FLO’s (716A/22)
Request
Please will you supply me with the following information/data
- Number of current FLO’s working in your Force?
- Number of FLO’s who are sworn officers or police staff?
- Number of male and female FLO’s in your Force?
- Number of years’ experience in policing for each FLO? (i.e. 0-5 years, 6-10 years, 11-15 years, 16 years plus)
- Years of experience as an FLO for each FLO? (i.e., 0-5 years, 6-10 years, 11-15 years, 16 years plus)
- What number of FLO’s are in each department or section of your Force? (e.g., MIT, HMET, DA).
- Number of FLO’s in your Force that were absent form work due to mental health problems from between April 2020 to March 2022?
- Details of how FLO’s are recruited in your Force.
- Details of any training courses for FLO’s provided by your Force.
- Details of any support currently available to FLO’s in your Force.
CLARIFICATION
To clarify Q9 – Both – any training courses specifically for FLO’s offered by your force? Any other courses available to FLO’s provided/offered by your force?
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). It will take in excess of 18 hrs to locate and retrieve the information requested in question 5.
In addition, West Midlands Police will neither confirm nor deny that we hold any of the requested information in respect of question 7. When citing Section 40(5), there is a requirement to consider whether disclosure would be fair. In this case release would not be fair and therefore Section 40(5) is classed as absolute and there is no requirement to consider the public interest.
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.