FOI 834/26

Request

 

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I request the following information relating to the use of psychics or similar practitioners by your force during the period from 1 January 2021 to the date this request is processed (or the most recent five-year period for which records are available).

For the purposes of this request, "psychic" includes any individual or organisation engaged, consulted, commissioned, contracted, or otherwise utilised in a professional capacity who was described as, or provided services as, a:

 

*           Medium

*           Remote Viewer

*           Remote Perceiver

*           Clairvoyant

*           Intuitive

*           Mystic

*           Channeler

*           Oracle

*           Seer

*           Fortune Teller

 

Please provide:

 

1.

1. The number of occasions on which the force utilised, consulted, engaged, commissioned, contracted, or otherwise received assistance from any person fitting the above descriptions.
2. A yearly breakdown of these occasions.

For each occasion, where recorded:

1. The practitioner type or how the individual was described.
2. Whether the engagement related to a missing person investigation, homicide investigation, or other type of inquiry.
3. Whether the practitioner was paid or acted voluntarily.
4. The total amount paid by the force in relation to such services during the period, broken down by year where possible.
5. Copies of any force policies, guidance, standard operating procedures, or internal documents concerning the use of psychics or similar practitioners in investigations.

 

2.

1. How many times has the force received information, intelligence, correspondence, telephone calls or other communications from individuals identifying themselves as psychics, mediums, clairvoyants, remote viewers or similar practitioners in connection with a criminal investigation, missing person enquiry or unidentified remains investigation during the last five years?"

 

1. Where feasible and/or appropriate to data protection, please provide the names of persons or companies who have made approaches.

Request

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

         

Section 17(5) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires South Wales 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.  

 

In relation to your request, the following exemption applies:  

  

Section 12(1) – Exemption where cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit. 

 

A search has been conducted on our crime and incident recording system (NICHE RMS) for all offences recorded between 1^st January 2021 and 31^st December 2025. This search retrieved 534603 occurrences.

 

To determine the information for questions 1a-f and 2a would require us to individually interrogate each occurrence.

 

Whilst I cannot quantify exactly how long this would take it would most certainly exceed the 18 hours stipulated by the regulations.   

  

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 1a-f and 2a, then we may be able to assist with your request.