Missing persons 35/2022
FOI Reference: 35/2022
Request:
I am looking at 2019, 2020 and 2021 data and would appreciate it if you could provide the data for each separate year.
Missing persons
- How many persons were reported missing during 2019, 2020, 2021? what percentage were Men, Women and Children?
(please provide data for each individual year)
- How many of the reported missing person cases were resolved (person found) during 2019, 2020, 2021?
(please provide data for each individual year)
Resolved cases
- How many cases were resolved within the first month, within three months, within six months and within nine months from the date they were reported missing during 2019, 2020, 2021 (please provide data for each individual year)
Response 3:
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 55.4 hours) to comply with this part of your request. The regulations can be located @
www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2004/20043244.htm
The Freedom of Information Unit has been advised that the information requested in relation to your request regarding missing persons located within 1, 3, 6 and 9 months during the period 2019 – 2021 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 it is not recorded in an easily retrievable format, the length of time the person was missing and individual interrogation of each missing person records would be required to establish the information requested.
In order to do this, it is estimated it would take at least 30 seconds to review each record, of which there are 6,647 between 1st January 2019 and 31st December 2021.
The relevant time estimate is detailed below:
6,647 records x 30 seconds = 55.4 hours
Therefore, total time estimate to complete request = 55.4 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.
Although excess cost removed the force’s obligations under the Freedom of Information Act, as a gesture of goodwill, I have supplied some information, relative to your request, retrieved or available before it was realised that the fees limit would be exceeded. 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.
Response 1:
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys police does hold information in relation to your request as detailed below:
|
Year |
Total |
% Adult Male |
% Adult Female |
% Children |
|
2019 |
2391 |
30.4 |
17.6 |
52 |
|
2020 |
1995 |
34.4 |
20.5 |
44.4 |
|
2021 |
2161 |
32.8 |
21 |
45.4 |
Response 2:
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys police does hold information in relation to your request as detailed below:
|
Year |
Number resolved |
|
2019 |
2389 |
|
2020 |
1994 |
|
2021 |
2161 |
This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on the 28th January 2022.