Northamptonshire Police
- Date 30 September 2015
- Sector Police and criminal justice
- Decision(s) FOI 23: Not upheld
The complainant requested information relating to correspondence and / or meetings between police staff and outside bodies regarding the former MP Cyril Smith. Northamptonshire Police neither confirmed nor denied holding relevant information, citing the exemptions in sections 23(5) (information supplied by or relating to security bodies), 30(3) (investigations and proceedings), 31(3) (law enforcement) and 40(5) (personal information) of FOIA. The Commissioner’s decision is that Northamptonshire Police was entitled to rely on the exemption at section 23(5) and so was not obliged to confirm or deny whether the requested information was held. The Commissioner does not require the public authority to take any steps.