How councils are using surveillance

• Press Association


• guardian.co.uk,


• Monday June 23, 2008


• Article history

Councils across Britain are routinely using the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa) to snoop on dog foulers, litterbugs and illegal parkers.

In April, the Press Association surveyed nearly 100 councils and discovered the legislation was used to find out about people who let their dog foul (at least seven cases), breaches of planning law (one case), animal welfare (one case), littering (at least one case) and even the misuse of a disabled parking badge (one case).

The research took place to find the extent of the "surveillance Britain" after a family in Poole in Dorset were tracked covertly for nearly three weeks to check they lived in a school catchment area.

The same council has made similar checks on two other families in the last year under Ripa and defended its actions by saying the cases were treated as potential criminal activity, which allowed it to spy under the law.

Poole council also snooped on fishermen to see whether they were illegally catching shellfish.

In the survey the large majority of the surveillance was used to combat rogue traders, benefit fraud, counterfeit goods and antisocial behaviour like noise nuisance and criminal damage.

Under Ripa, councils can conduct surveillance if they suspect criminal activity, they can also ask for subscriber details of internet and telephone bills but they cannot tap phones or intercept emails.

But the interpretation of what is criminal activity has led to some debate.

Four councils - Derby City, Bolton, Gateshead and Hartlepool - used surveillance to investigate dog fouling, with Bolton also using the act to find out about littering, the research found.

Kensington and Chelsea conducted surveillance in regard to the misuse of a disabled parking badge.

Liverpool city council used it for one case of a false claim for damages investigation.

Denbighshire county council used surveillance for one animal welfare investigation and Conwy council had one case where it used the law to spy on someone who was working while off sick.

In other areas, the surveillance law was used by Redcar and Cleveland for a food hygiene investigation (one case) and Newcastle used it for one case of "car parking surveillance re suspected contraventions of parking orders".

Redcar and Cleveland will of been the biggest snoops of them all and just hide it better.
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