Police paperwork
Last year the Information Tribunal heard a freedom of information case between the Guardian and Avon and Somerset Police relating to material about the unsuccessful prosecution of the Liberal politician Jeremy Thorpe in 1979 on a charge of conspiracy to murder.
The Tribunal's decision records that the Police gave the Guardian an index to documents held on the case (paragraph 15).
I made an FOI request to Avon and Somerset Police for this index. Their response stated they no longer held a copy - they had destroyed it three weeks after the Tribunal decision.
Somewhat baffled as to why they would destroy a document of that kind so quickly, I asked for a copy of their policy on record retention and destruction.
The reply to this stated: 'The 'Retention and Weeding Policy' that was in being at the time of the destruction of the Jeremy Thorpe case papers is now obsolete and has been superseded by a new 'Retention, Review and Disposal of Documents Policy' - and they refused to send me a copy of this new policy because it 'is currently being drafted and is intended for future publication'.
So I asked them to send me a copy of the old policy. But it then turned out that they could not send me that either, because 'The 'Retention and Weeding Policy' (weeding rules) that was in being at the time of the destruction of the Jeremy Thorpe case papers is no longer held as it was replaced with a new policy'.
But hang on a minute - I thought the new policy was still being drafted? So how do they decide what to retain and what to destroy?
The answer to that puzzle is apparently that the new policy, which they can't send me because it 'is currently being drafted and is yet to be finalised' is nevertheless 'being adhered to'.
I'm just wondering what this record retention policy lays down about how long Avon and Somerset Police should keep a copy of an old policy which is still in the process of being redrafted.
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This is a classic example of how the establishment takes the mickey, in the full knowledge that at worst, somebody might write about it and a few people might moan.##The establishment will do what it wants when it wants how it wants, irrespective of the law, whenever it feels like.
It's only when you have things like the poll-tax riots that the establishment panics. Not even the stop the war march halted it.
We live in the age of corporate fascism and it only listens to mass violent disobedience. Anything less is merely a glitch.
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The police service should be working harder on FOI requests than refusing them out of hand...Because it costing money to fight the media.
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As an ex Police Inspector why am I not surprised by this blog? Its because the Police will do anything to keep embarassing things out of public view. Many in ACPO firmly believe that FOI is becoming far too burdensome on the service and the act needs watering down. North Wales Police actually publish all their FOI requests with answers. Go to
http://www.north-wales.police.uk/foiresponses/en/disclosure/index.asp
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I have to agree with Red Lenin I'm afraid. This isn't a democracy we live in - it's a dictatorship with a democratic front.
Ask yourself this - if a police force can destroy documents such as these, then how do we know our votes are counted properly at election time?
The only difference between a western democracy and a Mugabe style dictatorship is that in a dictatroship at least you know you're being done over. Strangely it's a more honest way of running a country (do as I say or be killed instantly while I take your money and give it to my friends) - as opposed to do as I say or be locked up for long periods of time while I still take your money and give it to my friends.
I suppose at least we get to keep our pitiful lives in a democracy....
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The default for all documents from publicly funded bodies should be that they are all published - hope else can we trust them?
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