Stolen Pets (1670A/23)
Request
I am requesting the number of stolen pets in your jurisdiction from the attached list of animals. If possible, I am also requesting the number of stolen pets from the attached list of dog and cat breeds.
I am requesting the number of thefts be:
– broken down over the last five years, by calendar year (2019-2023).
– provided in Excel format.
If possible, I am requesting to know the average cost of each theft.
Animals:
– Bird
– Cat
– Chicken
– Chinchilla
– Cow
– Dog
– Ferret
– Fish
– Gecko
– Gerbil
– Goat
– Guinea Pig
– Hamster
– Hedgehog
– Horse
– Lamb
– Lizard
– Micro pig
– Mouse
– Pig
– Pony
– Rabbit
– Sheep
– Snake
– Spider
Dog breeds:
– Akita
– Beagle
– Bichon Frise
– Border Collie
– Chihuahua
– Collie
– Dachshund
– Dalmatian
– Doberman
– French Bulldog
– German Shepherd
– Great Dane
– Husky
– Jack Russell
– Labrador
– Maltese
– Mastiff
– Mongrel
– Pitbull
– Pomeranian
– Poodle
– Pug
– Retriever
– Rottweiler
– Samoyed
– Shiba Inu
– Shih Tzu
– Spaniel
– Springer
– Staffordshire Bull Terrier
– Terrier
– Whippet
Cat breeds:
– Bengal
– British Shorthair
– Burmese
– Ginger
– Long Haired
– Maine Coon
– Persian
– Ragdoll
– Russian Blue
– Scottish Fold
– Short Haired
– Siamese
– Siberian
– Sphynx
– Tabby
– Tortoiseshell
– Tuxedo
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 enclosed document / attached file FILENAME). 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). Unfortunately, we do not have data relating to the value of the animals, to locate and retrieve this information would require a manual review of all relevant to see if the information is recorded, this search would exceed the FOI time limit.
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.