A police force failed to hand over information... about how much information they have failed to hand over.

Following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request which was delayed by over a month, The Argus submitted a separate inquiry asking how many FOI requests had not been dealt with within the legal deadline.

However, with the deadline of 20 working days looming, Sussex Police once again informed us they would be unable to respond in time.

The force apologised and cited an increased workload for the failure to respond.

On January 17, The Argus submitted an FOI request asking for the number of officers investigated for allegations of domestic abuse or sexual assault in the past ten years.

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, public bodies must either provide the information requested or refuse the inquiry within 20 working days.

However, on February 13, Sussex Police replied that “due to an increase in the volume of work” they would be unable to respond within the legal deadline.

Following a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the information was finally supplied on March 30, more than 50 working days after the initial request.

The request revealed that nearly 100 Sussex Police officers were investigated for allegations of domestic abuse or sexual assault in the past five years.

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Detective Chief Inspector Jon Robeson said: “We will probably see more negative headlines because of the hearings we have to hold but that is a process that we need to go through to root out this misconduct.”

Police said they want to create a “call-it-out culture” where officers feel comfortable challenging the behaviour of their colleagues.

A Sussex Police spokesman apologised for the delays, adding: “In the past year Sussex Police has seen a significant increase in demand, with a 65 per cent increase in the total number of requests received from an average of 85 per month to an average of 140 per month.

“The force works closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office to address concerns over response times and over the challenge of higher demand.

“We continue to respond to all enquiries, providing detailed and accurate information to ensure transparency and public confidence in policing processes.”