STAFFORDSHIRE Police has been criticised for taking too long to respond to information requests.
The force built up a “backlog of aged requests” made under the Freedom of Information Act and had not implemented a plan to resolve the problem, regulators said.
The force is one of four organisations which have been subject to regulatory action by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) due to their “continued failings”.
The ICO, which has seen an increase in complaints about Staffordshire Police, has issued the force with a practice recommendation to support it in improving information rights practices.
Phillip Angell, head of FOI complaints and appeals at the ICO, said:
“People have the legal right to promptly receive information they’re entitled to. This right is important as transparency and accountability are fundamental to our democracy.
“As the regulator of the Freedom of Information Act, we support public authorities to be transparent and accountable about the decisions they make and the public money they spend.
“Where authorities let people down by failure to comply with the law on responding to information requests, we can and will take regulatory action so people’s rights are upheld.”
City of London Police and Dorset Police were also subject to regulatory action, along with Goldsmiths, University of London.
A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police said:
“We recognise the importance of freedom of information requests and our responsiveness in dealing with them.
“The Information Commissioner has issued a practice recommendation to support and enhance our plans to improve our information rights practice.
“We have openly engaged with the Information Commissioner’s Office about the issues we have faced and are working with them to implement proactive measures to resolve the backlog and compliance statistics.”
