Catalytic Converter Theft (203A/21)
Request
:: For each of the last five years, please provide the total number of crime logs or incident reports where there has been the theft of a catalytic converter from a vehicle.
:: For each of the last five years, please provide the total number of arrests on suspicion of theft or handing of a stolen catalytic converter from a vehicle.
:: For the last calendar year (1st January 2020 to 31st December 2020) please provide a breakdown of each incident – eg make or model of vehicle and, where available, the circumstances of the theft, eg owner’s drive, street, locked premises.
Response
Our data are not organised in such a way as to allow us to provide this information within the appropriate (cost) limit within the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act (see ‘Reason for Decision’ below).
Although excess cost removes the force’s obligations under the Freedom of Information Act, as a gesture of goodwill I have supplied information, relative to your request, retrieved before it was realised that the fees limit would be exceeded (see attached). I trust this is helpful, but it does not affect our legal right to rely on the fees regulations for the remainder of the request.
REASON FOR DECISION
Please note that researching each individual case would exceed the appropriate limit (FOIA, s.12). In relation to question 2 – it is not possible to carry out a keyword search within our arrest database. In order to locate and retrieve this information we would need to conduct a manual review which would exceed the FOI time limit.
Please note: The data we have provided for questions 1 and 3 is data taken from our crime recording system. It would exceed the FOI time limit to answer question 1 due to the volume of call data. Also the data provided in relation to question 3 is incidents where a confirmed crime has been reported. Some makes and models are not recorded, therefore the information provided is the only information we have available.
The cost of compliance with the whole of your request is above the amount to which we are legally required to respond, i.e. the cost of locating and retrieving the information would exceed the appropriate costs limit under section 12(1) of the FOI Act 2000. For West Midlands Police, the appropriate limit is set at £450, as prescribed by the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004, S.I. 3244.