Police officers carrying firearms and death of officers as of November 2022

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.22.027025

I note you seek access to the following information:

1. How many of your police officers carry a firearm?

2. What do unarmed Bobbies do when attacked with a knife?

3. How many people died from police shootings during the past five years (numbers for each year please)?

4. And how many police officers died during the past five years?

Decision

I have today decided to disclose some of the requested information. Some data has been withheld as it is exempt from disclosure and therefore this response serves as a Refusal Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) by virtue of the following exemptions:

Section 8(1) - Valid request for information

Reason for decision

Section 8(1) of the Act – Valid request for information - in this Act any reference to a “request for information” is a reference to such a request which -—
(a) Is in writing,
(b) States the name of the applicant and an address for correspondence, and
(c) Describes the information requested.

ICO guidance for making FOIA requests, advises the public that a FOIA request can be in the form of a question rather than a request for specific documents, however a public authority does not have to answer your question if this would mean creating new information or giving an opinion or judgment that is not already recorded.

Section 84 of the Act states: Information is defined in section 84 of the Act as 'information recorded in any form'. The Act therefore only extends to requests for recorded information. It does not require public authorities to answer questions generally; only if they already hold the answers in recorded form. The Act does not extend to requests for information or advice about legislation, policies or their implementation, or the merits or demerits of any proposal or action - unless, of course, the answer to any such request is already held in recorded form.

Disclosure

Q1 - How many of your police officers carry a firearm?

I am pleased to inform you that the information requested is held by the MPS and is already in the public domain.

Information on the number of authorised firearms officers in the force can be located via the following link (Table 3):

Police use of firearms statistics, England and Wales: April 2021 to March 2022.

Q2 - What do unarmed bobbies do when attacked with a knife?

The Act provides the right to request recorded information. Your request, merely asks a question.

This type of question is not a valid FOIA request under Section 8(1)(c) of the Act.

Q3 - How many people died from police shootings during the past five years (numbers for each year please)?

As in our response to question 1. The information requested is held by the MPS and is already in the public domain.

Information on fatal shootings is published by The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and can be located via the following link:

Annual deaths during or following police contact statistics

Q4 - How many police officers died during the past five years?

Interpreting the information as follows, as of 7 November 2022.

- How many police officers died on duty over the last five year?

6

- How many police officers died, whilst they were in service over the last five years?

98