HAMPSHIRE police have been rapped over the knuckles for refusing to release information about crimes committed in the county’s bail hostels for three years.

Force chiefs were criticised for failing to co-operate with the Information Commission after a complaint was lodged.

As a result of the force’s handling of the inquiry, the Information Commissioner has said that her office would be monitoring any future contact with the constabulary, and hoped to see an improvement in its approach and attitude.

The criticism came as Assistant Information Commissioner Anne Jones ordered Hampshire police to provide the details originally requested.

The force said that it has now handed over the statistics to the person who applied for them, but added it was disappointed with the criticism as it had been following national guidance in refusing the request.

The request was made in December 2006 for the authority to provide the number and nature of crimes committed at all Home Office approved probation and bail hostels managed by the National Probation Service, which it refused. An appeal was then made to the Information Commission, which launched an inquiry, during the course of which Ms Jones said that she was met with “resistance” from the force.

In the report, Ms Jones said: “The commissioner does not consider the public authority’s approach to this case to be particularly co-operative, or within the spirit of the (Freedom of Information) Act.”

A Hampshire police spokesman said: “While we accept the Information Commissioner’s decision in this case and have released the information, we are disappointed that the commissioner has felt it necessary to make comment that the constabulary did not fully co-operate with the appeals process.”

The spokesman added that a number of other forces also refused to disclose the information based on the advice they were given by the Association of Chief Police Officers.

He said: “This specific request was submitted in 2006 to all forces. In our response, we considered national advice to protect the information on the grounds of law enforcement, health and safety and personal information.

“At no point did we fail to respond or refuse to co-operate. The constabulary was genuinely unable to offer any further evidence to support the case for non-disclosure.”