Freedom of Information Act

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) provides any person, anywhere in the world the right to access information held by public authorities, subject to a number of exemptions.

All police forces are separate public authorities subject to this Act. The FOIA places statutory obligations on public authorities and guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is available to help forces meet those responsibilities. The FOIA interfaces with Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA).

Police forces and police and crime commissioners (PCCs) are public authorities under FOIA. 

The FOIA confers two obligations on public authorities:

• The duty to confirm or deny whether the information requested is held
  
• The duty to communicate the information
  

There are two main ways of releasing information:

1. Disclosure in response to a valid request (subject to exemptions where applicable)
   
2. Creating and maintaining a publication scheme.

See full details here