FOI Local Policing (1049-2023/24)
Request
I am writing to request information regarding the organisation of local policing and the local response to crime and disorder.
I am interested in the unit of organisation commonly referred to as Local Policing Areas, Divisions, Districts or Basic Command Units. They are typically aligned to local authority or community safety partnership boundaries.
For each of these areas within your force, I would like to know:
- the name of the area, any corresponding ONS geographical code (these are typically a 9-digit string comprising the letter E followed by 8 numerical characters), and any short string code used by the force as shorthand to represent the geography.
- the first and last name and rank of the current senior officer responsible (often known as the 'local commander' or similar) for the policing of that area, the date they were appointed, and an email address for the individual or position.
- the first and last name and rank of the the last two senior officers in that post, and the dates they were in the roles
- if no ONS code is provided: a description of the geographic extent of the area and the boundaries to which it is aligned (this might be one or more local authorities, or community safety partnerships, or similar)
Further, for each of the above areas a list of the smaller geographic areas that your force uses to organise and deliver local policing (these might commonly be called 'neighbourhoods' and will typically either be an individual ward or a collection of wards), including:
- the name of the area, any corresponding ONS geographical code, any short string code used by the force as shorthand to represent the geography
- if no ONS code is provided: a description of the geographic extent of the area and the boundaries to which it is aligned (this might be an individual ward or a collection of wards).
I consider this information to be of substantial public interest and utility in understanding and improving the organisation and accountability of local policing and the response to crime and disorder.
I have also made efforts to obtain this data via other means, notably through ONS, Home Office and police force websites, but have not been able to locate it completely or have not been able to establish the currency and/or validity of the data - hence the need for this FOI.
Response
Extent of Searches to Locate Information
Following receipt of your request searches were conducted within North Yorkshire Police to locate relevant information.
Decision
Your request for information below has now been considered. In respect of Section 1(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) we can neither confirm nor deny if North Yorkshire Police does or does not hold the information you have requested. It is estimated that the cost of complying with your request for information would exceed the “appropriate costs limit” under Section 12(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Section 12 (2) allows a public authority to refuse a request where it estimates that it would exceed to appropriate limit to either comply with the request in its entirety or confirm or deny whether the requested information is held.
Due to the nature of our recording systems; the information requested, if held, is not in an easily retrievable format. We do not record such instances statistically, nor is this information held in a format that would allow extraction within the permitted time constraints. The Force does not hold a central register identifying who was in a post previously to the person currently in the role. In order to identify who has previously held a post that is responsible for the Local Policing Areas (LPAs), all relevant officers would need to be canvassed. This would exceed the time limit allowed under the Act.
Pursuant to Section 17(5) of the Freedom of Information Act this letter acts as a Refusal Notice.
Further to the above, some information you have requested is available on the below link.
North Yorkshire Police | Police.uk (www.police.uk)
Pursuant to Section 16 of the Act I am required to offer you advice and assistance with regarding to refining your request to within the ‘appropriate limit’ (time/cost limit). However, due to the information provided above I am unable to suggest how you may refine your request and still receive the information within the cost threshold. If you wish to discuss this please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please note that systems used for recording information are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the data. It should be noted therefore that this force’s response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other responses you may receive.