Request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA)

Transcription

1 Our Ref: /14 Freedom of Information Section Nottinghamshire Police HQ Sherwood Lodge, Arnold Nottingham NG5 8PP Tel: 101 Ext Fax: May 2014 Request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) I write in connection with your request for information, which was received by Nottinghamshire Police on 07/04/2014. Following receipt of your request searches were conducted within Nottinghamshire Police to locate the information you require. Please find below answers to your questions:- RESPONSE Under S 1 (1) (a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), I can confirm that Nottinghamshire Police does hold the information you have requested. Following the closure of the brothel on Osborne Street in Radford on the 24th March 2014, I have some questions about Police and Council procedure: 1) Since the closure was a last resort, which steps were taken to work with the business before it was closed? Periodic visits were made to the premises since The landlord and tenant were approached several times. Women found working as prostitutes in the premises were provided with information and contact details for support agencies. 2) Were the steps taken in this case the usual practice for such cases? If not, what is the usual practice and which public service departments are generally involved? The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides public access to information held by public authorities.

2 General right of access to information held by public authorities. (1)Any person making a request for information to a public authority is entitled (a) to be informed in writing by the public authority whether it holds information of the description specified in the request, and (b) if that is the case, to have that information communicated to him. The Act covers any recorded information that is held by a public authority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and by UK-wide public authorities based in Scotland. Recorded information includes printed documents, computer files, letters, s, photographs, and sound or video recordings. The Act only covers recorded information held therefore Nottinghamshire Police are unable to provide an answer to this question as it appears to be asking for comment on usual practice only. However please see the below question. 3) Is the usual practice encoded in legislation or are the steps taken performed at the discretion of the council and the police? By usual practice in this context we have taken it to mean procedures in relation dealing with cases of this nature. The procedures adopted are based on guidance and local agreements with partners, such as Nottingham City Council and the UKBA, that comply with legislation. 4) How many complaints from the community had been received prior to the Osborne street brothel's closure? Nottinghamshire Police are unable to provide a definitive answer to this question. This is due to the fact that complaints of this nature would likely have been informal and not recorded. 5) What did these complaints say? The most common complaint was that potential clients had knocked on the wrong door looking for massage or sexual services. 6) Have any similar complaints been received about other similar establishments in the Nottingham area? Yes. What steps are being taken in these other cases? The same procedures are used, although this is the only premises that have reached the stage of requiring a Closure Order.

3 7) How has the council been working with the establishment's staff, including those deemed to have been exploited? Have they faced any legal repercussions? Information not held by Nottinghamshire Police. We would advise that the Council may be able to answer this question. 8) How many brothel establishments known to the police are currently operating in the Nottingham area? Nottinghamshire Police are unable to provide a definitive answer to this question. As local run brothels can be extremely transient we cannot state how many may be currently operating. Such brothels may open or close without the Police being aware. 9) How many are in the city centre/radford/lenton area? Please see above. I also have some further (unrelated) questions about another business in the Lenton area. I'm not sure whether this is the correct department for my enquiry but any information you have would be really helpful. 1) What date was the Genesis II Massage Parlour at 28 Park Road, NG7 1JG established? Nottinghamshire Police do not hold this information. We would advise that the Council would hold this information. 2) Under which registration does this business operate? As above Nottinghamshire Police do not hold this information. As above 3) Who is the business registered to? As above the Force do not hold this information. 4) Have the police received any complaints or conducted any investigations into this establishment to date? Two complaints were received in No formal investigation ensued. 5) if so, what was the outcome of these investigations? See above. Complaints Rights Your attention is drawn to the enclosed review procedure, which details your right of complaint. Copyright Nottinghamshire Police in complying with their statutory duty under Sections 1 and 11 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) to release the enclosed information will not breach the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act However, the rights of the copyright owner of the enclosed information will continue to be protected by law.

4 Applications for the copyright owner s written permission to reproduce any part of the attached information should be addressed to the Force Solicitor, Nottinghamshire Police, Force Headquarters, Sherwood Lodge, Arnold, Nottinghamshire, NG5 8PP. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in Nottinghamshire Police. Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write or contact the Freedom of Information Officer on telephone number or freedomofinformation@nottinghamshire.pnn.police.uk quoting the above reference number. Yours sincerely Disclosure Officer

5 Are you dissatisfied with your response? Nottinghamshire Police has a duty to implement a complaints process in relation to Freedom of Information Act requests. If you are not content with our response, you may appeal, this process is known as an Internal Review Internal reviews are intended to be a fair and impartial means of reviewing the original request process. You can appeal about your request if you:- Disagree with the Forces interpretation of your request; Believe the Force hold more information than has been disclosed to you; Disagree with the application of exemptions; Are still waiting for a response and are unhappy with the delay. How do I appeal? All appeals should be made in writing and sent to:- Information Management Nottinghamshire Police Force Headquarters Sherwood Lodge Arnold Notts NG5 8PP or alternatively freedomofinformation@nottinghamshire.pnn.police.uk To deal with your appeal as quickly as possible please provide the unique identification number provided with your response and the reasons for your appeal. Once we have received your request for appeal, your FOI response will be reviewed in full to identify any problems in the disclosure. The review will be undertaken by someone different from, and preferably senior to, the original decision maker and this should be completed within 20 working days from receipt, in exceptional circumstances it may be extended by a further 20 working days.

6 What if I m still not satisfied? You can appeal to the Information Commissioner. You can contact the Information Commissioner Officer at the following:- Information Commissioner s Office Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF Tel: (local rate) or (national rate) casework@ico.org.uk