Mental health sick leave 1215/2024

FOI Reference: 1215/2024

Request

Between January 1st 2024 up to and including December 31st 2024:

1. How many police officers and staff working for your force have taken sick leave of any length due to any mental health condition?
2. How many police officers and staff working for your force have taken sick leave of any length due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
3. How many police officers and staff working for your force have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
4. How many work days have police officers and staff working for your force missed due to the suspected or diagnosed symptoms of PTSD?

Initial response to applicant

Please find attached responses in respect of previous similar requests FOI ref 516.24 & 1006.24

Response from applicant

The previous requests do not answer the questions in my request. 

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 48 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 2 & 4 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 292 psychological absence sickness records for 2024, in order to re-categorise all the of absences as per this FOI request.

Due to delays with the system, it is estimated to take 10 minutes per record. In addition there maybe circumstances whereby further information would be required from contact records, Occupational Health records and Fit Notes submitted. This is likely to add additional time to this estimate.

The process outlined results in the below time estimate.

292 records x 10 minutes per record = 48 hours

Time estimate to complete task = 48 hours

Question 1 & 3:

The relevant department has advised that a response to questions 1,and 3 can be provided within the appropriate time limit, i.e. 18 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 30/01/2025)