Dog Attacks (1647A/23)
Request
Could I please request the following information:
– The number of dog attacks on a person each month within the last six months, and what the breed of dog was
– The number of fatal dog attacks on a person each month within the last six months, and what the breed of dog was
– The number of dog attacks on another dog each month within the last six months, and what breed of dog the attacker was
– The number of fatal dog attacks on another dog each month within the last six months, and what breed of dog the attacker was
– The number of arrests made over dog attacks and dangerous dogs each month within the last six months, and what breed the dog was
– The number of dogs destroyed after a police incident each month in the last six months, and what breed the dog was
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). Information regarding the breed of dogs seized and destroyed is not easily searchable and would require a manual examination of every report. However, even to allow a minimum of two minutes per report (although some would require much longer) to try and identify this information would far exceed the appropriate limit (FOIA, s.12).
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.