F.O.I

FREEDOM of INFORMATION

We believe it is important for Government to be transparent to society in respect of the frequent changes being forced onto the British Police Service.

The Winsor Report, Police and Crime Commissioners and Her Majesty’s Inspector are to name but a few important changes.

We aim to collect and publish as many Freedom of Information applications and results as possible and ask if you have submitted any relevant requests that you get in touch with us via Email: admin@protectourpolice.co.uk

We start this page with Alan Wright’s requests:

“In relation to Mr Winsor and his Independent Review I have, to date, sent off 6 FOI requests to the Home Office; they concern the following

1. Total amount paid by Home Office to White and Case re Winsor and to Sir Edward Crew for the Review

2. Copy of any Risk Assessment for Part 1 and Part 2 of the Review

3. Copy of any Impact Assessment for Part 1 and Part 2 of the Review

4. Copy of any ‘What If’ analysis in respect of Part 1 and Part 2 of the Review

5. Identities of persons sitting on the Selection Panel for position of Chief Inspector of Constabulary, any notes made by members, any documents, e-mails, texts etc between members of the panel in relation to assessing who was the best candidate.

6. A comparison of policing levels in England and Wales in May 2001 and again in May 2012.  This question has been partially answered and I have supplied a copy of the data received to Protect Our Police.Co.Uk for their information.

The main reason that I have done this is because I personally found it reasonably difficult to actually find out whom the candidates were, never mind who may be the best option.  I have to say that I have met Sara Thornton when she was ACC Thames Valley and was quite impressed by her; however I am unable to form an opinion as to whether or not she may have been the best candidate because I don’t know enough about her or any of the other candidates.  What is blindingly obvious however is the indecent haste with which Mr Winsor has been named as the preferred candidate.  It is for this reason that I have requested the information at 5 to establish whether or not the Home Office actually carried out a proper selection procedure or just shoe-horned ‘their man’ into post.”

Alan (Twitter @Alanw47) 

I retired from the Met in 2001 having completed 30 years’ service.  Sorry Mr Winsor but I was only 50 at the time, I know how terrible that is but that’s just the way it was back then.  I performed a variety of roles within the Met, some front line, some back office and some middle office.  On one occasion I was even ‘ordered’ into a back-room role.

Having been retired for nearly 11 years now I don’t believe that Winsor’s Independent Review is going to affect me personally but I have always been the sort of person to stand up for Fair-Play and never backed down from a ‘fight’ even when I knew I was destined to lose, as long as I thought that Fair Play was the issue.

Because I am retired I don’t feel that I am under the same restraints as serving officers so I have no compunction whatsoever about firing off Freedom of Information Act requests to the Home Office or whoever as long as I am happy that they are not trivial or vexatious.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION RESULTS

Please use the following as a starting point in relation to any further information supplied from Freedom of Information requests:

Police Service Strength; Police Service Strength Broken Down; Police Service Comparable Strength 

The figures are official Home Office figures and include all 43 Forces, but exclude officers on Career Breaks or Maternity Leave, but do include those on secondments (those figures are available if you need them).  Copy of Police Service Strength 1994 to 2011 (3)

Copy of Police Service Strength 1994 to 2011 Broken Down

I think you’ll find that we are NOT at near record numbers as stated by Mr Nick Herbert, but as it’s only 3 and a quarter percent down from 2010 levels it’s clearly not a reduction

Further information will be published when received