FOI 943-2024 / Oct 2024 / SAR requests
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 943-2024
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 28th October 2024 as follows:
Question 1 Number of Subject Access Requests (SAR) the force received in 2021, 2022, 2023
Question 2 Number of SARs complied with, within the statutory time limit in 2021, 2022, 2023
Question 3 Number of SARs complied with in full in 2021, 2022, 2023
Question 4 Number of SARs part complied with in 2021, 2022, 2023
Question 5 Number of SARs not complied with in 2021, 2022, 2023
Question 6 In cases where SARs were late, part complied or not complied with how many of the subjects were active complainants (active complaints with the police – against the police) in 2021, 2022, 2023
Question 7 In cases where SARs were late, part complied or not complied with how many of the subjects were past complainants (past complaints with the police – against the police) in 2021, 2022, 2023
Additional questions (if time and resources permit):
Question 8 In cases where SARs were late what reasons were given, if any?
Question 9 In cases where SARs were part complied with, what reasons were given, if any?
Question 10 In cases where SARs were not complied with, what reasons were given, if any?
Please find the Warwickshire Police response set out below.
Response: Please be advised that not all of the information requested is centrally recorded and is therefore not held in such a way to allow retrieval. Warwickshire Police do not use a case management system to handle SARs; therefore, in order to determine information for Q3 to Q5 and identify whether each SAR was disclosed in full, or whether exemptions were applied, it would be necessary to review each and every response on an individual basis. During the stated period there were 930 requests and the business area has advised that this would take approximately 3 minutes per file. An estimate of the time involved in this element of your request alone is set out below:
930 requests @ 3 minutes each 2790 minutes / 60 = 46.5 hours
Further, although the work involved in answering the subsequent questions is not fully quantifiable since it is necessary to obtain the information for Q3 to Q5 first, it is known that this would extensively add to the time calculation already set out above.
For these reasons, the work involved in locating and retrieving the requested information exceeds the cost threshold of £450, which equates to 18 hours work at a standard rate of £25 per hour, as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.
In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice for this request and, if one part of a request exceeds the fees limit, then S12 of the Act applies to the whole request.
In accordance with Section 16 of the Act I have a duty to provide advice and assistance in refining your request where possible; however, due to the amount of records that would need to be reviewed, I am unable to suggest a way to reduce your request into one which could be provided within the fees limit unless you were to reduce the time period to, say, six months and limit your questions to Q1 to Q5.
Outside of the Act, and as a gesture of goodwill, I have provided below, the response to Q1 and Q2 which was retrieved before it was realised that the fees limit would be exceeded; however, this should not be taken as precedent that additional information would be supplied outside of the time/fees legislation for any subsequent requests.
Further, I have also included a link to where the SAR compliance rates are published, which you may find useful: FOI and Subject Access Request
Q1 response:
2021 – 319
2022 – 303
2023 – 308
Q2 response:
2021 – 299
2022 – 262
2023 – 286
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