Secret police The Oxford Mail used an FOI request to discover only about three crimes for every 1,000 reported to police were released to the public.

A four-week study, in 2008, showed police released information or appealed for witnesses 22 times when they were called 6,636 times about crime – 0.3 per cent.

The investigation showed there were reports of 49 robberies, 41 sexual offences, 310 burglaries and 452 violent incidents.

But when the Oxford Mail asked for details, Thames Valley Police refused to give any further information.

Council attacks The dangers of working for Oxford City Council were exposed in a shocking list of attacks on its staff in 2006.

An FOI inquiry revealed staff, from leisure centre managers to dog wardens, have been punched, kicked, beaten with a crutch – and even hit by a car driven by an irate customer.

Inside job In 2006, an FOI request revealed thousands of pounds worth of personal belongings had been stolen from police stations and police vehicles in Oxfordshire.

And, although the files did not list the police stations where the thefts occurred, it did reveal that some were “inside jobs” – thefts from fellow police officers and staff.

Among the items stolen were wallets, credit cards, cheque books, mobile phones, cash, cameras, clothing and a personal organiser.

Hotel bill Information released under the FOI Act in 2009 revealed almost £5,000 worth of taxpayers’ money had been spent by Oxfordshire County Council at one of Oxford’s top hotels since it opened.

But County Hall remained tight-lipped, refusing to reveal precisely what the £4,706.24 has been spent on at Malmaison in the Oxford Castle complex since 2006.

sharp end of justice Records obtained under the FOI Act in 2006 showed that 243 knives were carried by people – most of them criminals – to the city’s main court in a six month period.

Confiscated at the door, almost all were handed back when the owners then left court.

Police said they were “staggered” by the findings.