FOI 60112

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 60112

I write in connection with your request for information which was received on  23^rd February 2021. Please find below the response to your request:

I would like to request the following information:

1. What were the total number of dog thefts reported per month in 2015,  2016,  2017,  2018,  2019 and 2020? Please provide a month-by-month breakdown.
2. What was the outcome of each reported dog theft crime per month from 2015,  2016,  2017,  2018,  2019,  2020? (e.g. arrests,  charges,  suspect identified,  lack of evidence).
3. What number of dogs reported stolen were returned to their owners in 2015,  2016,  2017,  2018,  2019 and 2020?

Reply:-

Please be advised that the information that you have requested is not available in a readily retrievable format. The information regarding dog thefts is not held centrally or in an electronically retrievable format.

There are in excess of 580 records which would have to be reviewed in order for us to identify the relevant information for your request. Should it take approximately 4 minutes per record this would equate to in excess of 35 hours of work. Therefore the cost of providing you with the information 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.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice for this part of the request and if one part of a request exceeds the fees limit then S12 of the Act applies to the whole request.

In accordance with Section 16 of the Act I have a duty to provide advice and assistance in relation to your request, however due to the volume of records that would need to be reviewed I have been unable to identify information that could be supplied within the fees limit.