Warrants (1109A/20)
Request
1) Please could you provide me with figures for the number of suspects at large who your force is currently looking for.
2) Please could you provide figures for the previous two recorded years before the latest figure.
3) Please could you say how many of these are suspected of committing a crime after being released early from prison (ie while on licence).
4) Please could you provide a breakdown in numbers by the type of crime they are suspected of committing (ie murder, rape etc).
Response
Our data are not organised in such a way as to allow us to provide all of the requested information within the appropriate (cost) limit within the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. In order to try and determine relevant figures in relation to question 3), we would have to conduct 13,927 PNC searches to compare information. At an estimate of 3 minutes per record, this would take 696 hours to complete, which would exceed the appropriate limit (FOIA, s.12).
This means that the cost of providing you with all of the information is above the amount to which we are legally required to respond i.e. the cost of locating and retrieving the information exceeds the ‘appropriate level’ as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.
In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice for this part of the request and if one part of a request exceeds the fees limit then S12 of the Act applies to the whole request.
Further information on section 12 of FOI is available here:
However, in accordance with Section 16 of the Act I have a duty to provide advice and assistance in relation to your request and can confirm that information is held with regard to questions 1, 2 & 4. However, while the majority of this information is attached to this email, I am not required to release all of the information requested. Please see attached document (1109A_Attachment).
REASONS FOR DECISION
The withheld information is exempt by virtue of the following exemption:
Section 31(1)(a)(b) – Law enforcement
This exemption 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 (1109A_PIT).
This should not be taken as a precedent that additional information would be supplied outside of the time/fees legislation for any subsequent requests.