Speeding in Trefecca 366/2025

FOI Reference: 366/2025

Request

I am convinced that Trefecca desperately needs some traffic calming measures, the 20mph speed limit is not being obeyed and it seems to me that more enforcement and traffic calming infrastructure is the only way to ensure that vehicles travel on the straight road through the village at the appropriate speed. I understand that there are eight junctions onto the road through the village and there is also Coleg Trefecca just off the road.

Please can I request:

1. Any data Dyfed Powys Police holds regarding the speed of traffic through Trefecca (I recognise that this will only be individuals stopped by an officer for speeding)
 
2. Whether the speed van will be visiting in Trefecca in the upcoming months

Would it possible to have the data for the last 5 years please?

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 223 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 Question 1 of your request for cases after 13^th May 2023, 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 4,472 records. This is due to the implementation of the NICHE IT system in May ’23, which does not enable a filtered search for specific offences and locations, and therefore would have to review each Traffic Offence Report submitted by an officer, to find any files relating to this offence.

It has also been established that it would take a minimum of 3 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.

From 13^th May 2023 – 31^st December 2023 – 2211 files x 3 minutes = 110.5 hours

1^st January 2024 – 31^st December 2024 – 2261 files x 3 minutes = 113 hours

Time estimate to complete task = 223 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.

Although excess cost removes the forces obligations under the Freedom of Information Act to provide any further information, as a gesture of goodwill, I have provided the information, relative to your request, for the between dates of 2020 – 12^th May 2023, which has been easily retrievable and outlined below. I trust this is helpful, but it does not affect our legal right to rely on the fees regulations for the remainder of your request

The number of individuals stopped by an officer and issued with a Traffic Offence Report for speeding in the Trefecca area is:

2020 – 11 cases

2021 – 8 cases

2022 – 0 cases

Up to 12th May 2023 – 0 cases

Please note: The above figures have been provided where the officer has recorded the location as Trefecca

Response Q4

The relevant department have confirmed that it would be down to the ‘Go Safe’ Sergeant to determine where a van is located, however we do not routinely direct vehicles just based on a member of public’s request.

It has been suggested that contact is made with the Local Neighbourhood Priority Policing Team to address these concerns in relation to speeding in the village.

It should be noted that as a result of the systems adopted by Dyfed-Powys Police in relation to the recording of such information that the information released may or may not be accurate.

(This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on 25/04/2025)