TfL Ref: FOI-2654-2425
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 20th November 2024 asking for information about thefts on the TfL network.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
Specifically you asked:
“Good afternoon, could you please provide details of thefts on different modes of TfL transport annually since 2021”.
I can confirm that we hold the information you require.
Some of the requested data is already published online via the links that can be found in this previous FOI response:
FOI request detail - Transport for London (tfl.gov.uk)
In regard to any remaining data, I am afraid that this is exempt from release at the current time under section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act, on the basis that it is intended for future publication via our updated Crime Bulletins. This is in line with the guidance published by the Information Commission here which explains the following:
- Section 22 provides an exemption for information that is intended to be published in the future.
- Information is exempt if, at the time when the public authority receives a request for it:
- the public authority holds the requested information;
- the public authority intends the information to be published at some future date, whether that date is determined or not; and
- in all the circumstances it is reasonable to withhold the information until its planned publication.
The use of this exemption is subject to consideration of the ‘public interest test’ to determine whether the greater public interest rests in the exemption applying and the information being withheld, or in providing it in any case. We appreciate the need for openness and transparency in the running of our business, and the fact that you have requested the information is in itself an argument in favour of immediate release. However, we have to balance this against the need to make the most effective use of our resources, which come at a cost to the public purse. In this case, with the data planned for publication in the future, we believe the greater public interest rests in the exemption applying, and the information being released in context and according to the pre-determined schedule.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
