FOI 219/25

REQUEST

 

I'm writing under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request information about sodium nitrite.

 

Please tell me the following: 

 

The number of incidents or crimes or reports received or attended by your police department referencing "sodium nitrite" or logged as relating to sodium nitrite. 

 

In each case, please include a brief description which summarises what happened. 

 

Please provide the results broken down by year for the past two years - 2023 and 2024, as well as the start of 2025, up to and including 10 February. 

 

RESPONSE

 

Your request for information has been considered and I am not obliged to supply this information. 

 

In relation to your request, the following exemption applies:

 

Section 31(1)(a) - Law Enforcement

 

Section 31 is a qualified, prejudice-based exemption and the legislators accept that there may be harm if released. The authority is therefore required to articulate the harm that may be caused and consider the public interest arguments for and against the disclosure of the information.

 

Overall Harm

 

The FOI Act is applicant blind which means that we cannot, and do not, ask about the motives of anyone who asks for information. In providing a response to one person, we are expressing a willingness to provide the same response to anyone. In this instance the information requested relates to the number of incidents and crimes received by, or attended by, police departments that reference sodium nitrate. This nitrate has been linked in recent media with self-harm incidents by ingestion in large quantities of it.

 

Crime reports for sodium nitrate is likely to only be reported as a theft or self-harm or forced self-harm incidents. The use of sodium nitrate could be used in big quantities by accident, but also on purpose. Disclosure of a total figure would reveal any ongoing investigations, which would have an undermining effect in the event that any criminal matters are under inquiry, thus hindering the prevention and detection of crime.

 

To disclose the number of incidents/crimes relevant to one specific substance would set a precedent over disclosure in relation to any other named substances; revealing the viability of each substance set against any other. This would have an adverse risk on public safety, whether that means vulnerable members of society who seek to end their own life, or any other person with mal-intent.

 

Public Interest Considerations

 

Factors favouring disclosure

 

In recent media stories, sodium nitrate has been reported on with allegedly being related to multiple self-harm deaths following ingestion in large quantities of the product. Disclosure would be informative and allow for wider public discussion over such matters.  

 

Factors favouring non-disclosure

 

Disclosure of information that undermines the operational integrity of law enforcement capabilities is highly likely to have an adverse impact on public safety and a negative effect on law enforcement generally. This risk to public safety cannot be said to be in the public interest.

 

Balancing Test

 

To disclose the requested information could have a negative impact on the safety of the public and weaken law enforcement capabilities. Whilst there is a public interest in promoting openness and transparency and providing better awareness, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

 

This acts as a refusal notice for this request.