Greater Manchester Police
- Date 20 January 2011
- Sector Police and criminal justice
- Decision(s) FOI 17: Upheld
The complainant requested, from the Greater Manchester Police (GMP), documents compiled by its Special Branch on the BBC in the 1980s. GMP replied, refusing to confirm or deny that it held information relevant to the request, ultimately citing the exemptions in sections 23(5) (information relating to security bodies), section 24(2) (national security) and section 31(3) (law enforcement) of the Act. The Commissioner finds that section 23(5) is engaged: therefore the public authority is not required to provide the complainant with confirmation or denial that the information is held. However, the Commissioner has identified procedural shortcomings on the part of the public authority relating to its refusal notice (section 17).