MPS jurisdiction and remit
Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.24.036691
I note you seek access to the following information:
- What areas of the country do the MET police have jurisdiction?
- If someone tells you they are a MET police officer, but they live in the North West, is that still possible?
- Are the secret service part of the MET police?
- Can a MET police person deal with crime where they live?
- Is a MET police person allowed to follow a member of the public in their home town and surrounding area?
- Is there a team in the MET police who deal with motorbike police?
- Can MET police section lesbians in Rusholme and take their possessions (including mobile/ID/money/laptops/keys etc) without offering a solicitor and without following section 135 or 136?
- Can MET police take a mobile and SIM card from the area they live and get it checked to prove no texts of abuse were sent from it? Or is it outside their REMIT?
CLARIFICATION -
Is there a team who ride motorbikes within the MET police? Either in full police colours or undercover?”
Note: Please be advised that your questions above have been numbered to ensure clarity in our response.
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 – determining whether a request is valid or not.
Section 21(1) – Information reasonably accessible by other means
Section 84 - Information recorded in any form
Reason for decision
At your question 1 you have asked us to disclose what areas of the country the MPS have jurisdiction.
This information is widely accessible in the public domain and Section 21(1) of the Act, which provides an exemption for information reasonably accessible by other means has therefore been applied to refuse disclosure.
Please find a link to published information below:
The Met’s area of jurisdiction | Metropolitan Police
Section 21(1) – Information reasonably accessible by other means - The information requested has been identified as being accessible via other means as it is already published. Where information is already in the public domain we are not required to re-publish the data; instead public authorities are required to direct you to the information, which we have done in this instance. Section 21 absolute exemption which means there is no requirement to carry out a public interest test.
With reference to your questions numbered 5, 7 and 8, please be advised that these questions are invalid under Section 8 of the Act as they are not requesting recorded information.
To respond to these questions it would be necessary to create information based on the hypothetical scenarios you describe and there is no requirement for public bodies to do this under the Act.
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. The Act does not extend to requests for opinion, 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.
You may wish to consider the ICO’s guidance titled ‘How to access information from a public body’, in particular the guidance under the headings ‘How should I word my request to get the best result’ and ‘Information dos and don’ts’ which is available via the following link: About the Information Commissioner's Office
Section 84 - Information recorded in any form - 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
Q2 - If someone tells you they are a MET police officer, but they live in the North West, is that still possible?
Yes. There are no restrictions on where MPS officers can live.
Q3 - Are the secret service part of the MET police?
No.
Q4 - Can a MET police person deal with crime where they live?
MPS officers can work in the same area they live, therefore yes, they can deal with crime where they live.
Q6 - Is there a team in the MET police who deal with motorbike police? CLARIFIED - Is there a team who ride motorbikes within the MET police? Either in full police colours or undercover?
Motorbikes are used by a number of departments/teams within the MPS.