Chief Constable Dorset Police FOIA Decision Notice: Response Required Within 30 Days
Summary
The ICO has upheld a complaint against the Chief Constable of Dorset Police for failing to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request within the statutory 20 working day timeframe. The Commissioner has ordered Dorset Police to provide the complainant with a response within 30 calendar days of the decision date. This Decision Notice represents a binding enforcement action that creates a specific compliance deadline for the public authority.
“The Commissioner requires it to provide the complainant with a response to this request within 30 calendar days in accordance with its obligations under FOIA.”
Public authorities subject to FOIA obligations should review their FOI request handling procedures to confirm capability to meet the 20 working day statutory deadline. ICO Decision Notices create binding compliance obligations and the regulator actively enforces missed response deadlines, as evidenced by this upheld complaint against Dorset Police.
About this source
The Information Commissioner's Office is the UK's data protection and freedom of information authority. Decision notices are the formal written outcomes of ICO investigations into complaints against public authorities for Freedom of Information Act compliance. Around 230 decisions a month, each naming the authority, request details, whether the request was upheld, partially upheld, or rejected, and any remedial action ordered. Decision notices are a rich vein of information about UK government transparency and often reveal what specific requests ICO considers legitimate. Watch this if you file FOI requests in the UK, advise public authorities on disclosure obligations, or research information rights case law.
What changed
The ICO's Decision Notice determines that Dorset Police failed to respond to an information request within the 20 working day timeframe required by FOIA. The Commissioner has issued a binding compliance order requiring the public authority to provide a complete response to the complainant within 30 calendar days of the decision date.
Public authorities subject to FOIA obligations should ensure their request handling processes are capable of meeting the 20 working day statutory deadline. ICO Decision Notices represent formal enforcement actions that create binding compliance obligations, and the regulator has demonstrated willingness to pursue enforcement where response deadlines are missed.
What to do next
- Provide the complainant with a response to the FOI request within 30 calendar days in accordance with obligations under FOIA
Archived snapshot
Apr 28, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Chief Constable Dorset Police
- Date 24 April 2026
- Sector Police and criminal justice
- Decision(s) FOI 10: Upheld The public authority has failed to respond to this request within 20 working days, as specified under FOIA. The Commissioner requires it to provide the complainant with a response to this request within 30 calendar days in accordance with its obligations under FOIA.
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