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We have seen recently a request for six detailed tables of statistics to be completed within a time limit of 3 working days, yet the Force's submission has been with your Secretariat for over 3 months without any queries having been raised.
I also note that in the past statistics not normally maintained by the Force have been requested. You must appreciate that to obtain statistics from scratch on an organisation with a strength in excess of 26,000 is no mean feat, and not something that can be done at short notice. I would therefore ask you to seriously consider whether such statistics are essential before requesting them. Considerable time, and manpower, has to be set aside to obtain such statistics, commodities the Force can ill afford at this time.
It would be most helpful if your staff were to discuss your information needs with staff officers in this Headquarters in advance in order that possible areas of difficulty may be ironed out, rather than simply forwarding lists of questions and tables requiring completion. This would
obviate many basic problems that have arisen
in the past such as, for example, requiring statistics on a financial year basis when they are maintained
by the Force by calendar year. My officers can
also provide professional advice which would
ensure that the information elicited is meaningful.
I am sure that in many instances a lot of time
has been wasted, due perhaps to a possible lack
of knowledge of the subject matter, because questions
or charts are not being correctly framed or constructed.
I would assure you that my staff are fully prepared
to assist in providing supplementary information and will be only too pleased to discuss how best to provide the information you need.
Yours sincerely,
Geog
(G. Hindhaugh )
for Commissioner of Police