Reference: 26011
Date Added: Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Category:
Disclosure Details
Two duties are placed on public authorities under Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). Notwithstanding applicable exemptions, the first duty at, Section 1(1) (a), is to confirm or deny whether the information specified in a request is held. The second duty at, Section1 (1) (b), is to disclose information that has been confirmed as being held. Under the provisions of those sections of the FOIA, we can confirm that the information you seek is not held by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent.
You requested the following information:
- COMPLAINT VOLUMES & TIMELINES
- a) The total number of criminal complaints or recorded reports alleging spyware or hacking linked to state actors from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- b) A breakdown of these complaints by the calendar year in which they were formally filed.
No information held
- PROFILE AGGREGATES (WITHOUT PERSONAL DATA)
- a) The total number of complainants categorized broadly by their professional role at the time of filing (e.g., Journalist, Human Rights Defender, Legal Professional, Political Dissident, Public Official).
No information held
- HANDLING AND INVESTIGATIVE UNITS
- a) The name or title of the specific operational command, division, or specialized unit within your authority tasked with handling or leading these investigations (e.g., Counter Terrorism Command (SO15), Cyber Crime Unit).
- b) The standard rank or designation of the Officer in Charge (OIC) typically assigned to lead inquiries of this nature (e.g., Detective Inspector, Detective Sergeant), without disclosing individual names.
No information held
- INVESTIGATIVE MEANS & EVIDENCE METRICS
- a) The number of cases where digital forensic evidence or reports generated by external independent organizations (such as Citizen Lab or Amnesty International) were formally submitted by complainants.
- b) A statistical breakdown of the investigative outcomes for these complaints (e.g., Number of cases currently active, number closed with No Further Action, number referred to the Crown Prosecution Service).
No information held
I wanted to clarify the differences between the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) and Gwent Police and to explain who you need to contact when requesting information. The OPCC and Gwent Police are two separate organisations. The role of the OPCC is to hold the police to account, we are not able to get involved in operational policing matters. Therefore, you may wish to contact Gwent Police directly to request the information using the following link
https://www.gwent.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us-beta/contact-us/submit-request-for-information/
The Freedom of Information Act is a public disclosure regime, not a private regime. Any information disclosed under the Act is thereafter deemed to be in the public domain, and therefore freely available to the general public and will be published on the OPCC website.
You have the right to appeal our decision if you think it is incorrect. Should you feel dissatisfied with this response or the way in which your request was handled, information on the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent FOI Appeals Procedure can be found on our website:
If you remain dissatisfied after an internal review decision, you have the right to apply to the Information Commissioner’s Office. The Commissioner is an independent regulator whose details can be found using the following link https://ico.org.uk/
You can also write to the Information Commissioner’s Office at the following address:
Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF