Information about the National Dashcam Working Group

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.23.029148

I note you seek access to the following information:

I understand you host the National Dashcam Working Group.

Please provide all statistical or numerical data provided by forces or officers in the last year. I would expect this to either be in the form of all allegations dealt with or force summaries.

It is my understanding that each force provides data on a monthly basis.

Please provide any analysis, reports or summaries produced by or for the working group based on submitted data in the same period.

Please provide the dates of all meetings in the past 12 months.

Please provide the minutes of the last meeting for which there are agreed minutes.

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 40(2)(3) – Personal Information

Reason for decision

Section 40(2)&(3A)(a) - Personal Information - Section 40(2)(a)(b) of the Act provides that any information to which a request for information relates, is exempt information if the first condition of Section 40(3A)(a) is satisfied. The first condition of Section 40(3A)(a) states that personal information is exempt if its disclosure would contravene any of the data protection principles. If the disclosure of the requested personal data would not contravene the data protection principles, the disclosure must also not contravene Sections 3A(b) and 3B of the Act.

There are six principles that are set out in Article 5(1)(a) of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) that dictate when the processing of personal data is lawful. The first principle requires that any processing of personal data must be lawful, fair and transparent. Under Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR, the disclosure of personal data is considered to be lawful if:

a. There is a legitimate interest in the disclosure of that personal data.
b. The disclosure of the personal data is necessary to meet that legitimate interest.
c. The disclosure would not cause unwarranted harm to the data subject.

Having considered your request and given regard to the legitimate interest test, I have found that:

a. The full disclosure of the minutes, contains information whereby the individuals would be able to be identified. The disclosure of this personal data would satisfy a legitimate interest, being to provide factual information about the recorded information.

b. The disclosure of this information is necessary to meet the legitimate interest identified at point a above.

c. The public release of the personal data held would disclose information about an identifiable person. The release of this information by the police would be unexpected. In this regard, I believe that the disclosure of this personal data would be in breach of the DPA rights of the named individuals.

Disclosure

Please find attached the data set in relation to the statistical information requested above. I have been informed that although the goal is to hold data in relation to all constabularies, at this stage the MPS only hold their own data set.

In relation to the minutes requested, I have been advised that a conference took place on the 10th of February 2022 and I have attached the redacted minutes for you.

In addition there was also a meeting on the 12th of August 2022, but these minutes are not held as usually minutes are provided to police services at the next conference, which would have been at the end of last year but as this didn’t take place there are no minutes to provide. The next meeting is due to take place this month when the previous meetings minutes will be provided.