FOI 450/25

REQUEST 

Q1. For each of the following calendar years, please provide the number of cars reported as stolen to the force- 2020-2024

Q2. For each of the following calendar years, please provide the number of cars recovered after being reported stolen. 2020-2024

Q.3. In each of the following calendar years, please state how many reports of a car being stolen led to a charge or summons.  2020-2024

RESPONSE

Your request for information has now been considered and I am not obliged to supply the information you have requested.       

In relation to your request, the following exemption applies:

Section 12 – Exemption where cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit.

A search has been conducted on our crime and incident recording system (Niche RMS) for all theft of a motor vehicle offences within the requested time frame. This search retrieved 9,664 results.

We estimate that it would take approximately one minute to interrogate each occurrence to identify whether the car was recovered.

We therefore estimate it would take in excess of 161 hours to comply with your request.

It is estimated that 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 the case of the police service, the appropriate limit is £450 which has been calculated to equate to a total of 18 hours of work.

If any part of the request exceeds the fees limit then Section 12 applies to the whole request.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a refusal notice.

Excess cost removes the forces obligation under the Freedom of Information Act, however under Section 16 – Duty to provide advice and assistance, an authority is required to offer an applicant the opportunity to redefine their request within the cost limit. If you were to remove question 2 from your request, we may be able to assist with the remaining questions.