FOI Friday: Shoplifted goods, secret council reports, GP police call outs and NHS money in private hospitals

What gets stolen by shoplifters? < Sheffield Star Shoplifting is having a ‘devastating impact’ on Sheffield businesses – with daily thefts ranging in value from just 10p to £15,000. As police today released a rogues gallery of 16 wanted shoplifters, The Star can reveal 11 thefts a day are reported from city shops. The toll

FOI Friday: Illegal immigrants, councils using dating sites, suspended staff and the long cost of PFI

How many miles of roadworks in your area? < < < In Cumbria MOTORISTS in Cumbria face around 600 miles of roadworks every year. Figures obtained in a Freedom of Information response showed that, at the end of January, there were 217 miles of roadworks to be completed by the end of this month. The

FOI Friday: Prisoner complaints, pensions invested in cluster bombs and crime on rich streets

1. The complaints made by prisoners < < < Manchester Evening News Inmates at Strangeways have bombarded jail bosses with thousands of often trivial official complaints in the last 12 months – including grumbles about heating, outstanding DVD orders and the quality of the food. Records of formal inmate grievances at HMP Manchester have shown how

FOI Friday: 10 things we’ve learnt this week thanks to the Freedom of Information Act

1. Anti-social behaviour in the library There was a time when it was the contents of some books which caused most offence in libraries. Apparently that’s not the case now in Lincolnshire, when indecent exposure, public urination 2. Dog attacks The Southport Visiter reports on the number of dog attacks in Southport – based on