Surveillance: RIPA and the Communications Data Bill – Panopticon

“The Communications Data Bill, shelved amid political heavy weather, is back on the agenda in the wake of last week’s Woolwich murder. Today for example, Conservative MP and former policing minister Nick Herbert wrote an article in The Times in support of the Bill and responding to those who have called it a ‘snooper’s charter’.”

Full story

Panopticon, 29th May 2013

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Police powers and procedures in England and Wales 2011/12: user guide – Home Office

Posted April 19th, 2013 in investigatory powers, news, police, reports, statistics by tracey

“This guide to Police Powers and Procedures Statistics is designed to be a useful reference guide with explanatory notes on the statistics.”

Full document

Home Office, 18th April 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Privacy, Protests and Policing – Panopticon

“In Catt v ACPO and others; T v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis and another [2013] EWCA Civ 192, the Court of Appeal considered two appeals regarding the powers of the police to collect and retain personal information about members of the public. Both cases turned on the application of Article 8 of the Convention; in both, the Court held that there had been an interference with the Article 8(1) right to respect for private life, and that the interference was not justified under Article 8(2).”

Full story

Panopticon, 20th March 2013

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Police hid files on celebrity suspects – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 20th, 2013 in child abuse, investigatory powers, media, news, police, sexual offences by tracey

“Hundreds of police files on celebrities and politicians accused of sex assault
were so heavily protected that even officers investigating claims could not
access them.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 20th March 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Public bodies ‘spending millions to snoop’ – BBC News

“A wide range of public bodies are using private detectives to do their surveillance work, with many using security firms to dodge legal restrictions, a campaign group says.”

Full story

BBC News, 17th March 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Regina v Plunkett (Daniel): Regina v Plunkett (James) – WLR Daily

Posted March 15th, 2013 in admissibility, appeals, evidence, investigatory powers, law reports by tracey

Regina v Plunkett (Daniel): Regina v Plunkett (James): [2013] EWCA Crim 261;   [2013] WLR (D)  98

“Covert recordings of conversations between defendants which had taken place whilst they were in the rear of a police van were not to be categorised as intrusive surveillance, under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, because a police van, used solely for police purposes, was not a private vehicle.”

WLR Daily, 13th March 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

‘Police surveillance of this kind undermines our democracy’: Judges rule that action against peaceful protester John Catt was unlawful – The Independent

“Police face having to rethink their whole strategy for public demonstrations after judges ruled today that the surveillance they placed a peaceful protester under was unlawful.”

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The Independent, 14th March 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Sexual relationships in undercover policing – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted March 12th, 2013 in investigatory powers, news, police, reports, select committees by sally

“Like most people who are commenting in the ether at the moment, I find disturbing one of the two principal threads of the story about undercover policing which are in the news: the forging by one or more undercover officers of sexual relationships with people in the protest groups they had infiltrated. Have a look at this report on the BBC website, for a flavour of the coverage it is receiving, and a call for tighter controls to prevent such activity in the future. And then look at the Home Affairs Select Committee interim report.”

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 11th March 2013

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

MPs seek ‘fundamental review’ of RIPA after raising concerns with oversight of undercover police work – OUT-LAW.com

“The Government should commit to a ‘fundamental review’ of UK legislation that governs surveillance practices and the interception of communications, a Parliamentary committee has said.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 5th March 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Undercover policing: MPs demand reforms – BBC News

Posted March 1st, 2013 in families, investigatory powers, news, police, select committees by tracey

“Abuses connected with undercover police activities show that an urgent review is
needed of laws covering such work in England and Wales, MPs have said.”

Full story

BBC News, 1st March 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Whistleblowers and press ‘threatened by proposed new police powers’ – The Guardian

Posted February 14th, 2013 in consultations, investigatory powers, media, news, police, whistleblowers by sally

“The government is proposing to make it easier for the police to seize confidential material from journalists, it emerged on Wednesday night. Legal experts warned that the plans risked trampling on long-standing protections from the state.”

Full story

The Guardian, 13th February 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

iPhone used to bring child sex attacker William Walker to justice – BBC News

“A tattooist who raped a child has been jailed after his victim recorded a
conversation with him 20 years later.”

Full story

BBC News, 11th February 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

AKJ and others v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis and another; AJA and others v Same and others – WLR Daily

AKJ and others v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis and another; AJA and others v Same and others [2013] EWHC 32 (QB); [2013] WLR (D) 49

“An intimate sexual relationship instigated by an undercover police officer with a member of the public for the purposes of obtaining information fell within the scope of ‘personal or other relationship with a person’ for the purposes of section 26(8) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 so that, by section 65, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal had exclusive jurisdiction to hear a claim brought against the police under the Human Rights Act 1998.”

WLR Daily, 18th January 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Regulators warned over covert surveillance of businesses thought to be selling age-restricted products to children – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 4th, 2013 in codes of practice, investigatory powers, news, privacy, young persons by tracey

“Enforcement bodies have been warned about disproportionately invading traders’
privacy when carrying out checks over the way age-restricted products are sold.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 1st February 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Undercover police damages cases to be heard in secret – BBC News

Posted January 18th, 2013 in investigatory powers, news, police, private hearings, psychiatric damage, tribunals by tracey

“Women who say they were tricked into sexual relationships with undercover police
officers will have their cases heard in secret, a judge has ruled.”

Full story

BBC News, 17th January 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Judge to rule on whether police spy case should be held in open – The Guardian

“A high court judge is due to announce on Thursday morning whether police chiefs have won a controversial case involving undercover spies they infiltrated into political campaigns.”

Full story

The Guardian, 17th January 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Police DNA sample powers ‘used against gay men’ – BBC News

Posted January 15th, 2013 in DNA, homosexuality, investigatory powers, news, police by sally

“Police powers to force offenders to give DNA samples have been used against gay men convicted of old homosexuality laws, it has been claimed.”

Full story

BBC News, 14th January 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Kinloch v HM Advocate – WLR Daily

Kinloch v HM Advocate: [2012] UKSC 62; [2012] WLR (D) 385

“Since unauthorised police surveillance of a person engaged in criminal activity in public places did not infringe that person’s right to respect for his private life under article 8 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the Lord Advocate, in adducing evidence obtained by means of such unauthorised surveillance at the trial of that person, had not acted incompatibly with his right to a fair trial under article 6(1) of the Convention, and had accordingly acted within his powers under section 57(2) of the Scotland Act 1998, as amended. However, the question whether the police had acted incompatibly with a Convention right was not a devolution issue within paragraph 1(d) of Schedule 6 to the Scotland Act 1998 and therefore could not be determined under the Supreme Court’s devolution jurisdiction.”

WLR Daily, 19th December 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Metropolitan police pays out over flawed rape investigation – The Guardian

Posted December 13th, 2012 in compensation, investigatory powers, London, news, police, professional conduct, rape by sally

“The Metropolitan police has made a landmark compensation payout over a flawed rape investigation by one of its elite Sapphire sexual assault units.”

Full story

The Guardian, 13th December 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Q&A: Communications Data Bill – BBC News

Posted December 11th, 2012 in bills, electronic mail, internet, investigatory powers, news, telecommunications by sally

“The government’s draft Communications Data Bill details plans to increase the amount of data gathered about the web and mobile habits of anyone in the UK.”

Full story

BBC News,

Source: www.bbc.co.uk