Magnet fishing 1020/2025

FOI Reference: 1020/2025

Request

Please could you provide the following information for your area:

1. The number of incidents, callouts, or reports involving magnet fishing per year of 2022,2023, and 2024 as well as 2025 so far.
2. The number of those incidents that involved the discovery of firearms, explosives, grenades, or suspected ordnance.
3. The number of occasions where the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) / bomb squad was called to attend a magnet fishing–related incident.
4. Where recorded, the location or local authority area of each incident.

Response

Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 places two duties on public authorities. Unless exemptions apply, the first duty at Section 1(1) (a) is to confirm or deny whether the information specified in a request is held. The second duty at Section 1(1) (b) is to disclose information that has been confirmed as being held.

Where exemptions are relied upon Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires Dyfed Powys Police, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide you the applicant with a notice which:   (a) states that fact, (b) specifies the exemption in question and (c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information you have requested. However, we are withholding the whole of the requested information since we consider that the Section 12(1) exemption the Cost of Compliance exceeds the Appropriate Limit applies to it.

Section 12 (1) – The cost of compliance exceeds the Appropriate Limit

Section 12(1) states: “…Section 1 (1) does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit.”

The cost of providing you with the information requested in respect 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 exceeds the “appropriate level” as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004. It is estimated that it would exceed 18 hours (i.e. minimum of 6,485 hours) to comply with this part of your request. The regulations can be located @ https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3244

The Freedom of Information department has been advised that the information in respect of the whole of your request is not held in an easily retrievable format. In light of this and in order to accurately obtain the information relative to your request for the time frame stipulated would involve Dyfed Powys Police accessing and manually reviewing 38,908 records.

It has also been established that it would take a minimum of 10 minutes to review and obtain the information for a single record in respect of your request. 

The process outlined results in the below time estimate:-

In relation to Q1

We cannot keyword search on our system to narrow down the search for information requested for magnet fishing. These types of calls would be recorded as P-suspicious incidents.

In 2022 there were 9,197 incidents recorded in this category x 10 mins per record = 1,533 hours

In 2023 there were 9,257 incidents recorded in this category x 10 mins per record = 1,543 hours

In 2024 there were 8,825 incidents recorded in this category x 10 mins per record = 1,471 hours

Year to date to September 2025 there have been 8,009 incidents recorded in this category x 10 mins per record = 1,335 hours

In relation to Q2

Incidents involving any type of weapon/explosives etc, are categorised as C-weapons reports on our system. Again, we cannot keyword search on STORM to narrow down the search for the information requested for magnet fishing.

In 2022 there were 708 c-weapons incidents recorded x 10 mins = 118 hours to research.

in 2023 there were 980 c-weapons incidents recorded x 10 mins = 163 hours to research.

In 2024 there were 1021 c-weapons incidents recorded x 10 mins = 170 hours to research

In 2025 to September, there have been 911 c-weapons incidents recorded x 10 mins = 152 hours to research

In relation to Q3

We cannot keyword search on our system to narrow down the search for the information requested for if EOD attended an incident. Their attendance would be recorded in either C-weapons incidents or P-suspicious incidents.

The timescales to retrieve the information would be the same as in Q1 & Q2.

In relation to Q4

We cannot keyword search on our system to narrow down the search for the information requested for locations or local authority area.

Each category of incident has its specific location, for where it was reported at.

The timescales to retrieve the information would be the same as in Q1 & Q2.

Time estimate to complete whole task = 6,485 hours

In accordance therefore with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice for the Whole of this request under Section 17(5) A public authority which, in relation to any request for information, is relying on a claim that section 12 or section 14 applies must, within the time for complying with section 1(1), give the applicant a notice stating that fact.

You may wish to refine and resubmit your request so that it reduces the time shown above to fall within the 18 hours, should you require any further advice in relation to this matter please don’t hesitate to contact the Freedom of Information Unit. Please also be advised that should the request be refined, it does not remove the public authorities right to cite exemptions if relevant.

(This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on 15/10/2025)