FOI 898/25

Request

• I would like to find out the number of compensation claims received during the past 10 financial years please – 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025.
• I would like to find out the number of compensation claims settled during the past 10 financial years please - 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025.
• I would like to find out, per case, the amount of compensation paid out during the past 10 financial years please - 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025.
• I would like to find out the number of compensation claims broken down per category, including; wrongful arrest, malicious prosecution, sexual misconduct, assault, lost or damaged property, road traffic collision when the police were at fault, unnecessary forced entry when the police were at fault, and others; please state these categories.
• I would like to find out the cost of compensation claims broken down per category, including; wrongful arrest, malicious prosecution, sexual misconduct, assault, lost or damaged property, road traffic collision when the police were at fault, unnecessary forced entry when the police were at fault, and others; please state these categories.

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.

We consulted with our JLS (Joint Legal Services) who have advised that the information requested for questions 4 & 5 is not recorded in an easily retrievable format. There were in excess of 1,240 public liability claims alone during the requested 10-year period. To provide the specific breakdown of the claims into such categories would require consideration of the detail of each claim for a breakdown of the data and then a further breakdown of data within each claim record to confirm the “costs of claims broken down per category’’.

We estimate it would take approximately 3 minutes per claim to retrieve this information.

We therefore estimate it would take in excess of 62 hours to retrieve the information for questions 4 & 5 for public liability claims alone.

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 questions 4 & 5 we may be able to assist you with your request.