Saturday, March 19, 2005
Lonely hearts
I have commented before about the way that people use the Freedom of Information Act but this must be unique.
When the Freedom of Information Act came into effect on January 1 it led to a stream of serious requests, from demands for the attorney general's advice on the war to the official papers on Black Wednesday. But what no one had counted on was Angela Wright.
She saw the act as a potential way of advancing her private passion: eligible bachelors in uniform. She knew the act well and preserved her anonymity by applying (as allowed by law) under a pseudonym.
First stop: her local constabulary. She emailed Hampshire police headquarters in Winchester, making her request for information under the name "ilikemeninuniform".
Appropriately sourced at hotmail.co.uk, she asked to be told of "eligible bachelors within Hampshire constabulary between the ages of 35 and 49 and details of their email addresses, salary details and pension values".
You have to give her credit for trying.
When the Freedom of Information Act came into effect on January 1 it led to a stream of serious requests, from demands for the attorney general's advice on the war to the official papers on Black Wednesday. But what no one had counted on was Angela Wright.
She saw the act as a potential way of advancing her private passion: eligible bachelors in uniform. She knew the act well and preserved her anonymity by applying (as allowed by law) under a pseudonym.
First stop: her local constabulary. She emailed Hampshire police headquarters in Winchester, making her request for information under the name "ilikemeninuniform".
Appropriately sourced at hotmail.co.uk, she asked to be told of "eligible bachelors within Hampshire constabulary between the ages of 35 and 49 and details of their email addresses, salary details and pension values".
You have to give her credit for trying.
