Thefts from vans 345/2024
FOI Reference: 345/2024
Request:
I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information from you.
How many thefts have taken place from vans: A list of all thefts where the offence category is Theft from a Motor Vehicle and the vehicle type is Van or Panel Van. Please can you provide these details broken down by the make and model of each vehicle, as well as a breakdown of the category of items stolen (e.g. Tools, equipment, personal items etc)
How many vans have been stolen: A list of all thefts where the offence category is Theft of a Motor vehicle and the vehicle type is Van or Panel Van. Please can you provide these details broken down by the make and model of each vehicle.
I would like this information to cover the following time periods:
1st January 2024 – 29th February 2024
1st January 2023 – 31st December 2023
1st January 2022 – 31st December 2022
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 some 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 254.78 hours) to comply with this part of your request. The regulations can be located @ www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3244
The Freedom of Information Unit has been advised that the information requested in relation to the question is not held in an easily retrievable format and would exceed the appropriate time limit, i.e. 18 hours, to retrieve. This is due to the fact that an individual interrogation of all theft of or from motor vehicles would be required in order to establish the number of those thefts which were vans.
It has been estimated that to individually interrogate each record would take a minimum of 5 minutes per record. It has been established that there are a total of 3,058 records that would require interrogation. The relevant time estimate is detailed below:
1st January 2024 – 29th of February 2024: 98 records x 5 minutes = 8.17 hours
1st January 2023 – 31st December 2023: 979 records x 5minutes = 81.58 hours
1st January 2022 – 31st December 2022: 1981 records x 5 minutes = 165.03 hours
Therefore, total time estimate to complete the request = 254.78 hours.
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. Should you require any further advice in relation to this matter please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Please also be advised that should the request be refined, it does not remove the Force’s right to cite exemptions if relevant.
This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on the 17th April 2024.