Rural Crime 1142/2024
FOI Reference: 1142/2024
Request:
I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000:
- Reports of Stolen Farm Equipment
The total number of reports of stolen farm equipment received by your force during the following periods:
-
- January to November 30th (inclusive), 2024
- Full calendar year 2023
- Full calendar year 2022
- Full calendar year 2021
- Full calendar year 2020
- Reports of Stolen Quad Bikes
The total number of reports of stolen quad bikes received by your force during the same periods:
-
- January to November 30th (inclusive), 2024
- Full calendar year 2023
- Full calendar year 2022
- Full calendar year 2021
- Full calendar year 2020
- Arrests for Theft of Farm Equipment
The total number of arrests made for theft involving farm equipment (including quad bikes, tractors, trailers, machinery, etc.) during the most recent five-year period for which data is available. Please provide a year-by-year breakdown.
- Categories of Farm Equipment
If possible, please provide a breakdown of the categories of farm equipment involved in these arrests (e.g., quad bikes, tractors, trailers, machinery).
- Reports of Rural Crime
The total number of reported rural crime incidents received by your force for each of the following years:
-
- 2024 (January to November 30th, inclusive)
- 2023
- 2022
- 2021
- 2020
Clarification:
Clarification was sought from the applicant and it was confirmed that information requested was in respect of both incident and crimes.
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 for 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 39,727.16 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 questions 1&2 for incidents is not held in an easily retrievable format. In light of this and in order to accurately obtain the information relative to this part of the request for the time frame stipulated would involve Dyfed Powys Police accessing and reviewing incident records under the category of ‘C-Theft’ to identify if that record relates to questions 1&2. It has been established that there are a total of 23,939 records that cover the period of your request. 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 (as outlined above). The process outlined results in the below time estimate.
2020 = 4,351 records at a minimum of 10 minutes per record = 725.17 hours
2021 = 4,316 records at a minimum of 10 minutes per record = 719.33 hours
2022 = 5,033 records at a minimum of 10 minutes per record = 838.83 hours
2023 = 5,318 records at a minimum of 10 minutes per record = 886.33 hours
2024* = 4,921 records at a minimum of 10 minutes per record = 820.17 hours
(*up to 04/12/24)
In addition, question 5 (in respect of incidents) would involve the same methodology as outlined above, however all incident categories with a pre-fix of ‘C’ would need to be reviewed to identify if that record relates to rural crime. The process outlined results in the below time estimate.
2020 = 36,046 records at a minimum of 10 minutes per record = 6,007.67 hours
2021 = 42,998 records at a minimum of 10 minutes per record = 7,166.33 hours
2022 = 44,028 records at a minimum of 10 minutes per record = 7,338.00 hours
2023 = 46,956 records at a minimum of 10 minutes per record = 7,826.00 hours
2024* = 44,396 records at a minimum of 10 minutes per record = 7,399.33 hours
(*up to 04/12/24)
Time estimate to complete task = 39,727.16 hours
Please note: In addition to the above the Freedom of Information unit has been informed by the department in question that to answer questions 1 – 5 in respect of crimes and arrests would also exceed the 18 hour time limit as the information is not held in an easily retrievable format. This time estimate has not been calculated due to the fact that the request has already greatly exceeded the 18 hour time limit.
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. Y
ou 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 16/12/24)