Chief Constable Commissioner for the Metropolis (Metropolitan Police Service)

The complainant has requested statistics / data from the Metropolitan Police Service (the “MPS”). The MPS advised the complainant that to ascertain whether or not any information was held would exceed the cost limit, citing section 12(2) (Cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit) of FOIA.
The Commissioner’s decision is that the MPS misinterpreted the request, breaching section 1(1)(a) of FOIA. However, during the Commissioner’s investigation, the MPS addressed this point and advised the complainant that the requested information was not held. On the civil standard of the balance of probabilities, the Commissioner accepts that any relevant statistics / data do not already exist. No steps are required.