurred in relation to a theft offence. The business area has carried out a search for all relevant theft, robbery, and burglary offences, where a watch could feasibly be reported stolen, for the year 2022, which returned 9,470 crimes. In order to determine a response to the request, it would be necessary to individually review each and every one to establish whether theft or attempted theft of watch was reported and if the value of the item was recorded, as well as the outcome. At a conservative estimate of 4 minutes per record to review, this would equate to in excess of 631 hours of work for 2022 alone. Therefore, this would exceed the amount to which we are legally required to respond, i.e., the cost of locating and retrieving the information exceeds the ‘appropriate level’ as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004. For Police forces in the UK, the "appropriate limit" is up to 18 hours of work on one request.
In accordance with s12 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice for your request.
In accordance with Section 16 of the Act, I have a duty to provide advice and assistance; however, due to the volume of records that would need to be individually reviewed, I am unable to suggest a way to reduce your request into one which could be managed within the fees limit.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is as accurate as possible.
Your attention is drawn to the below which details your right of complaint.
Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write or email the Freedom of Information Unit quoting the reference number above.
Yours sincerely
Freedom of Information Officer
Freedom of Information Unit
Warwickshire Police
PO Box 4
Leek Wootton
Warwickshire
CV35 7QB