Chief Constable Merseyside Police
- Date 15 April 2026
- Sector Police and criminal justice
- Decision(s) FOI 12(1): Not upheld, FOI 16: Partly upheld
The complainant has requested information in respect of the accessing of private CCTV footage by Merseyside Police (“the public authority”).
The public authority relied on section 12(1) (cost limit) of FOIA to refuse the request.
The Commissioner’s decision is that the public authority was entitled to rely on section 12(1) of FOIA to refuse to comply with the request.
The Commissioner also finds that the public authority did not fully comply with its obligations under section 16 of FOIA to offer advice and assistance. The Commissioner requires the public authority to take the following steps to ensure compliance with the legislation.
• Provide the complainant with advice and assistance on how the request might be refined, so that it may not engage section 12(1) of FOIA.
The public authority must take these steps within 30 calendar days of the date of this decision notice. Failure to comply may result in the Commissioner making written certification of this fact to the High Court pursuant to section 54 of the Act and may be dealt with as a contempt of court.