Freedom of Information Act Request regarding arrest of autistic 16 year old girl from Leeds 
 
Please could you answer the following questions raised under the auspices of the above Act…. 
 
This news was “horrific” in my eyes in that the police not only accused the 16 year old of a "hate crime” but seven police officers turned up at her family home. I appreciate that the circumstances may have been difficult but even so…. 
 
Do you classify what the girl said as a serious offence? How does it rank alongside a house theft in terms of importance? Is your action not going to extremes, beyond the realms of policing as we know it, especially given the age and condition of the child? Surely this is an overreaction of the greatest magnitude and constitutes a curtailment of free speech? 

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, when an authority is considering whether a request is valid under Section 8(1) a request must be (a) in writing; (b) state the name of the applicant and an address for correspondence, and (c) describe the information requested. 

In this case your request complies with Section 1(a) and (b) as the request is in writing and a name and contact details have been provided, however, the body of the narrative is not valid and does not comply with Section 8(1)(c). Your request is asking for a view on a hypothetical situation which does not consist of recorded information.

What were the operational reasons for sending out so many officers, 7 in total? 

West Yorkshire Police do not hold any recorded information in relation to the above question.

Outside of the Act, Officers are able to ask for assistance if they feel this is required and any available Officers will attend to assist.

What was the cost to the public purse of this exercise bearing in mind the costs of having to deal with the public outcry as a result of this outburst? 

West Yorkshire Police do not hold any recorded information in relation to the above question. We do not record costs of dealing with individual crimes and to determine this will involve the creation of data, which we are not obliged to do under FOI legislation. 

Who was responsible for giving the orders? 
     
West Yorkshire Police do not hold any recorded information in relation to the above question. Please see our response provided to your previous question.