FOI Swinton Estate Harrier Hen Communications (176-2024/25)

Request

 

Q1. Please provide copies of all correspondence between the National Gamekeepers Organisation and the Moorland Association (or representatives of these organisations) and North Yorkshire Police relating to the discovery of a shot Hen Harrier (called 'River') on the Swinton Estate on 5 April 2019.

Q2. Please provide copies of all correspondence between Swinton Estate (including owner Mark Cunliffe-Lister) and North Yorkshire Police Chief Constable (or any other officer/staff member) relating to the discovery of a shot Hen Harrier (named 'River') found on the Swinton Estate on 5th April 2019.

Q3. Please provide copies of all correspondence between the National Gamekeepers Organisation and North Yorkshire Police Chief Constable (and any other staff/officers) in relation to the involvement of Inspector Matt Hagen with an article published in National Geographic on 27 October 2021 entitled: 'Reports of raptor killings soared during the UK's lockdown', authored by journalist Rene Ebersole.

Response

Extent of Searches to Locate Information

Following receipt of your request searches were conducted within North Yorkshire Police to locate relevant information. 

Under Section 5 of the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) regulations 2004, requests can be aggregated where (a) the two or more requests by one person relate, to any extent, to the same or similar information, and (b) those requests received by the public authority within any period of sixty consecutive working days.

As such, your requests made on 22 May 2024 – 176.2024-25, 23 May 2024 – 181.2024-25 and 23 May 2024 - 182.2-24-25, have been aggregated into one response.

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.

In order to retrieve the information you have requested, it would be necessary to conduct a search across the whole force for any correspondence, including that which is written, relating to the killings of birds of prey. A manual read would then be required to determine if it related to your request, exceeding 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.

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.