Professional Standards Department (779A/23)
Request
1. How many police officers and police staff currently work within your Professional Standards Department (PSD) (May 2023)?
2. How many police officers and police staff currently working within your Professional Standards Department (PSD) had disciplinary proceedings against them upheld before they began working in the PSD?
3. How many police officers and police staff currently working within your Professional Standards Department (PSD) had disciplinary proceedings against them upheld whilst working in the PSD?
4. Of those officers and staff who had disciplinary proceedings against them upheld, what was the nature of the allegations, according to the IOPC’s categories as follows:
– Abuse of power/corruption
– Access and/or disclosure of information
– Delivery of duties and service
– Discreditable conduct
– Discriminatory behaviour
– Handling of or damage to property/premises
– Individual behaviours
– Police Powers, policies and procedures
– Sexual conduct
– Use of police vehicles
– Other
5. Of those officers and staff who had disciplinary proceedings against them upheld, what was the sanction?
Response
Q1. There are currently 52 officers and 58 staff currently work within our Professional Standards Department.
Q2-5. West Midlands Police will neither confirm nor deny that we hold any of the requested information as the following exemption applies: Section 40(5B)(a).
Details of this exemption can be found here: https://www.college.police.uk/app/information-management/freedom-information#foia-section-40-personal-information
When citing Section 40(5B)(a), there is a requirement to consider whether disclosure would be lawful, fair and transparent. In this case, due to the movement of staff in and out of the department, I believe that to confirm or deny whether we hold information could allow for inferences to made that may identify an individual(s).
Although, it may be considered that there is a legitimate public interest in knowing that the employees working in PSD are ‘fit’ to work in that department, I believe that the public interest is adequately met by the public authority’s own disciplinary procedures. As a result, there is no legitimate interest in confirming or denying whether information relevant to your request is held.
No inference can be taken from this refusal that the information you have requested does or does not exist.
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