Cost for pamphlet (flyers to members of the public protesting against the fighting in Gaza)

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.23.034290

I note you seek access to the following information:

OUT 29.11.2023 Sent via on-line form MET Police Last Saturday the 25 inst. Police officers were handing out flyers to members of the public protesting against the fighting in Gaza.

I request the following information:
copy of said pamphlet. The cost involved in producing it. Who was consulted about the text involved for example but not limited to: advisors, consultants etc)?

How many were printed, given out & how many remained?

How many member members of the public were arrested, and/or given a fixed penalty notice ford throwing a pamphlet away onto the sidewalk/pavement road etc?

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 22(1)(a) - Information Intended for Future Publication

Reason for decision

Section 22(1)(a) - Information Intended for Future Publication - Section 22 of the Act provides public authorities with an exclusion from the duty to disclose information under Section 1(1)(b) of the Act, when the information is held with a view to its publication by any person, at any future date (whether determined or not).

These protests have generated a number of Freedom of Information Act requests that are linked both directly and indirectly to each incident/protests. In response, the MPS has identified that requests for information about the protests are likely to be received under the Act and has commissioned a related dataset. The MPS has committed to publishing this dataset on the MPS website.

The Met’s commitment to proactively publish information about these protests will make publicly available, the information sought by this request and satisfy the public interest regarding this request for information.

Efficient and Effective conduct of the Service - The MPS has a process for both identifying and publishing police information that is of public interest. This is an established process that is primarily designed to engage the general public in the work of the police service but importantly, also serves to reduce the financial and administrative cost of responding to requests for information under the Act. The MPS receives a considerable number of requests for information that is due to be published. It would be both administratively and financially prohibitive for the MPS to collate information and respond to individual requests, when the information requested will be published in the near future. This is particularly relevant in this case, as the MPS has committed to publishing the information after the events have concluded.

When a request for information is made to which an exemption under the Act applies, I must determine whether the exemption should be claimed and in the case of exemptions that are qualified, determine whether release is in the public interest.

Having considered your request, I have chosen to claim Section 22 of the Act as the MPS has committed to publishing a comprehensive dataset in respect of the Pro Palestine/Israeli protests.

Given that the information requested will be published by the MPS, I consider that the identified public interest factors favouring disclosure will be satisfied upon publication of this information.

I also believe that it would be inefficient and financially prohibitive for the MPS to respond to individual requests for information when the information sought is scheduled for publication.

For these reasons, it is not in the public interest to disclose the requested information at this time. I have accordingly refused your request for information.

I have numbered the questions within your request for ease of reference.

Q1 - A copy of said pamphlet.
Q2 - The cost involved in producing it.
Q3 - Who was consulted about the text involved for example but not limited to: advisors, consultants etc.)?
Q4 - How many were printed, given out & how many remained?
Q5 - How many member of the public were arrested, and/or given a fixed penalty notice for throwing a pamphlet away onto the sidewalk/pavement road etc?

In regards to the first part of question 5 and arrests, the Met has a publication scheme in place for all Palestine/Israel related events covering arrests, crimes, costs and officers shifts. The Met will publish the first set of data on 31 Jan 2024. This will cover all data up to and including 30 November 2023. All data for December 2023 and January 2024 will be published on 1 April 2024.

I have provided a link to the MPS Publication Scheme

Disclosure

Please find the below information pursuant to the other questions within your request.

Q1 - A copy of said pamphlet.

Please refer to the PDF below

Q2 - The cost involved in producing it.

The MPS has spent total of £1,481.04 for printing of the pamphlets.

Q3 - Who was consulted about the text involved for example but not limited to: advisors, consultants etc)?

External faith representatives were asked for views.

Q4 - How many were printed, given out & how many remained?

A total of 32,000 leaflets were printed for distribution over 3 weeks

Q5 - How many member members of the public were arrested, and/or given a fixed penalty notice ford throwing a pamphlet away onto the sidewalk/pavement road etc?

Arrests information as stated will be covered by the MPS Publication Scheme, therefore FoIA exemption Section 22(1)(a) - Information Intended for Future Publication has been applied.

For the second part of this question, there were no fixed penalty notices issued for littering.