FOI 1022-2024 / Nov 2024 / UFO
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 1022-2024
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 20th November 2024 as follows:
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Specifically, I would like to request detailed records regarding reports of Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) sightings made to Warwickshire Police. I would appreciate it if you could provide the following information:
Q1. Total Number of UFO Sightings Reported
The total number of UFO sightings reported each year over the past five years (2019-2023).
Q2. Details of Each Reported Sighting
For each sighting, please provide the date, time, and location of the report, as well as a brief description of the event as recorded by the reporting officer or caller.
Q3. Outcomes of Investigations
Information on whether any investigations were conducted following these reports and, if so, any findings or conclusions that were documented.
Q4. Nature of Callers
If available, a breakdown of the types of callers (e.g., member of the public, police officer, or another authority figure) reporting such sightings.
Q5. Follow-up Actions
Details of any follow-up actions taken by Warwickshire Police in response to these reports (e.g., site visits, collaboration with other agencies).
Please find the Warwickshire Police response set out below.
Q1 response: Please be advised that there is no identifier within the Command-and-Control System to identify reports of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) sightings. Further, UFO sightings would not necessarily be recorded as there is no crime/incident occurring and callers may be directed to other channels such as the Civil Aviation Authority. In order to attempt to determine the number of times such a report has been recorded, it would be necessary to review each and every incident log, recorded during the stated period, on an individual basis. This would equate to tens of thousands of logs, which would take an inordinate amount of time to review and greatly 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.
In accordance with Section 12(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice for this part of the request, and, if one part of a request exceeds the fees limit, then Section 12 of the Act applies to the whole request.
However, as a gesture of goodwill and in keeping with the duty to provide advice and assistance under Section 16 of the Act, the business area conducted a search of the Command-and-Control System for where the keywords ‘UFO’ and ‘Unidentified Flying Object’ are present within the free text of logs recorded between 1st January 2019 and 31st December 2023.
The resulting records were then manually reviewed to determine whether they related to sightings of a UFO. Based on this keyword search I can advise that there were two records located which would meet the criteria of your request, one recorded in 2021 and one recorded in 2023.
However, it is important to note that if there are relevant incidents which have been logged, but where the keyword/s is not present within the free text, then these will not have been returned within the search. For this reason, information retrieved by way of a keyword search cannot be assumed to be entirely accurate and should be treated with caution.
Although excess cost removes the Force’s obligations under the Freedom of Information Act, by way of further assistance a response to the remainder of your request, has been provided below.
Q2 to Q5 response: When refusing to provide the requested information, Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires Warwickshire Police to provide the applicant with a notice which:
(a) States that fact,
(b) Specifies the exemption in question and
(c) States (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.
I can advise that the requested information is held; however, not all the information is suitable for disclosure by virtue of the following exemption:
Section 40(2) Personal Information
Section 40 is an absolute class-based exemption, which does not require evidence of the harm disclosure would cause and does not require consideration of a public interest test. Where Section 40(2) is engaged, in order to make the exemption absolute there needs to be evidence that a Data Protection Principle would be breached by disclosure.
This exemption is engaged where disclosure of information relates to personal data of a third party or could lead to the identification of an individual, either from that information alone or combined with any other information from within the Police Service or public domain. In this case, due to extremely low numbers, providing the date, time, and exact location of the report, as well as the nature of the caller, the outcomes and details of any follow up actions, is likely to lead to the identification of an individual and provide information in relation to that individual. Such disclosure would breach individuals’ rights under the Data Protection Act 2018, Article 5(1) of the GDPR which states that personal data shall be processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to the data subject.
This letter serves as a refusal notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act for these parts of the request. Please see the information I am able to provide set out below.
|
Year |
Location by Policing Area |
Summary |
|
2021 |
Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough |
Reported seeing a cluster of UFOs hovering in mid air |
|
2023 |
North Warwickshire District |
Reported seeing a dark grey oval shape in the sky with a white haze around it and with a spinning motion at the bottom. |
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