Got an FOI response almost three years late... a short thread

Back in December 2017, when I was a reporter for the Gloucestershire Echo, I went to a knife crime event where a police officer gave a talk mentioning he'd been running undercover stings on local shops - sending in underage teens to see whether the store would sell them knives.
That's an interesting story, I thought. So I asked the @Glos_Police press office for some details about the operation, and the shops which had fallen foul of it. They said they'd rather not give those details.
So I put in an FOI on December 5, 2017, hoping for a response within the 20 working day limit.

I got one on November 20, 2020, having forgotten all about it
It refuses to confirm or deny whether the info is held: "Whilst there is a public interest in providing reassurance that the Police Service are appropriately and effectively holding information of this nature, there is a stronger public interest in safeguarding national security"
I'm not criticising the decision per se (although if I happened to be reporting in court when a case related to the op came up, I'd know all about it anyway). But a three-year wait to hear it isn't good enough
I decided to have a look through the police force's What Do They Know page. It's littered with long overdue FOIs, some from the even more distant past. That's not acceptable https://t.co/bleH07YqEy
Gloucestershire Constabulary has long-running issues with transparency. When staff responsible for maintaining its vehicles sold tyres online for personal gain, the force didn't publish the investigation due to "no one getting around to it" https://t.co/2PnZhxKKUZ
. @LeighBoobyer revealed this last year, but only after a gargantuan effort. As he said at the time: "It took months to get the information as the Constabulary’s FOI team failed to provide responses on-time and, eventually, I took matters to the Information Commissioner’s Office"
Shortly after Leigh's scoop, the force erased eight years of misconduct outcomes from its website https://t.co/xHiSVHfe26
Do better, @Glos_Police - transparency is important
@WhatDoTheyKnow

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The chorus of this song uses the shlokas taken from Sundarkand of Ramayana.

It is a series of Sanskrit shlokas recited by Jambavant to Hanuman to remind Him of his true potential.

1. धीवर प्रसार शौर्य भरा: The brave persevering one, your bravery is taking you forward.


2. उतसारा स्थिरा घम्भीरा: The one who is leaping higher and higher, who is firm and stable and seriously determined.

3. ुग्रामा असामा शौर्या भावा: He is strong, and without an equal in the ability/mentality to fight

4. रौद्रमा नवा भीतिर्मा: His anger will cause new fears in his foes.

5.विजिटरीपुरु धीरधारा, कलोथरा शिखरा कठोरा: This is a complex expression seen only in Indic language poetry. The poet is stating that Shivudu is experiencing the intensity of climbing a tough peak, and likening

it to the feeling in a hard battle, when you see your enemy defeated, and blood flowing like a rivulet. This is classical Veera rasa.

6.कुलकु थारथिलीथा गम्भीरा, जाया विराट वीरा: His rough body itself is like a sharp weapon (because he is determined to win). Hail this complete

hero of the world.

7.विलयगागनथाला भिकारा, गरज्जद्धरा गारा: The hero is destructive in the air/sky as well (because he can leap at an enemy from a great height). He can defeat the enemy (simply) with his fearsome roar of war.