04/2024, a request was made to the MPS for information about the repatriation process.
“I ask to be provided information held about the/your:
- agreement for the sharing of
a. the UK’s PNC LoS (VRM) records with other countries
b. other countries sharing information with the UK - policy/procedure when notified a vehicle stolen in the UK has been recovered abroad
- policy/procedure to be adopted by the country recovering/possessing the vehicle. Should this not be a general (all encompassing, all country but individual to each) policy, I ask to be provided the arrangement insofar as it pertains to Lithuania.
- any UK Interpol office contact, phone number and email for liaison about LoS vehicles located abroad”
The response received 21/11/2024 was as follows:
MPS ref: 01/FOI/24/039715/V
It has been difficult to locate detailed information in this instance, because your request essentially covers a national process for a relatively niche area, which is not specific to the MPS policing district. For these reasons it has been difficult to identify any one policy that covers the specific circumstances outlined in your request, or any one department or individual within the organisation who has expertise in the subject matter of vehicles stolen in the UK that are recovered abroad.
With this in mind, it is important to note that the sharing agreements that were disclosed in response to Question 1 are national agreements, in which the MPS is just one of 48 other police forces that are party to the agreements.
As the UK now relies upon Interpol’s Stolen Motor Vehicles (SMV) Database to circulate lost or stolen vehicles internationally, the MPS provided you with an overview of the process for submitting an Interpol enquiry in relation to Question 2 of your request.
However, your request covers a national process, and whilst Interpol are not subject to the FOIA, they should be contacted if more detailed information is required, because the MPS does not hold more detailed information. I have included a link to Interpol’s online contact form below.
- Note: the above Interpol form has been utilised. No response was forthcoming.
The MPS continued:
Furthermore, whilst the MPS hold policies on the processes that govern vehicles stolen within London, once a crime takes place or is detected abroad, the relevant country is responsible for the policies and procedures that govern how they undertake their investigation. Therefore in this instance, it is more appropriate for the Lithuanian Police to provide detailed information on the policies that cover stolen UK vehicles that are recovered in Lithuania, and the MPS does not hold further information.
However, I understand that in an effort to assist you, upon receipt of your request, the Lithuanian Police were contacted and that they provided a written response to Question 3 of your request. I note that the MPS went above and beyond what we were legally obligated to do by obtaining information from an external third party in this way. It is therefore important to clarify that this information was provided outside the scope of the FOIA as a gesture of goodwill. This is because the FOIA only provides a right of access to information that is already held in recorded form, at the time the request is received.
However, the Lithuanian police did not contact us and the MPS has provided no such reply; this is the first time such an approach has been heard of, and no written response has been received.
25/11/2024 – request for Lithuanian exchanges made.
27/11/2024 – the MPS respond ‘Freedom of Information Act 2000 Acknowledgement – Reference: 01/FOI/24/041543/S
