NPCC FOI 3156/2026: no information held

- records concerning the use or proposed use of specialist, armed, military or security personnel; 
- and records concerning liaison with other public authorities or private organisations. 
 
B. BP Properties Ltd v Buckler 
 

 
 
 
Any recorded information held concerning BP Properties Ltd v Buckler [1987] EWCA Civ 2, insofar as the 
case, the parties, Great House Farm, or the resulting possession/enforcement operation was considered by 
NPCC, NaCTSO, ACPO or any predecessor/successor national policing structure. 
 
I am particularly interested in any recorded material connecting the judgment with the subsequent 1988 
operation. 
 
C. Police and security involvement 
 
Any recorded information identifying, or describing the involvement of: 
 
- South Wales Constabulary; 
- South Wales Police; 
- ACPO or any ACPO committee, working group or national policing function; 
- specialist police units; 
- military personnel or military units; 
- private security companies, bailiffs or enforcement agents; 
- or any other police, security or government body 
 
in planning, intelligence, security, support or execution of the 1988 operation. 
 
I am not asking the NPCC to confirm that any particular allegation is true. I am asking whether records 
concerning these matters exist and, where not exempt, to communicate them. 
 
D. Predecessor and successor records 
 
I recognise that the NPCC did not exist in 1988. 
 
The relevant national predecessor organisation was the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), which 
existed from 1948 until 2015. 
 
I therefore request any recorded information held by the NPCC concerning: 
 
1. records inherited, transferred or otherwise acquired from ACPO which refer to the matters above; 
 
2. any ACPO committee, working group, national policing portfolio or other predecessor body which dealt 
with the relevant matter; 
 
3. any later NPCC or NaCTSO record which refers to, indexes, summarises, preserves, archives or otherwise 
records the existence of earlier material concerning the 1988 operation. 
 
I am not suggesting that NPCC or NaCTSO themselves conducted the 1988 operation. 
 
The purpose of this part of the request is to establish the chain of custody and present location of any 
surviving national policing records. 

 
 
 
 
E. Searches and record location 
 
If you conclude that no substantive records are held, please confirm whether the appropriate NPCC 
functions and repositories were searched, including the Counter Terrorism Coordination Committee and any 
relevant historical/predecessor record holdings. 
 
Please also confirm, where possible, whether relevant records were: 
 
- transferred to another police force; 
- deposited with a local or national archive; 
- transferred from ACPO to another body; 
- destroyed under a retention/disposal schedule; 
- or otherwise ceased to be held by NPCC. 
 
I am not asking you to create new information or conduct an investigation. I am asking for information that 
is already recorded, including records showing the transfer, retention or disposal of relevant records. 
 
The ICO's records-management guidance recognises the importance of records showing where information 
was transferred, archived or destroyed, including the applicable disposal arrangements. 
 
F. Correct authority / section 16 assistance 
 
If the NPCC does not hold the requested information, please say so expressly. 
 
However, pursuant to the section 16 duty to provide reasonable advice and assistance, please identify the 
public authority or archival body which you consider most likely to hold the relevant records. 
 
This is particularly important because the historical force structure is identifiable: the police force operating 
in the relevant area in 1988 was South Wales Constabulary, and South Wales Police's own Heritage Centre 
states that Glamorgan Archives holds records of South Wales Police and its predecessor forces. 
 
If you consider that another public authority holds the information, please tell me which authority and, 
where practicable, provide the relevant contact point or record repository. 
 
NPCC Response: 
 
The NPCC does not hold information captured by your request. 
 
Normal Standard of proof to apply in determining whether a public authority does hold any requested information 
is the civil standard of the balance of probabilities. In deciding where the balance lies, the Information 
Commissioner considers the scope, quality, thoroughness and results of the searches carried out by the public 
authority as well as considering where appropriate, any other reasons offered by the public authority to explain 
why the information is not held.  
 

 
 
 
The NPCC has undertaken searches across the business areas and repositories considered most likely to hold 
information within scope, including relevant NPCC functions, CTCC holdings, NPCC shared drives, and ACPO 
archive listings available to the NPCC. No information within scope has been identified. 
 
Searches of ACPO archive listings and catalogues available to the NPCC identified no references to Great House 
Farm, Llandough, BP Properties Ltd v Buckler, or the 1988 operation described in your request. 
 
The NPCC does not hold any information concerning the transfer, archiving, retention, disposal or current location 
of records relating to the matters specified in your request. 
 
The NPCC was established in 2015 and does not have direct access to the holdings of external archives, police 
force archives or heritage repositories. Consequently, the NPCC is unable to identify a specific alternative holder 
of the requested information based on information it holds. 
 
I have undertaken all the necessary checks in establishing whether information is held which is captured by your 
request and any necessary steps regarding retrieval of such information.  
 
Searches have been conducted with the NPCC portfolio(s) that relates to the subject matter, and I am satisfied 
that the search conducted to locate the information that you have requested has been robust.  
 
There is no information held within the NPCC, and I therefore conclude that the information that you seek is not 
held by the NPCC. 
 
A consideration for you is to make a request with individual police forces. 
 
Unfortunately, I do not hold a public facing list of force FOI contact details, however they will be available here.   
 
You can send a request to multiple forces by way of one email, with each force having a lawful responsibility under 
the Act to respond to you. 
 
Yours sincerely 
Freedom of Information Officer & Decision Maker 
 
www.npcc.police.uk 
 
COMPLAINT RIGHTS 
 
Internal Review 
 
Any request for an internal review will be acknowledged and responded to, based on the specific wording of your 
initial request only. 
 
We ask that any rationale to request an internal review, does not include any requests for new information and 
ask that these be submitted by separate email.  We will acknowledge as a new request and may aggregate to 
your initial request in compliance with the legislation. 

 
 
 
 
If you are dissatisfied with the response you have been provided with in compliance with the Freedom of 
Information legislation, you can lodge a complaint with NPCC to have the decision reviewed within 40 working 
days of the date of this response.  
 
The handling of your request will be looked at by someone independent of the original decision and a fresh 
response provided. 
 
It would be helpful, if requesting a review, for you to articulate in detail the reasons you are not satisfied with this 
reply. 
 
If you would like to request a review, please write or send an email to NPCC Freedom of Information, c/o PO Box 
[address redacted]