FOI 321273
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 321273
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 2nd April 2024. Please find below the response to your request:
- How many warranted West Mercia police officers are currently working within the West Mercia Police Federation Office? Please list their rank, length of service with West Mercia Police and how long they have been working within the West Mercia Police Federation Office.
- Please confirm who pays the salaries of those officers.
- Does West Mercia Police recharge the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) for the salaries of these officers working within the Federation Office? If yes, is this the whole amount or a percentage? Please detail the amount of money spent by West Mercia Police to fund the officers working within the West Mercia Police Federation Office for calendar years 2021, 2022 and 2023.
- If West Mercia Police do not recharge PFEW for the salaries then please explain why or if there are any plans to recharge PFEW.
- Does West Mercia Police provide any other financial support to the running of the West Mercia Police Federation Office i.e. running costs of premises, fuel / mileage, on-call payments, office supplies, etc.? Please provide the total cost and breakdown of costs West Mercia Police pay towards the running of the West Mercia Police Federation Office for calendar years 2021, 2022 and 2023.
- Does West Mercia Police recharge PFEW for these costs? If not, please explain why or if there are any plans to recharge PFEW.
- Does the West Mercia Police Federation Office have a delegated force budget? If so, what is the amount of that delegated budget for calendar years 2021, 2022 and 2023 and who, within the Federation Office, is that delegated responsibility to?
- Who and what is the force line management structure/process for those working within the West Mercia Police Federation Office i.e. who authorises annual leave, manages sickness absence and authorises expenses, etc.?
- Please provide the specific section within Police Regulations (or any other agreements) which details the minimum number of police officers which a police force has to allow to work full time within their respective Police Federation Office.
Reply
- How many warranted West Mercia police officers are currently working within the West Mercia Police Federation Office? Please list their rank, length of service with West Mercia Police and how long they have been working within the West Mercia Police Federation Office.
West Mercia Police have 1 Inspector and 2 sergeants
In relation to length of service and how long they have been working within the Federation Office
Your request for information has been considered in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”), and I am not obliged to provide the information requested.
The following exemption is applicable to the information requested:
- S.40(2) – Personal information
S.40(2) is an absolute, class-based exemption and therefore there is no requirement to evidence harm or conduct a public interest test.
This exemption is engaged where disclosure of information relates to personal data of a third party or could lead to the identification of an individual, either from that information alone or combined with other information from within the Police Service or public domain. In this case, the information you are requesting is personal data of a third party.
Such a disclosure would breach an individual’s rights under the Data Protection Act 2018, in particular Article 5(1) of the UK GDPR which states that personal data shall be processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to the data subject. Such a disclosure would also be likely to breach s.8 Human Rights Act 1998 which states that everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence.
In accordance with s.17(1) of the Act, this acts as a Refusal Notice.
- Please confirm who pays the salaries of those officers.
West Mercia Police
- Does West Mercia Police recharge the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) for the salaries of these officers working within the Federation Office? If yes, is this the whole amount or a percentage? Please detail the amount of money spent by West Mercia Police to fund the officers working within the West Mercia Police Federation Office for calendar years 2021, 2022 and 2023.
No recharge made
|
FY |
Year £ |
|
|
|
Account description |
2122 |
2223 |
2324 |
|
POLICE OFFICER PAY |
211,237 |
197,753 |
215,922 |
- If West Mercia Police do not recharge PFEW for the salaries then please explain why or if there are any plans to recharge PFEW.
Please be advised that this is not a valid request for information under the Freedom of information Act 2000 (“the Act”) as it does not fulfil the requirement of s.8 of the Act. It is not a request for specific recorded information and West Mercia Police does not have to answer your request if this would mean creating new information or giving an opinion or judgement that is not already recorded. The Act only extends to requests for recorded information. It does not require public authorities to answer questions generally and does not extend to requests for information about policies or their implementation, or the merits or demerits of any proposal or action unless the answer to any such request is already held in recorded form.
- Does West Mercia Police provide any other financial support to the running of the West Mercia Police Federation Office i.e. running costs of premises, fuel / mileage, on-call payments, office supplies, etc.? Please provide the total cost and breakdown of costs West Mercia Police pay towards the running of the West Mercia Police Federation Office for calendar years 2021, 2022 and 2023.
|
FY |
Year £ |
|
|
|
Account description |
2122 |
2223 |
2324 |
|
MILEAGE |
678 |
57 |
549 |
|
PUBLIC TRANSPORT FARES |
|
401 |
156 |
|
PARKING TOLLS & CHARGES |
9 |
|
53 |
|
OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATION |
598 |
1,620 |
521 |
|
SUBSISTENCE |
|
345 |
49 |
|
Total |
1,285 |
2,423 |
1,328 |
- Does West Mercia Police recharge PFEW for these costs? If not, please explain why or if there are any plans to recharge PFEW.
No recharges
In relation to If not please explain why or if there are any plans to recharge PFEW
Please be advised that this is not a valid request for information under the Freedom of information Act 2000 (“the Act”) as it does not fulfil the requirement of s.8 of the Act. It is not a request for specific recorded information and West Mercia Police does not have to answer your request if this would mean creating new information or giving an opinion or judgement that is not already recorded. The Act only extends to requests for recorded information. It does not require public authorities to answer questions generally and does not extend to requests for information about policies or their implementation, or the merits or demerits of any proposal or action unless the answer to any such request is already held in recorded form.
- Does the West Mercia Police Federation Office have a delegated force budget? If so, what is the amount of that delegated budget for calendar years 2021, 2022 and 2023 and who, within the Federation Office, is that delegated responsibility to?
No delegated budget
- Who and what is the force line management structure/process for those working within the West Mercia Police Federation Office i.e. who authorises annual leave, manages sickness absence and authorises expenses, etc.?
The Head of People & OD
- Please provide the specific section within Police Regulations (or any other agreements) which details the minimum number of police officers which a police force has to allow to work full time within their respective Police Federation Office.
Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires West Mercia 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.
The exemption applicable to the information is:
Sec 21(1) Information Reasonably Accessible by Other Means
This is an Absolute, class based exemption.
The information that you require is already available:
The Police Federation (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 (legislation.gov.uk)