FOI 556-2025 / May 2025 / Parking tickets
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 556-2025
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 21st May 2025 as follows:
I would like to request the following information regarding parking tickets issued to serving police officers for each year from 2022 to the present (or the most recent year available):
Q1. The total number of parking tickets issued to police officers in your force area.
Q2. The number of these tickets that were paid.
Q3. The number of tickets that were cancelled or overturned.
Q4. The reasons provided for cancellation or overturning of these tickets (e.g., operational necessity, administrative error, appeal upheld, etc.).
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. The business area has advised that it holds a record of notices received in relation to our fleet, however in order to determine the number that relate specifically to parking, it would be necessary to review each record individually. For the specified period, 324 notices would need to be manually reviewed and, for all relevant parking notices located, further work would be required to confirm whether a Police Officer was identified as the driver of the vehicle at the time the ticket was issued, and, if recorded, whether a fine was paid, the number cancelled or overturned and the reason for such an outcome. At an average of 5 minutes per record to review and then retrieve the requested information, this would equate to 27 hours of work. Therefore, the work required to locate and retrieve 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.
However, please note that the business area has advised that they are not always notified when a notice is paid or appealed by the driver, or the reason and subsequent outcome of any appeal, as all follow up action is the responsibility of the driver. Therefore, it would not be possible to provide a fully accurate response for Q2, Q3 and Q4, even were a full review of these 324 notices undertaken and the information we hold provided.
In accordance with Section 12(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice for the request.
In accordance with Section 16 of the Act, I have a duty to provide advice and assistance in relation to refining your request. I can advise that, due to the extent of the searches required and because some information will not be held entirely to provide fully accurate figures, it may be possible to provide an accurate response to Q1 for a period of 12 months should you wish to revise and resubmit this part of the request.
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