Surveillance powers face new curbs

Plans are in place to clamp down on the use of surveillance powers for trivial reasons by local authorities.

The spying powers allow authorities to use surveillance and information gathering to prevent crime, but some councils have been accused of using them for petty reasons such as dog fouling, fly tipping and noise nuisance.

Plans announced by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith include a review of which public authorities can use RIPA and invite views on the purposes for which these investigatory techniques should be used.

The option of raising the rank of the local authority officer allowed to authorise the use of the powers to senior executive, and whether elected councillors should also play a role in the authorisation, is also being looked at.

While many of the investigations that rely on the techniques regulated by RIPA are aimed at protecting public safety, there have been cases where RIPA has been misused.

Last year the Home Secretary announced that the government is not prepared to see investigations under RIPA used for trivial issues, like people putting their bins out on the wrong day or dog fouling offences.

Mrs Smith said: “Our country has a proud tradition of individual freedom. This involves freedom from unjustified interference by the State. But it also includes freedom from interference by those who would do us harm.

“The Government is responsible for protecting both types of freedom. In order to do this, we must ensure that the police and other public authorities have the powers they need.

“But we must also ensure that those powers are not used inappropriately or excessively.

“The Government has absolutely no interest in spying on law–abiding people going about their everyday lives.

“I don’t want to see these powers being used to target people for putting their bins out on the wrong day or for dog fouling offences.

“I also want to make sure that there is proper oversight of the use of these powers which is why I am considering creating a role for elected councillors in overseeing the way in which local authorities use RIPA techniques.”