Operation Optic - 340/19

Provision of information held by Northumbria Police made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the 'Act')

As you may be aware the purpose of the Act is to allow a general right of access to information held at the time of a request, by a Public Authority (including the Police), subject to certain limitations and exemptions.

You asked:

1. Please disclose all known costs of Operation Optic.
2. Please disclose the date Operation Optic was launched;
3. Please disclose the number and name of any offshoot investigations;
4. Please disclose the number of arrests made as part of Operation Optic;
5. Please disclose the number of charges.
6. Please disclose the number of officers currently working on Operation Optic and their ranks.

In Response:

I am able to disclose the located information to you as follows.

 

1. No information held. Northumbria police does not routinely cost individual operations or enquiries. We do not therefore hold a cost in relation to this operation. Work by Officers and staff will have been undertaken as part of their normal duties and these normal hour costs are not recorded on an individual operation/enquiry basis
2. This investigation was allocated in April 2016.
3. Operation Optic was created as a result of information and intelligence gained during the investigation of the original Op Sanctuary Investigations, in particular Operations Shelter and Wren.  There have been no subsequent operations as a result of Optic, from information gained within.
4. 25
5. 57 proposed charges against 17 suspects.
6. 11 officers worked within Operation Optic at varying times.  Their ranks were as follows:-

Detective Superintendent x1 

Detective Chief Inspector x 1

Detective Sergeant x 1  

Detective Constable x 8