The complainant requested the total numbers of police officers deployed to Royal Ascot, together with the associated costs, for four specified years. Thames Valley Police (‘TVP’) refused to provide the requested information citing subsections (a) and (b) of section 31(1), the exemption for law enforcement, and said it did not hold the cost related information. The complainant is concerned only with TVP’s refusal to provide the police numbers withheld under section 31 of FOIA. The Commissioner’s decision is that TVP was correct to cite sections 31(1)(a) and (b) of FOIA and to conclude that the balance of the public interest test favours maintaining the exemption. However, by failing to respond to the request and issue a refusal notice within the statutory timescale of 20 working days, the Commissioner finds that TVP has breached sections 10 (time for compliance) and 17 (refusal of a request) of FOIA. The Commissioner does not require TVP to take any steps as a result of this notice.
FOI 17: Complaint upheld FOI 31: Complaint not upheld FOI 10: Complaint upheld
Citations:
[2019] UKICO fs50869809
Links:
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Information
Updated: 20 November 2022; Ref: scu.650471