Misplaced Pages

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49-523: Its functions as defined in statute are to "gather, store and analyse information in order to provide criminal intelligence". The first unit tasked with dealing with international crime focused on illicit drugs to be formed in the UK was during the latter parts of the 1970s and consisted of officers from the Association of Chief Police Officers , customs officers and Interpol Drug Enforcement Administration . The unit

98-560: A report of June 2012, has adopted the view that, despite the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, the retention of DNA in England and Wales remains an uncertain and illiberal regime. During the summer of 2011, Hugh Orde, then president of the ACPO, was seen wearing a dark blue police-style uniform with ACPO insignia, and was accused of wearing a fake uniform. Senior police officers claimed that the uniform

147-411: A description of the desired information (what is being asked for, and how it needs to be delivered – paper or e-copies). While there may be no fee for submitting a freedom of information request, institutions can charge a small price for things like copying. Typical turnaround time is twenty working days from submitting the request. Individuals make their freedom of information requests and then receive

196-600: A national policy rather than replicate the work in each of their forces. For example, after the 1980–81 riots in 27 British cities including in St. Pauls and Brixton ACPO began to prepare the Public Order Manual of Tactical Operations and Related Matters . Police forces began training in its tactics late in 1983. ACPO was not a staff association. It acted for the police service, not its members. The separate Chief Police Officers Staff Association acts for chief officers. ACPO

245-639: A new body, in the interests of greater transparency and cost effectiveness. On the basis of these recommendations, a new organization, the National Police Chiefs' Council , was set up to replace ACPO, which it did on 1 April 2015. Freedom of information in the United Kingdom Freedom of information (FOI) in the United Kingdom refers to members of the general public's right to access information held by public authorities. This right

294-462: A police collaboration agreement under Section 22A of the Police Act 1996 . UK policing sprang from local communities in the 1800s. Since the origins of policing, chief officers have regularly associated to discuss and share policing issues. Although ACPO as now recognised was formed in 1948, records of prior bodies go back to the early 1900s. The UK retains a decentralised model of policing based around

343-473: A retired Deputy Assistant Commissioner then seeking to be the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London , said: "It's unusual for the president of ACPO to appear in all these interviews in uniform. He is sending a clear signal: how would I look in the commissioner's uniform?" In 2013, an independent review of ACPO by General Sir Nick Parker was published. It recommended that ACPO be replaced by

392-589: Is also not available under FOI. A public authority must explain why they are refusing a FOI request, and a requester has the right to make an appeal. This appellate process is the duty of the Information Commissioner's Office (in both the UK broadly, and through the Scottish Information Commissioner for Scotland specifically). FOI legislation in the UK is the result of a series of incremental reforms. The 1966 Fulton report recommended

441-542: Is covered in two parts: Under the governance of FOI in the UK, public authorities generally include organizations that are publicly funded: like the NHS , police and governmental departments, and state schools. However, public funding is not the final arbiter of whether an organization must comply with FOI rules, as certain publicly funded but privately held operations (like grant receiving charities) are exempt. Healthcare and dental practices only have to make accessible information for

490-490: Is currently in force. In the United Kingdom, FOI access is treated as a separate issue from access to environmental information. Certain information can only be obtained under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 . This includes information on environmental policies and legislation, environmental damage and climate change incidents, and occasions where humans' health and safety are impacted by

539-630: Is funded by contributions from each of the police forces. The Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) was set up in 2010 by ACPO (and run by the Metropolitan Police ) to remove unlawful terrorist material content from the Internet with a focus on UK based material. The December 2013 report of the Prime Minister's Extremism task force , said that it would "work with internet companies to restrict access to terrorist material online which

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588-621: Is hosted overseas but illegal under UK law" and "work with the internet industry to help them in their continuing efforts to identify extremist content to include in family-friendly filters " which would likely involve lobbying ISPs to add the CTIRU list to their filters without the need for additional legislation. The National Wildlife Crime Unit is a national police unit that gathers intelligence on wildlife crime and provides analytical and investigative support to law enforcement agencies. ACPO had been criticised as being unaccountable to Parliament or

637-434: Is not written or otherwise captured outside of someone's head, the request for information does not need to be fulfilled by an organization. Public authorities are not required under FOI law to write down information after receiving a request, for the sole purpose of fulfilling said request. Information in the process of future publication is exempt from FOI requirements. Information on commercial business, trade, or research

686-457: The Labour Party at the 1997 general election . This promised to introduce some form of freedom of information legislation in line with other western nations. A schedule for compliance was arranged at the time of the 2000 Act, and then for the 2002 Act, with timescales arranged so that both would come into full force on the same date - 1 January 2005. This reduced confusion and ambiguities, but

735-622: The Police National Information and Co-ordination Centre (PNICC), which it set up in 2003. This included ensuring policing resilience during major events such as emergency response to serious flooding or the investigation of a terrorist attack. PNICC sat alongside the government in COBR ( Cabinet Office Briefing Room ) to advise on national issues. PNICC also handled support to overseas crises involving UK nationals. It employed three full-time staff, with other staff seconded to it as needed and

784-766: The UK Supreme Court in May 2011. They were found to be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights , following the ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in S and Marper v United Kingdom . On 1 May 2012, the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 completed its passage through Parliament and received Royal Assent . Up until it ceased to exist in 2015, ACPO did not reissue revised guidelines to replace its unlawful DNA exceptional procedure. Big Brother Watch , in

833-533: The openDemocracy website published a report on the FOI Clearing House. The report described the Clearing House as "Orwellian" and found that it requires government departments to send it requests that are potentially sensitive or too expensive to answer. The report also found that the Clearing House sometimes requires departments to provide it with drafts of responses to FOI requests for vetting. According to

882-505: The Act, a large proportion of ACPO's work is public already or available under FOI through any police force". In January 2011 its website still said it: "is unable to do is to respond to requests for information under the Act. The organisation is too small and there are too few members of staff to be able to conduct the necessary research and to compile the responses". From November 2011, however, FOI requests could be made to ACPO. The organisation

931-606: The CRAG Act, was a piece of legislation that further shaped how the UK government functions and its transparency. Since the UK doesn't have a written constitution, it has previously relied on legacy traditions, established practices, and a collection of statutes. So, when this act was established, it was a big deal. In 2020, Scottish Government moves to include restrictions on Freedom of Information laws as part of COVID-19 emergency legislation proved controversial and were eventually rolled back after strong cross party opposition. In 2020,

980-400: The UK, pertaining to inquiries made by members of the public, is fulfilled by FOI requests. All FOI requests must be submitted in a written form: such as an email or letter, or by a form on an organization/department's website. There are provisions in place for individuals who cannot write out their requests. Requests should include both information about the requester (name, contact details) and

1029-598: The UK, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands were also members. As of March 2010 , there were 349 members of ACPO. The membership elected a full-time President, who held the office of Chief Constable under the Police Reform Act 2002. ACPO was responsible for several ancillary bodies, which it either funded or which received Home Office funding but which reported to ACPO: The ACPO Criminal Records Office (ACRO)

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1078-580: The United Kingdom is controlled by two Acts of the United Kingdom and Scottish Parliaments, which both came into force on 1 January 2005. As many public bodies in Scotland (for example, educational bodies) are controlled by the Scottish Parliament , the 2000 Act would not apply to them, and thus a second Act of the Scottish Parliament was required. The acts are very similar but not identical -

1127-586: The United States, and Canada, are being processed manually by email, during the forced shut down, until the systems are fixed. The Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS), later the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NAVCIS), was managed by ACPO, and was responsible for combating organised vehicle crime and the use of vehicles in crime. The National Community Tension Team (NCTT)

1176-519: The United States. The organisation continues under the style "ACRO Criminal Records Office" under the control of Hampshire Constabulary . Between 17 January 2023 and 21 March 2023, a two-month cybersecurity incident affected the ACPO Criminal Records Office (ACRO) website. On 21 March 2023, ACRO announced that applications were no longer available online. Applications for police certificates, crucial for some visas to New Zealand,

1225-772: The activities and accusations of PC Mark Kennedy of the National Public Order Intelligence Unit within the National Extremism Tactical Co-ordination Unit, and the collapse of the subsequent trial of six activists, a number of initiatives and changes were announced: ACPO has supervised the creation of one of the world's largest per-capita DNA databases, containing the DNA profiles of more than one million unconvicted people. ACPO's guidelines that these profiles should only be deleted in "exceptional circumstances" were found to be unlawful by

1274-646: The delay in passing an Act in Scotland pushed back the final implementation by some time. As a result, a manifesto promise from the 1997 election was finally fulfilled just in time for the 2005 election . In 2007, the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill was introduced as a private members bill in the House of the Commons by the Conservative MP David Maclean . The bill proposed to exempt MPs and Peers from

1323-417: The elimination of 'unnecessary secrecy.' The 1974 Labour manifesto promised a future FOI Act and the repeal of the 1911 Official Secrets Act. In 1977, a draft "Freedom of Information and Privacy Bill" was circulated; this was shorter and simpler than the later Acts, and also included privacy legislation. Later versions were occasionally suggested by opposition parties, and it became a manifesto commitment for

1372-407: The environment. To meet the first of the two requirements of freedom of information in the UK, outlining regular publication of information by public authorities, the law calls for organizations to develop publication schemes. These publication schedules determine when and where information is made available to the public, without anyone specifically needing to make requests. This process falls under

1421-403: The information from the public authority they are requesting from, by written notice in a set amount of time. Because of the large number of information requests submitted, organizations will publish the answered information on the internet – in a disclosure log. This process saves time for both public offices and FOI requesters. If the information has been requested previously there is no need for

1470-556: The police service. ACPO failed to convince its sponsors to contribute to its survival and in May 2011 the BBC reported that ACPO would run out of money in February 2012 without extra funding. ACPO was half-funded by the Home Office and half by 44 police authorities . A third of police authorities refused to pay in 2010 and another third were undecided. The Association of Police Authorities said

1519-536: The principle of proactive disclosure . One such example of a publication scheme is the one shared by the National Archives (United Kingdom) . On their website, they give information on topics like their funding and spending as well as their organizational strategic planning. As a publicly funded institution, these information disclosures allow taxpayers to be better informed on the actions of their national archive. The second part of freedom of information policy in

National Drugs Intelligence Unit - Misplaced Pages Continue

1568-419: The process to be carried out a second time. Once information is shared with the public via FOI policy, it becomes available to anyone at any time. Despite freedom of information being based on an established right to know, there are limitations to FOI access. Freedom of information in the UK can be restricted for two reasons: Also, freedom of information only covers things that exist in recorded form. If it

1617-513: The provisions of the 2000 Act, but whilst it successfully completed its passage in the Commons, it failed to progress through the House of Lords after failing to find a sponsor. In 2010, the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 was established. This reform act was focused part of a broader set of reforms aimed at modernizing the UK's constitutional framework. The Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, often referred to as

1666-415: The public and public authorities. Because of this, FOI policy in the UK favors access rather than restriction of information. To support access, no one has to give a reason why they want the information they are requesting. And, all requests are meant to be responded to equally. Journalists, students, and voters should be responded to with the same level of information. Freedom of information legislation in

1715-502: The public by virtue of its limited company status. In October 2009, Sir Hugh Orde stated that ACPO would be "more than happy" to be subject to the Freedom of Information Act . On 30 March 2010, the Ministry of Justice announced that ACPO would be included under the FOI Act from October 2011. In its response, the organisation stated that "Although organisations cannot voluntarily comply with

1764-532: The settlement which emerged from the Royal Commission on the work of the Police in 1962. ACPO continued to provide a forum for chief officers across 44 local police forces and 13 national areas across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and provided local forces with agreed national policies and guidelines. Originally more of a gentleman's club, it soon evolved into an effective body for representing senior ranks in

1813-400: The status of ACPO, including charitable status, but all were discounted. Chief constables and commissioners are responsible for the direction and control of policing in their force areas. Although a national body and recognized by the government for consultation, ACPO had no powers of its own, nor any mandate to instruct chief officers. However, the organisation allowed chief officers to form

1862-468: The types of public bodies covered in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are also covered in Scotland - and the requirements are similar, though the Scottish Act has slightly stronger phrasing in favour of disclosing information. The 2000 Act does not extend to public bodies in the overseas territories or crown dependencies . Some of these have contemplated implementing their own legislation, though none

1911-515: The withdrawal of funding by police authorities was "partly due to a squeeze on their income". ACPO was due to wind up formally in April 2015. Over time, demands for coordination across the police service increased as society changed, for example to take account of new developments in international terrorism and organised crime, or roles such as monitoring offenders on release from prison or working with young people to divert them from crime. In 1997, ACPO

1960-498: The work they perform under the NHS (where it does not reveal personal data). Information made public under FOI rules include written documents (letters, emails, computer files) or recordings (photos, videos, phone calls). Requests for information can be made by anyone, whether or not they are citizens of, or live in, the UK. Freedom of information is philosophically based on the idea that more openness leads to more trust between members of

2009-519: Was Sir Hugh Orde , who was previously the chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland . ACPO was funded by Home Office grants, profits from commercial activities and contributions from the 44 police authorities in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Following the Parker Review into ACPO, it was replaced in 2015 by a new body, the National Police Chiefs' Council , set up under

National Drugs Intelligence Unit - Misplaced Pages Continue

2058-788: Was a not-for-profit private limited company that for many years led the development of policing practices in England , Wales , and Northern Ireland . Established in 1948, ACPO provided a forum for chief police officers to share ideas and coordinate their strategic operational responses, and advised government in matters such as terrorist attacks and civil emergencies. ACPO coordinated national police operations, major investigations, cross-border policing, and joint law enforcement. ACPO designated Senior Investigative Officers for major investigations and appointed officers to head ACPO units specialising in various areas of policing and crime reduction. The last ACPO president, from April 2009 until its dissolution,

2107-491: Was an ACPO body which monitored religious, racial, or other tensions within communities, and provided liaison between police forces and community organisations. The National Counter Terrorism Security Office was funded by, and reported to, ACPO and advised the British government on its counter terrorism strategy. ACPO was responsible for coordinating the national mobilisation of police resources at times of national need through

2156-521: Was composed of the chief police officers of the 44 police forces in England and Wales and Northern Ireland , the deputy chief constable and assistant chief constable of 42 of those forces and the deputy commissioner , assistant commissioner , deputy assistant commissioner and commanders of the remaining two – the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police . Certain senior non-police staff and senior members of national police agencies and certain other specialised and non-geographical forces in

2205-826: Was created without consulting parliament. During 1985 a National coordinator was appointed by the Home office, this person was subsequently involved in the transition from the Central Drugs Intelligence Unite to the NDIU. The NDIU became the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) in 1992. The NCIS was created in April 1992 to deal with organized crime, at that time from concerns particularly about drug trafficking . Association of Chief Police Officers The Association of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales and Northern Ireland ( ACPO )

2254-401: Was criticised in February 2010 for allegedly spending £1.6   million per year from government anti-terrorist funding grants on renting up to 80 apartments in the centre of London which were reported as being empty most of the time. The organisation responded that it had reviewed this policy and would reduce the number of apartments. As a result of The Guardian articles with regards to

2303-602: Was incorporated as a private company limited by guarantee . As a private company, ACPO was not subject to freedom of information legislation . It was not a staff association; the staff association for senior police officers was a separate body, the Chief Police Officers Staff Association (CPOSA). The change in structure from a "band of volunteers" to a limited company allowed the organisation to employ staff, enter into contracts for accommodation and publish accounts. A number of options were considered for

2352-466: Was not that of any police force in the country but "closely resembled" the uniform worn by former Metropolitan Police commissioner , Paul Stephenson . Sam Leith , an author, journalist and literary editor of The Spectator , mocked Orde's decision "to wear this Gadaffi-style pretend uniform on television", and suggested it was "a subliminal pitch for the Met Commissioner's job." Brian Paddick ,

2401-512: Was set up in 2006 in response to a perceived gap in the police service's ability to manage criminal records and in particular to improve links to biometric data. The initial aim of ACRO was to provide operational support relating to criminal records and associated biometric data, including DNA and fingerprint recognition . It also issues police certificates, for a fee, needed to obtain immigration visas for countries including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cayman Islands, New Zealand, South Africa and

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