Request ID: FOI-2684-2324 Date published: 21 November 2023
You asked
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
I would like to know:
• Whether Transport for London operates any a) Hikvision equipment and b) Hikvision CCTV cameras on its property
• How many CCTV cameras manufactured by Hikvision are operated on TfL property
• If the TfL is in the process of stripping Hikvision cameras out of TfL property
• How much the TfL has spent on a) Hikvision equipment and b) Hikvision CCTV cameras, for every financial year from 2012/13 to 2022/23
I would also like to know:
• Whether the TfL operates any a) Dahua equipment and b) Dahua CCTV cameras on its property
• How many CCTV cameras manufactured by TfL are operated on TfL property
• If TfL is in the process of stripping Dahua cameras out of TfL property
• How much the TfL has spent on a) Dahua equipment and b) Dahua CCTV cameras, for every financial year from 2012/13 to 2022/23
If anything is unclear in my request, or if the information exceeds the cost of compliance limits, please provide guidance on how I can clarify this under your S.16 obligations as soon as possible.
I’d be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this.
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-2684-2324 Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 27th October 2023 asking for information about CCTV cameras and other equipment used by TfL. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. Specifically you asked: “I would like to know:
Whether Transport for London operates any a) Hikvision equipment and b) Hikvision CCTV cameras on its property
How many CCTV cameras manufactured by Hikvision are operated on TfL property
If the TfL is in the process of stripping Hikvision cameras out of TfL property
How much the TfL has spent on a) Hikvision equipment and b) Hikvision CCTV cameras, for every financial year from 2012/13 to 2022/23
I would also like to know:
Whether the TfL operates any a) Dahua equipment and b) Dahua CCTV cameras on its property
How many CCTV cameras manufactured by TfL are operated on TfL property
If TfL is in the process of stripping Dahua cameras out of TfL property
How much the TfL has spent on a) Dahua equipment and b) Dahua CCTV cameras, for every financial year from 2012/13 to 2022/23”.
I can confirm that we hold the information you require. However, I am afraid it is not possible to source this information within the costs limit for responding to FOI cases, as set out under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act. Under section 12, TfL is not obliged to provide information if it would cost more than £450 to determine if that information is held, and to then locate, retrieve or extract it from elsewhere. This is calculated at a rate of £25 per hour, equivalent to 18 hours work. In this instance the exemption applies because the information has not been collated before, and because there is no single source for it nor any quick, simple or efficient way of finding it. Your questions span a 10 year period, and the word “equipment” covers a very broad range of potential assets. Given the size of TfL and the range of services we are responsible for (including, but not limited to, the London Underground, London Overground, Elizabeth Line, Docklands Light Railway, Trams, buses, river services, Dial-A-Ride, cycle hire, the Thames cable car, as well as all of the administrative functions to facilitate these) there is no simple way of identifying the manufacturers of all “equipment” we might have purchased from these manufacturers, nor how much was spent on it. The wording of your request also captures any obsolete equipment no longer in use, making the task of identifying what exact information we hold more complicated still. While it is difficult to estimate exactly how long it would take us to source all of the information that would fall within the scope of your request, we are satisfied it would be well in excess if the 18 hour limit. In order to bring your request within the costs limit, you may wish to narrow its scope, focussing on the information that is of most importance to you. Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal. Yours sincerely, David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
