The Bermuda Police Service failed to respond to two Public Access to Information requests within the necessary timeframe, according to the Information Commissioner.

Gitanjali Gutierrez began an inquiry into why the requests had not been answered, but decided not to take any further action after police did eventually produce the necessary information.

The first request was for records relating to the alleged deletion of the e-mails of a former commissioner of police.

The second failure related to a request for witness statements on specific residential searches.

A statement from the Information Commissioner’s Office said that Ms Gutierrez “found that the BPS did not issue internal review decisions to the applicants within the six-week timeline set out in the Pati Act”.

The statement added: “However, she did not require the BPS to take any further action because it issued its internal review decisions while the commissioner was conducting her independent review.

“These decisions did not address whether the BPS has properly denied access to the requested records. Rather, they addressed the basic obligation upon the BPS to respond to an internal review request within the statutory time frame.”