Stolen Vehicles 658/23

FOI Reference: 658/2023

 

Request:

 

Could I please request data on the following:

 

• Total number of stolen vehicles recorded in the period 2020-2022
• Total number of vehicle thefts involving a caravan in the period 2020-2022
• Total number of vehicle thefts involving a van in the period 2020-2022
• The number of stolen vehicles recovered in the period 2020-2022 (and if possible these figures broken down by car, van, and caravan)
• If possible could I also request the total number of vehicle thefts involving keyless entry.

 

 

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.

 

I can confirm that the cost of determining whether any information relative to questions 4 and 5 of this request is or isn’t held is above the amount to which we are legally required to respond therefore we are withholding the whole of the requested information since we consider that the Section 12 (2) exemption the Cost of Compliance exceeds the Appropriate Limit applies to it.

 

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. The following exemption has been applied to the whole of the information you have requested:

 

Section 12(2) – The cost of compliance exceeds the Appropriate Limit

 

Section 12(2) states: “…Subsection (1) does not exempt the public authority from its obligation to comply with paragraph (a) of section 1(1) unless the estimated cost of complying with that paragraph alone would exceed the appropriate limit.”

 

The cost of determining what information is held, if any, relevant to questions 4 and 5 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 152.51 hours) to comply with your request. The regulations can be located @

www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2004/20043244.htm

 

The Freedom of Information department has been advised that the information in respect of questions 4 and 5 your request is not held in an easily retrievable format. Therefore, in order to establish what information, if any, is held in relation to questions 4 and 5 of the request would require the individual interrogation of all stolen vehicle crime records over the time frame specified to ascertain if the vehicle was recovered and if it involved keyless entry. It has been established that for the period as specified within the request (i.e. 2020 – 2022) there are a total 915 stolen vehicle crime records that would require researching. It has been estimated that it would take a minimum of 10 minutes to research a single crime for relevance to questions 4 and 5 of your request as outlined above, resulting in the following broken down time estimate.

 

2020 = 295 crime records at 10 minutes per incident =  49.17 hours

2021 = 301 crime records at 10 minutes per incident =  50.17 hours

2022 = 319 crime records at 10 minutes per incident =  53.17 hours

 

Total of 152.51 hours to complete task

 

Please note: In addition to the above, please see the end of the document for responses to questions 1 – 3 of your request which have been provided as a gesture of goodwill and outside of the FOI Act.

 

In accordance 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, however with due regard to the time estimate provided above it is unlikely that refining your request will fall under the 18 hours as the same method and format will have to be undertaken. 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 Force’s 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 information, relative to questions 1 – 3 of your request 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.

 

 

	2020	2021	2022	Total
1. Total number of stolen vehicles recorded	283	282	309	874
2. Total number of vehicle thefts involving a caravan	3	6	3	12
3. Total number of vehicle thefts involving a van	9	13	7	29

 

                                                                                                           

(This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on 31/07/23)