Staffordshire Police FOI Request - Fresh Response Ordered
Summary
The ICO upheld a complaint against Staffordshire Police under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The ICO found that the force failed to conduct adequate searches for information requested by a complainant who sought specific correspondence. The ICO has ordered Staffordshire Police to issue a fresh response following proper searches aimed at identifying all information within scope.
What changed
The ICO found that Staffordshire Police failed to adequately search for information relating to a complainant's FOI request for specific correspondence. The police force had claimed it did not hold the requested information, but the ICO determined the searches conducted were insufficient.\n\nPublic authorities subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 must ensure their searches are thorough and documented when responding to information requests. Failure to conduct adequate searches may result in ICO enforcement action requiring a fresh response. This decision reinforces the importance of proper record-keeping and search procedures within police forces and other public bodies.
What to do next
- Conduct comprehensive searches for requested information
- Issue a fresh response to the complainant addressing all information within scope
Archived snapshot
Apr 8, 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 Staffordshire Police
- Date 1 April 2026
- Sector Police and criminal justice
- Decision(s) FOI 1(1): Upheld The complainant requested information relating to a specific piece of correspondence. Staffordshire Police advised that it did not hold the requested information.
The Commissioner’s decision is that Staffordshire Police failed to conduct adequate searches to locate information falling within the scope of the request.
The Commissioner requires Staffordshire Police to issue the complainant with a fresh response to their request following searches aimed at identifying all information held within the scope of the request.
Named provisions
Related changes
Get daily alerts for ICO Decision Notices
Daily digest delivered to your inbox.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
Source
About this page
Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission
Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from ICO.
The plain-English summary, classification, and "what to do next" steps are AI-generated from the original text. Cite the source document, not the AI analysis.
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when ICO Decision Notices publishes new changes.