Police rightfully refused to give staffing information
West Mercia Police has refused to reveal staffing information for a public holiday, after fears were raised that criminals could use the data.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request was submitted asking for the number of response officers and support officers on the night shift of May 8, the Bank Holiday for the coronation of King Charles III.
The police authority refused to disclose the requested information, citing section 31 (the law enforcement exemption).
The complainant contacted the Information Commissioner’s Office after disagreeing with the refusal to provide the information.
They said that other police forces had disclosed the same information and that it was “generalised data” for one night shift.
The complainant said: “There is a public interest in releasing such data, so that the police are openly accountable for officer staffing levels. The purpose of this request is to enable greater transparency around general police staffing levels.”
In response the complained West Mercia Police argued that disclosing the data could provide criminals with information about the numbers and spread of officers.
They added that it would ‘enable comparisons to be made’ if further information requests are made regarding other dates and times.
The authority feared that more crime could be committed and ‘criminals could elude justice, if they are able to map officer deployment’.
However, West Mercia Police accepted that disclosing the information would ‘lead to better awareness’ of how resources are allocated for the prevention and detection of crime.
“Releasing officer deployment data for specific dates would make [WMP] openly accountable for officer staffing levels, proving police deploy their resources in the most suitable manner with the numbers available,” the authority said.
“Additionally, providing the public with details of how we spend public funds and use our resources show that [WMP] on these dates has utilised their biggest resource, officers, efficiently. This would assist public debate.”
The Information Commissioner’s Officer (ICO) decided that West Mercia Police ‘was entitled’ to rely on section 31(1)(a) to withhold the requested information.
A report into the ICO findings says: “The commissioner considers that there is a real and significant risk of disclosure causing the envisaged harm. It is not difficult to imagine criminals using information about the number of police officers on duty at different times or locations to plan their criminal activities, and evade detection.
“Complying with one request can make it more difficult to refuse requests for similar information in the future. Public authorities are therefore entitled to consider any harm that could be caused by combining the requested information with the information a public authority could subsequently be required to provide, if the current request was complied with.
“Whilst the complainant argued that there is a public interest in accountability and transparency around police staffing levels, the commissioner notes that there is already some official information publicly available on www.gov.uk regarding police workforce numbers
“The commissioner highlights that there is a very strong public interest in protecting the ability of public authorities to enforce the law.
“The commissioner considers that on balance, the factors against disclosure have greater weight. Consequently, he finds that the balance of the public interest favours maintaining the exemption.”
