Workforce data 294/2025
FOI Reference: 294/25
Request:
- Provide the number of Police support staff members, split by unit
- Provide the total number of Uniformed Police Officers, split by district or division
- Provide the total workforce attrition rate split into resignations, dismissals and retirements
- Provide the number of workforce absentees between 3-6 months and 6+ months
- What is the overtime spend
- Overtime spent on specific activities e.g OT resulting from planning an operation; OT bill for all POPS operations in the last 12 months
- How many locations do you have staff working on a shift pattern
- How many rosters and shift patterns for the entire workforce
- Please confirm who currently supplies your software for duty management/rostering?
- Can you also confirm when that contract ends, and the annual licensing cost for the latest accounting period, plus any additional customisation costs over the last 5 years (if applicable)
- Do you use any software for long term workforce planning, outside the software you use for rostering?
Clarification:
Question 1 – What is meant by ‘Unit’? Unit, department, division, group, office - whichever suits your force split.
Question 2 – we have uniformed officers in teams other than divisional/district. Do you want these included? Yes please, and if you can split them out by division or district By all officers in all teams, is this including detectives (as these are plain clothed officers)?
Questions 3 & 4 – by workforce, do you want officers and staff? Yes please
Questions 6 & 7 – please define ‘shift pattern’. Roster i.e. you might have the dog unit at one station and there are 3 shift patterns (earlies, days, lates)
Response 1 & 2
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, however a Section 31(1)(a)(b) Law Enforcement exemption has been applied to the requested information thereby exempting its release.
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 FOIA requires that we provide the applicant with a notice which:
a) States that fact
b) Specifies the exemption(s) in question and
c) State (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies
Section 31(1)(a)(b) Law Enforcement:
(1) Information which is not exempt information by virtue of section 30 is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to prejudice -
(a) the prevention or detection of crime
(b) the apprehension or prosecution of offenders
Section 31 is a prejudice based qualified exemption and as such there is a requirement to provide details of the harm as well as the public interest test.
Harm in Disclosure
Information concerning the strengths and capability of Dyfed-Powys Police would not be disclosed if to do so would prejudice policing across the counties, may impact negatively on resources.
Disclosure of information under the Freedom of Information Act is considered to be a release of information to the world, because once information is released, whilst not questioning an applicant’s motives for requesting this information, it could be of interest to persons who are involved in criminal activity.
It is considered that provision of officer numbers broken down by unit or district will allow people to draw conclusions as to the perceived level of police officers required at any given time. This in turn could identify to the criminal fraternity, occasions where the Force will be at its most vulnerable, based on uniformed officer deployment figures alone, allowing for criminals to calculate when it is potentially the best time to commit crime in order to avoid detection.
This would undermine the law enforcement capabilities of Dyfed-Powys Police and therefore it is confirmed that Section 31 is engaged.
Public Interest Test:
Considerations favouring disclosure:
Information that relates directly to the operational effectiveness and efficiencies of the Force is a positive factor favouring disclosure. The public have a right to know that they are being protected in an appropriate and diligent manner.
Public knowledge of Dyfed-Powys Police will ensure informed public debate, retaining the Force’s open and honest approach.
Considerations favouring non-disclosure:
Disclosure of information that can affect the current and future law enforcement capabilities of Dyfed-Powys Police will always favour non-disclosure. On this occasion, in respect of questions 1 and 2, disclosing the numbers of Police Staff and Officers in specific areas may reveal vulnerabilities in less well-resourced areas and potentially may place communities at greater risk, particularly the more isolated and rural communities. The release of Police Staff and Officer numbers may increases vulnerability to specific offences.
Dyfed-Powys Police is a relatively small force and provision of data that identifies the strength of front-line uniformed police officers and other staff could lead to individuals identifying when the Force is at its most vulnerable.
Balance Test
Public knowledge of how Force funds are being spent and assurance that the Police service are doing all they can to ensure public safety is maintained, is always a positive factor in disclosure.
On balance however, disclosure of this nature is more likely to have the opposite affect causing the criminal fraternity to have prior knowledge of Police operational capabilities, compromising the prevention and detection of crime and administration of justice.
The Police service has a duty to ensure public safety is never compromised and disclosures under FOI should always ensure this is maintained.
Therefore, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.
Response 3:
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.
Police Officer Leaver Reason 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Retirement 53 35 35
Resignation 23 34 32
Dismissal 1 0 1
Police Staff Leaver Reason 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Retirement 25 30 13
Resignation 93 81 57
Dismissal 1 1 1
Special Constable Leaver Reason 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Retirement 0 0 0
Resignation 31 6 7
Deceased 0 1 0
Police Staff Volunteers 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Retirement 1 0 0
Resignation 19 5 11
Deceased 0 0 1
Response 4:
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.
|
Year |
3-6 months |
6 + months |
|
01/04/22 - 31/03/23 |
63 |
19 |
|
01/04/23 - 31/03/24 |
81 |
25 |
|
01/04/24 - 17/03/25 |
84 |
16 |
Response 5:
I can confirm that there is no information held by Dyfed-Powys Police due to the fact that overtime spent on specific activities is not recorded by Dyfed-Powys Police.
Response 6:
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.
All locations.
Response 7:
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.
235 separate shift patterns
Response 8:
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.
We utilise a in-house developed system.
No contract exists.
Response 9:
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.
No.
__________________________
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 01/05/2025)
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