1. Is there an organisation policy in place or guidance given to officers regarding, the following items. If so, what is it?

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1 Freedom of Information Request Reference No: I note you seek access to the following information: Met Police Fuel 1. Is there an organisation policy in place or guidance given to officers regarding, the following items. If so, what is it? (a) the purchase of fuel for MPS vehicles (b) the use of the run lock facility in police vehicles (c) leaving engines idling, either whilst parked up when on patrol, waiting for calls to come in or whilst in police stations, for example. 2. The MPS has its own fuel storage facilities and provision to dispense fuel to vehicles. What guidance is given to officers regarding the use of MPS facilities vs commercial facilities, e.g. local petrol stations? 3. Please could you provide a list of locations of where MPS fuelling facilities are located. 4. What costs does the MPS have as a result of running and maintaining its own fuelling facilities, beyond the purchase of the fuel? 5. In light of budget cuts and cost saving measures, is the MPS trying to encourage more use of MPS fuelling facilities rather than commercial facilities? (a) If so, how is the MPS doing this and what analysis have you undertaken to inform this? (b) Have you any estimates that indicate how much increased use of MPS fuelling facilities compared with commercial fuelling facilities (i.e. petrol stations) could help you save, in monetary terms? 6. Do you have any exact costings / estimates of: (a) The whole cost (i.e. including maintenance costs, staffing, purchasing, etc) to provide a litre of diesel and petrol to MPS vehicles when obtained at an MPS fuelling site? (b) The cost saved per litre of diesel and petrol to the MPS when obtained at an MPS fuelling site compared to a commercial petrol station? 7. In each of the last 5 financial years (2010/11 to 2015/16), how many litres of fuel (please break down by category of fuel type e.g. petrol, diesel, etc) were purchased by the MPS and what was the annual cost per year for each. If it is possible and easily

2 available, please break this down by BOCU, otherwise total annual figures will suffice: (a) For fuels purchased for distribution by MPS fuelling facilities (do not include running costs of the MPS fuelling facilities costs are for fuel itself only). (b) Fuel purchased at commercial patrol stations. 8. Can you confirm:- (a) When a police car goes into a commercial petrol station, does the MPS pays the price for fuel as advertised at the garage, or does the MPS obtain a discount through its fuel contract on the advertised fuel price? Please note I am not asking for details of your fuel contract which I would expect is commercially sensitive. (b) Does the published fuel price, for normal members of the public, have any impact on the final cost paid by the MPS through its fuel contract, or are the MPS fuel costs completely independent regardless of the advertised cost per litre. 9. Has the MPS undertaken any analysis of the use the run lock in MPS vehicles, for example, when officers are out of vehicles at calls they are attending since 2010? If so, could you please share the findings by providing a copy of the data/report? (a) Has this analysis given any indication of the amount of fuel used whilst run lock has been used? (b) Have any possible cost savings been identified and to what extent if there was a more restricted / better use of runlock? 10. Has the Met undertaken any analysis of the cost wasted on fuel by leaving engines idling. either when in the station, whilst parked up but on patrol since 2010? If so, could you please share the findings by providing a copy of the data/report? DECISION I have today decided to disclose some of the requested information. Some data has been withheld as it is exempt from disclosure and therefore this response serves as a Refusal Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act). REASONS FOR DECISION Before I explain the reasons for my decision I would like to inform you that a Freedom of Information Act request is not a private transaction. Both the request itself, and any information disclosed, are considered suitable for open publication. This is because, under Freedom of Information, any information disclosed is released into the wider public domain, effectively to the world, not just to one individual. In accordance with guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) the MPS have recently created a "disclosure log" which shows both the response and any information disclosed under the Act.

3 The fact that any FOIA disclosure is made publicly available (on our website and elsewhere) is taken into account when the potential harm and/or public interest is considered. Some of the information you have requested is commercially sensitive for example information on the exact number of litres of fuel purchased for used in MPS fuelling facilities and the cost of this fuel would disclose the cost per litre and this information, if published, would clearly impact on our commercial interests as it would hamper effective negotiations. Other information has been withheld as disclosure would be likely to prejudice the prevention of crime and pose a risk to national security. This information relates to the details of fuel stores throughout the MPS area. To clarify some information has been withheld under sections 43 (Commercial Interests) 31 (Law Enforcement) and 24 (National Security). - Section 43(2) Commercial Interests (2) Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it). Section 31(1)(a)&(b) - 31 (Law Enforcement) (1) Information which is not exempt information by virtue of section 30 is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice- (a) the prevention or detection of crime, (b) the apprehension or prosecution of offenders Section 24(1) - 24 (National Security). (1) Information which does not fall within section 23(1) is exempt information if exemption from section 1(1)(b) is required for the purpose of safeguarding national security. DISCLOSURE 1. Is there an organisation policy in place or guidance given to officers regarding, the following items. If so, what is it? (a) the purchase of fuel for MPS vehicles Best practice guidance is issued. Please see the attached document entitled "1(a) - Best Practice Guidance" (b) the use of the 'run lock' facility in police vehicles

4 (c) leaving engines idling, either whilst parked up when on patrol, waiting for calls to come in or whilst in police stations, for example. Guidance is provided in respect of vehicle idling, please see the attached document entitled "1(b)(c) - Vehicle Idling Guidance Document". The guidance covers idling including run lock however the guidance does not impact on operational requirements for the use of run lock or the need to keep an engine idling. Enquiries have found that there is no specific guidance in respect of operational reasons for the use of run lock or engine idling however examples of this are included in the attached guidance and are, for example, the powering of emergency warning equipment or the wellbeing of police dogs. 2. The MPS has its own fuel storage facilities and provision to dispense fuel to vehicles. What guidance is given to officers regarding the use of MPS facilities vs commercial facilities, e.g. local petrol stations? Please refer to the attached Fuel Guidance using agency cards. 3. Please could you provide a list of locations of where MPS fuelling facilities are located. This information has been refused as disclosure would be likely to prejudice the prevention of crime and national security. 4. What costs does the MPS have as a result of running and maintaining its own fuelling facilities, beyond the purchase of the fuel? Total spend to run and maintain the MPS fuel facilities for the 12 months between May 2015 and April 2016 was 94, In light of budget cuts and cost saving measures, is the MPS trying to encourage more use of MPS fuelling facilities rather than commercial facilities? No, the MPS does not encourage the use of MPS fuelling facilities over commercial facilities. The purpose of having fuel facilities is to provide resilience to critical MPS operations during periods of emergency (e.g. a fuel shortage caused by industrial action) which may impinge on the Met's capability to operate its vehicle fleet. As fuel deteriorates and has to be replenished it is used as part of our normal activity. (a) If so, how is the MPS doing this and what analysis have you undertaken to inform this?

5 Not applicable, see above (b) Have you any estimates that indicate how much increased use of MPS fuelling facilities compared with commercial fuelling facilities (i.e. petrol stations) could help you save, in monetary terms? The MPS do not have any estimates in relation to this part of your request. 6. Do you have any exact costings / estimates of: (a) The whole cost (i.e. including maintenance costs, staffing, purchasing, etc) to provide a litre of diesel and petrol to MPS vehicles when obtained at an MPS fuelling site? This information has been refused as it is commercially sensitive. (b) The cost saved per litre of diesel and petrol to the MPS when obtained at an MPS fuelling site compared to a commercial petrol station? This information has been refused as it is commercially sensitive. 7. In each of the last 5 financial years (2010/11 to 2015/16), how many litres of fuel (please break down by category of fuel type - e.g. petrol, diesel, etc) were purchased by the MPS and what was the annual cost per year for each. If it is possible and easily available, please break this down by BOCU, otherwise total annual figures will suffice:- (a) For fuels purchased for distribution by MPS fuelling facilities (do not include running costs of the MPS fuelling facilities - costs are for fuel itself only). This information has been refused as it is commercially sensitive. (b) Fuel purchased at commercial patrol stations. Please find below the number of litres purchased with regards to petrol and fuel. We will not disclose the cost per year for each of these purchases as this is considered commercially sensitive. Petrol (ltrs) Diesel (ltrs) 2010/11 3,028,218 7,103, /12 2,474,201 6,923,774

6 2012/13 2,135,515 8,297, /14 1,779,029 8,304, /15 1,586,357 7,912, /16 1,414,152 7,814, Can you confirm:- (a) When a police car goes into a commercial petrol station, does the MPS pays the price for fuel as advertised at the garage, or does the MPS obtain a discount through its fuel contract on the advertised fuel price? Please note I am not asking for details of your fuel contract which I would expect is commercially sensitive. The MPS pays the advertised rate and receive a rebate for each pound spent. (b) Does the published fuel price, for normal members of the public, have any impact on the final cost paid by the MPS through its fuel contract, or are the MPS fuel costs completely independent regardless of the advertised cost per litre. Yes, please see the above. 9. Has the MPS undertaken any analysis of the use the 'run lock' in MPS vehicles, for example, when officers are out of vehicles at calls they are attending since 2010? If so, could you please share the findings by providing a copy of the data/report? The MPS has not undertaken any such analysis (a) Has this analysis given any indication of the amount of fuel used whilst run lock has been used? Not applicable, the MPS has not undertaken and such analysis (b) Have any possible cost savings been identified - and to what extent - if there was a more restricted / better use of runlock? Not applicable, the MPS has not undertaken any such analysis 10. Has the Met undertaken any analysis of the cost wasted on fuel by leaving engines idling. either when in the station, whilst parked up but on patrol since 2010?

7 The MPS has not undertaken any such analysis If so, could you please share the findings by providing a copy of the data/report? Not applicable I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in the Metropolitan Police Service. Information Rights Unit

8 Best Practise when purchasing fuel and user s responsibilities: Every purchase directly impacts on local budgets so the cheaper the pump prices the greater the savings the MPS can achieve. Best practise is for Users to ensure they take every opportunity to purchase fuel using the cheapest agency outlet taking into account their time, distance travelled and cost of fuel at the pumps. Supermarket outlets currently offer best value for money and should be used where possible. Agency outlet locations can be checked online Fuel cards should only be used for purchasing Diesel and Unleaded fuel. There are currently no requirements to use Super or Premium fuels for any MPS vehicle.

9 Idling Engines Position Statement The MPS recognises that unattended vehicles should not be left with engines running unless it is necessary for operational or practical reasons, e.g. Keeping dog vans cool in hot weather and for the health and safety of officers in certain instances such attending road traffic accidents. The MPS understands that there are technical reasons for officers leaving cars running which relate to the battery life of in car computers. Although the computers continue to operate without the engine running, the length of time is dependent on the capacity of the electrical system. For that reason, officers often elect to leave the engine running to ensure the system will not shut down between periods of use. Policy and training has been developed to educate users that leaving vehicles running is not acceptable for vehicles without operational / practical requirements. Better working practices, supervision and improved technology will support this which will in turn enable the MPS to reduce the environmental impacts associated with vehicle emissions in line with the Mayor of London s Air Quality Strategy. The roll out of In Vehicle Mobile Devices (IVMD) is due in 2017, this new in car computer technology is self-powered with a longer battery life and better connectivity which will support a reduction in fuel usage.