Beer / Lager Incidents (186A/23)
Request
Please disclose a log of every incident reported to your force involving the search terms ‘beer’ or ‘lager’ between June 1 2022 and September 31 2022.
Please disclose the incident exactly as it was recorded on each log, redacting any identifiable information which may prohibit disclosure. For example: ‘A male called (redacted) that he had a pint of lager smashed off his head inside Cube Nightclub by two individuals’
For each incident, please also disclose the time of the incident if recorded on the log.
Response
We can confirm that some relevant information is held by West Midlands Police. However, while the majority of the information is attached to this email I am not required to release all of the information requested. Please find attached a redacted document.
REASONS FOR DECISION
The redacted information is exempt by virtue of the following exemptions
Section 30(1)(a)(b)(c) Investigations and Proceedings Conducted by Local Authorities
Section 40(2) Personal Information
These exemptions and explanatory notes are shown here:
In line with the above, I am required to complete a Prejudice Test/Public Interest Test (PIT) on disclosure. Please find this PIT attached [186A_PIT_01].
Section 40(2) is an absolute and class-based exemption if to release the information exists would breach the third party’s data protection rights. In this case to release this personal information would not constitute fair processing of the data. As this exemption is class based I am not required to identify the harm in disclosure and in this instance, I believe that the right to privacy outweighs any public interest in release.
Please be mindful that each request submitted requires the use of police resources to retrieve, collate and review the information requested and that it would not be in the public interest for Freedom of Information legislation to be used for requests that lack any serious purpose or value, as using police resources in this way would detract from the core purpose of policing i.e. preventing or detecting crime and preservation of life.
Any future requests submitted that are deemed to have no serious purpose or value or fit any other of the ICO`s criteria will be refused.