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Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.22.022895
I note you seek access to the following information:
Mobile Fingerprint Scanners
1. The number of Mobile Fingerprint Scanners owned by your force in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive). Please break this down by London borough.
2. The number of times Mobile Fingerprint Scanners were used by officers in your force in each year from 2015 to 2021.
3. The number of people who were scanned using mobile fingerprint scanners in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive). If you record the data, please break this down by age, gender and ethnicity.
4. Please list the databases against which your Mobile Fingerprint Scanners check for matche and (if you hold the data) the number of matches against each database recorded in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive).
Knife Arches
1. The number of (i) Knife Arches and (ii) Knife Wands owned by your force in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive).
2. The number of times Knife Arches were used by officers in your force in each year from 2015 to 2021. Please break this down by London borough.
3. The number of people who were scanned using (i) Knife Arches and (ii) Knife Wands in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive). If you record the data, please break this down by age, gender and ethnicity.
4. The number of offensive weapons discovered hrough the use of (i) Knife Arches and (ii) Knife Wandsin each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive)
Mobile Phone Data Extraction
1. The number of Mobile Phone Data Extraction devices owned by your force in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive).
2. The number of times Mobile Phone Data Extraction devices were used by officers in your force in each year from 2015 to 2021. Please break this down by London borough.
3. The number of people whose phones were subject to Mobile Phone Data Extraction devices in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive). If you record the data, please break this down by age, gender and ethnicity.
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 31(1) - Law Enforcement
Reason for decision
Section 31(1) - Law Enforcement - Modern day policing is intelligence led and law enforcement depends upon the development of intelligence and the gathering and security of evidence in order to disrupt criminal behaviour and bring offenders to justice. As criminals adapt and exploit new technology, the police need to respond by overcoming hi-tech barriers in order to meet their responsibilities.
Providing the number of devices held in each London borough would give a very localised picture of where this technology was being deployed, increasing the risk of harm to law enforcement by implying where it was being used most commonly across London and would negatively impact operational law enforcement by undermining the police’s ability to prevent and detect crime and/or apprehend offenders.
A disclosure under Freedom of Information is a release to the world and, in this case, disclosing the number of devices held in each borough would disclose tactical information. Modern day policing is intelligence led and law enforcement depends upon the development of intelligence and the gathering and security of evidence in order to disrupt criminal behaviour and bring offenders to justice. Disclosure to the level requested would negatively impact operational law enforcement by undermining the police’s ability to prevent and detect crime and/or apprehend offenders.
As always the Freedom of Information Act has a presumption of disclosure, unless when balancing the competing public interest factors prejudice to the community outweighs the benefits. In this case, there is an argument for disclosure, inasmuch as the public have a right to know that the police have sufficient resources across the MPS, but this must be balanced against the negative impact these disclosures can make. Law Enforcement is reliant on community engagement, intelligence and evidence gathering and when it is appropriate, information is given to the public.
What has been established in this case is the fact that disclosure of information relating to technologies used would have an adverse effect on the investigative process and on the prevention or detection of crime and the apprehension or prosecution of offenders. This places the victims of such offending at a greater risk towards their health and wellbeing and is not an action the police service would be willing to take. These negatives outweigh any tangible community benefit and therefore the balance does not favour disclosure at this time.
Mobile Fingerprint Scanners - INK BIOMETRICS
Q1 - The number of Mobile Fingerprint Scanners owned by your force in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive). Please break this down by London borough.
At question 1 you have asked for the number of scanners held by each Met police London borough. I am unable to disclose the number of scanners held by each Met borough as were we to release the located information broken down to this level it would or would be likely to, prejudice the prevention or detection of crime; the apprehension or prosecution of offenders; or the exercise by any public authority of its functions. We have therefore provided data for the whole of the MPS. Please see below under ‘DISCLOSURE’.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Knife Arches
In relation to Knife Arches, Q1 – Q4 the information requested is not held by the MPS. The MPS do not keep a regular audit of the number of “metal detectors” (as stated, knife arches) or search wands within the MPS. This is for a variety of reasons, including the fact that they are not all sourced directly by the MPS.
We do not collate data on “how” a person is searched. Metal detector operations, routine custody searches as well as on-street searches do not document if a search wand/detector was used. Therefore the information requested around Knife Arches is not held by the MPS.
Mobile Fingerprint Scanners - INK BIOMETRICS
The MPS do not have data for 2015 to 2017, as this service/solution was then provided by a 3rd party supplier. We do however have data from 2018 – 2021 please see data below under ‘DISCLOSURE.’
Q3 - The number of people who were scanned using mobile fingerprint scanners in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive). If you record the data, please break this down by age, gender and ethnicity.
The MPS do not capture this data at this time. Therefore this information is not held.
Mobile Phone Data Extraction
Q1 - The number of Mobile Phone Data Extraction devices owned by your force in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive).
Full data set not available, however at high level for fixed site kiosks (kiosk based within a police station). Please see below ‘DISCLOSURE’
Q2 - The number of times Mobile Phone Data Extraction devices were used by officers in your force in each year from 2015 to 2021. Please break this down by London borough.
With regards to data broken down by borough - The MPS cannot accurately reflect kiosk extraction by borough or BCU at this stage as the data collection for individual locations is not yet fully established. Any manual extraction will be time consuming and exceed 18 hours limit, however a KPI (Key Performance Indicator) framework is being developed with the expectation of delivery later this year’.
Q3 - The number of people whose phones were subject to Mobile Phone Data Extraction devices in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive). If you record the data, please break this down by age, gender and ethnicity.
i/ No accurate data can be supplied relating to people numbers as multiple devices can be seized per person
ii/ No accurate data collated to break down into age, gender, ethnicity
Disclosure
Mobile Fingerprint Scanners
Q1 - The number of Mobile Fingerprint Scanners owned by your force in each year from 2018 to 2020
• 120 devices were deployed in 2018
• An additional 120 devices deployed 2019
• An additional 490 device were deployed 2020
We have approximately 730 devices across the MPS – these are not only deployed to boroughs, but also pan London resources such as TSG (Territorial Support Group) and VCTF (Violent Crime Taskforce).
Q2 - The number of times Mobile Fingerprint Scanners were used by officers in your force in each year from 2018 to 2021.
Number of searches in total | |
2018 | 8145 |
2019 | 27217 |
2020 | 24494 |
2021 | 29612 |
Q4 - Please list the databases against which you’re Mobile Fingerprint Scanners check for matches and (if you hold the data) the number of matches against each database recorded in each year from 2018 to 2021 (inclusive).
Number of matches received | |||
Number of searches in total | Police database matches | Immigration data base matches | |
2018 | 8145 | 3195 | 391 |
2019 | 27217 | 11478 | 1449 |
2020 | 24494 | 10502 | 1342 |
2021 | 29612 | 6257 | 1279 |
Mobile Phone Data Extraction
Q1 - The number of Mobile Phone Data Extraction devices owned by your force in each year from 2015 to 2021 (inclusive).
Full data set not available, however at high level for fixed site kiosks (kiosk based within a police station);
2016 = 32
2018 = 70
2021 = 109
2022 = 117 and will increase by 24
Q2 - The number of times Mobile Phone Data Extraction devices were used by officers in your force in each year from 2015 to 2021.
Kiosk devices are part of our Level 1 ‘self-service’ capability with police officers the sole users of the kiosk, data was not actively collected and network capability has only been completed in 2021;
No accurate data pre 2020 for kiosks
• 2018 = 21,790 (caveat - manual collation of data from individual kiosks / Baker report )
• 2020 = 28,011 (From networked kiosks / not complete numbers of kiosks)
• 2021 = (6 month data) Total number extractions 18,200 (All kiosks – networked and non-networked)
• 2021 = (6 month data) Total failed extractions 1,894 (caveat that these would be re-run and included in above figure)
• Q1 & Q2 2021 = 93% Suspect Devices / 6% Victim devices / 1% Witness devices