Got an FOI response almost three years late... a short thread

Back in December 2017, when I was a reporter for the Gloucestershire Echo, I went to a knife crime event where a police officer gave a talk mentioning he'd been running undercover stings on local shops - sending in underage teens to see whether the store would sell them knives.

That's an interesting story, I thought. So I asked the @Glos_Police press office for some details about the operation, and the shops which had fallen foul of it. They said they'd rather not give those details.

So I put in an FOI on December 5, 2017, hoping for a response within the 20 working day limit.

I got one on November 20, 2020, having forgotten all about it

It refuses to confirm or deny whether the info is held: "Whilst there is a public interest in providing reassurance that the Police Service are appropriately and effectively holding information of this nature, there is a stronger public interest in safeguarding national security"