Appeals Process

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Freedom of Information Procedure has been designed to give you an understanding of our process should you feel dissatisfied with our response to a request you have submitted under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

What can I appeal about?

You can appeal about anything which you feel has not been carried out in a satisfactory manner.  This can be, for example, the amount of information supplied, or the way exemptions were applied.  You can also appeal about the way a request was handled, for example, the time it took to respond, or how much help you were given to identify the information you required.

How do I appeal?

All appeals must be in writing.  To deal with your appeal as quickly as possible, it will help if you can give the reason why you are appealing, providing us with as much information as you can about your original request.  This will help us to find our original records on the request as quickly as possible. 

Requests for an internal review to take place must be received within 40 working days from the date the initial response was issued or they will not be considered.

Appeals should be sent to:

Email: Commissioner@gwent.pnn.police.uk

Post: Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent         Police Headquarters
         Turnpike Road
         Croesyceiliog
         Cwmbran
         NP44 2XJ

What happens to my appeal?

Once we have enough details to identify the request you are concerned about, we will begin a review.  We will look at every part of the request-handling process as well as the decisions taken with regard to disclosure.  We may need to get in touch with you during the review if clarification is required in some areas. 

Once a review has been received it will be acknowledged within 7 days and the appellant will be given an estimated time-scale for the completion of the review. This will be based on the complexity of the case, all responses will aim to be provided within 20 working days of receipt of the request although in a small number of circumstance there may be a need for an extension to this response period.

If it is likely that the original estimated time will be overrun, the appellant will be informed by the Governance Officer of the delay and given a revised time-scale.

If the appeal outcome finds that information should have been provided we will supply it as soon as possible.  If we believe after review that our original response was correct, we will let you know of this outcome.

What if i'm still not happy?

If you are still not satisfied with the response you have received after completing the internal appeals process then you have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office.  They can be contacted in the following ways:

Phone:0303 123 1113

Email:casework@ico.org.uk

Post:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF