Surrey Police has been slapped with an enforcement notice from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for failing to comply with freedom of information regulations amid a growing backlog
Compliance with the Freedom of Information Act has declined by 15% in the last year at Surrey Police, with an outstanding request of over two years.
"Timely responses to FoI requests are essential for maintaining transparency and trust in public bodies like police forces," said Phillip Angell, head of FoI casework at the ICO. "The failure of Surrey Police to meet even the basic requirements of the Freedom of Information Act is entirely unacceptable.
"A worsening backlog, with requests as old as two years, shows a lack of seriousness about their obligations and a failure to prioritise transparency. This cannot continue: the public deserves better, and we have issued this enforcement notice to ensure that they get it."
Repeated failures
The ICO said it had issued the enforcement notice as the force "repeatedly failed to meet its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000".
Surrey Police has a FoI compliance rate of 54%, which is a decline from a rate of 69% a year ago. The ICO said this was "far below the expected standards". Surrey Police has failed to provide the ICO with a plan to deal with its FOI backlog despite a number of requests.
The force now has 30 days to issue an action plan to the ICO on how they will bring their FoI handling processes in line with the Freedom of Information Act.
The ICO said: "The plan must include specific measures to address the backlog and ensure that future requests are responded to within the statutory timeframe. The force could be held in contempt of court if they fail to comply with these actions."
