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:
I now wish to get the Schedule 7 forms used by Northumbria’s individual ports and airports. A full list can be found in the Schedule 7 act, and I believe the ones in your area are:
Ports: None
Airports: Newcastle
Please could provide me with the following:
- The "Details of Examinee" form used by your ports and airports. Please be aware that different ports and airports may use different forms. Please also be aware that the form may not be titled "details of examinee", but I want the form that asks for the examinees’ details.
- If you cannot provide me with the form(s), please explain why. Please further advise me whether the Schedule 7 forms used in your area ask an examinee to detail their religion. Please also explain which ports and airports, if any, ask an examinee to give their religion.
In Response:
Following receipt of your request, searches were conducted with the Crime Department of Northumbria Police. I can confirm that the information you have requested is held by Northumbria Police.
I am able to disclose the located information to you as follows.
With regards to point 1 the below exemption has been considered as relevant.
As the information you have requested is accessible by other means I have not provided you with a copy of the information and will rely on Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. You should therefore consider this a refusal for your request.
I have provided an explanation to this exemption below.
Section 21 (1) - Information accessible by other means
Information which is reasonably accessible to the applicant is exempt information.
We are aware that this form has already been provided to you by the Communications Team, Counter Terrorism Policing North East on 16/03/20. As you are already in possession of the form Section 21 is applicable.
2 All ports could ask examinees to provide their religion, which would be dependent on the circumstances that the examining Officers are dealing with. It is not a mandatory question, It is on an individual case by case basis.
In relation to the examinee page there is no policy or guidance requiring officers to ask about religion at any port (i.e. it is not mandatory). Officers have a power to ask any question which they consider could assist in making a determination of whether a person appears to be someone who is concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism or alternatively for facilitating religious observance.
