F.O.I. REQUESTS // MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS

We all know the extreme difficulty in proving a negative such difficulty making an F.O.I. request on the confiscation of weapons and other items seized at Chester Crown and Magistrates` Courts inconclusive.  What sort of people attending  court consider it appropriate to have a knife on their person?  There is no information to suggest that having those weapons constituted the bases of criminal charges being levelled against those involved although it is illegal to carry a knife in public without good reason  unless it’s a knife with a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less, eg a Swiss Army knife. 

As far as cameras confiscated; there is no mention whether the confiscation was for the owners` times in court or permanent deprivation although I tend to think the former rule applied.  With U.K. smart phone possession estimated at 40 million it is highly likely there is considerable surreptitious filming of proceedings going on. All phones should be deposited against a ticket receipt at the entrance to all courts until the time comes when local entrepreneurs are given permission to televise the proceedings to local audiences. Statistics such as these offer as many if not more questions than answers. Perhaps that`s why Grayling wishes to limit F.O.I. requests proving his attitude to the concept of justice and freedom of the individual is as warped now as it has been in the past.