Safeguards governing investigatory powers come into effect – Home Office

‘Government commences final provision in the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 subject to the double-lock safeguard requiring judicial approval.’

Full press release

Home Office, 28th November 2018

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Ministers will not scrap ‘reasonable grounds’ stop and search rule – The Guardian

Posted November 13th, 2018 in investigatory powers, news, police, reasons, stop and search, weapons by sally

‘The government has ruled out changing stop and search rules to allow police to use the power without reasonable grounds to suspect wrongdoing, while saying they want to “reduce bureaucracy” over such operations.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 12th November 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Knife crime: Should stronger stop and search powers be used? – BBC News

‘A series of stabbings on the streets of London has led to a renewed focus on knife crime and how to reduce it. One power available to the police is stop and search, and Home Secretary Sajid Javid has recently emphasised its importance in tackling violence: “If stop and search means that lives can be saved from the communities most affected, then of course it’s a very good thing,” he told the annual Police Superintendents’ Conference in September. But what powers are available to the police and what is the evidence they reduce crime?’

Full Story

BBC News, 8th November 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Essex PC guilty of gross misconduct after searches – BBC News

‘A police officer who used force systems to make “multiple” searches of three people has been found guilty of gross misconduct.’

Full Story

BBC News, 3rd October 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Police spies infiltrated UK leftwing groups for decades – The Guardian

‘Police deployed 24 undercover officers to infiltrate a small leftwing political party over a 37-year period, the Guardian can reveal. The police spies infiltrated the Socialist Workers party (SWP) almost continuously between 1970 and 2007, often with more than one undercover officer embedded within the party.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 15th October 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

MI5 provides immunity for agents’ criminal acts, tribunal told – The Guardian

‘MI5 grants its informants legal cover to participate in crimes that may extend to murder, torture and sexual assaults, a tribunal has heard.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 4th October 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

SFO increasingly using power to demand information without court approval – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 27th, 2018 in disclosure, investigatory powers, news, Serious Fraud Office by tracey

‘The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is increasingly using its powers to demand information from large businesses without the need to ask for court approval, new data has shown.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 26th September 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

Covert surveillance and covert human intelligence sources codes of practice – Official Publications

Posted September 27th, 2018 in codes of practice, intelligence services, investigatory powers, news by tracey

‘Guidance on the use of covert surveillance or human intelligence sources by public authorities under part 2 of RIPA 2000.’

Full text

Official publications, 20th September 2018

Source: www.gov.uk/government/publications/

Privacy International v Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs & ors – Blackstone Chambers

‘The Investigatory Powers Tribunal has given its third judgment in this case concerning the collection and use of bulk communications data (‘BCD’) and bulk personal datasets (‘BPD’) by the Security and Intelligence Agencies (MI5, MI6 and GCHQ – the ‘SIAs’).’

Full Story

Blackstone Chambers, 21st July 2018

Source: www.blackstonechambers.com

Transparency report on disruptive and investigatory powers published – Home Office

Posted July 24th, 2018 in intelligence services, investigatory powers, press releases, reports by tracey

The government has published the third iteration of its transparency report on the use of disruptive and investigatory powers.’

Full press release

Home Office, 23rd July 2018

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

HMRC seeking ‘unprecedented’ information request powers – OUT-LAW.com

‘HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in the UK is seeking “unprecedented” powers to obtain information about taxpayers without independent oversight from the tax tribunal, a tax expert has said.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 12th July 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

Undercover policing inquiry: victims launch legal action – The Guardian

Posted July 5th, 2018 in diversity, inquiries, investigatory powers, news, police, victims by tracey

‘Victims of undercover police officers have started legal action against the home secretary over the troubled public inquiry into the conduct of police spies.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 5th July 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Undercover police whistleblower joins boycott of inquiry – The Guardian

Posted May 10th, 2018 in inquiries, investigatory powers, news, police, whistleblowers by sally

‘A former undercover police officer who has become a whistleblower has joined a boycott of a public inquiry into the covert infiltration of political groups, saying it was concealing the state’s misconduct.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 9th May 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Privacy Rights: How should a court remedy legislative incompatibility with EU law? – UK Human Rights Blog

‘R (The National Council for Civil Liberties (Liberty)) v Secretary of State for the Home Department & Anor [2018] EWHC 975 (Admin) (27 April 2018). In the first phase of Liberty’s landmark challenge to the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (“IPA”), Singh LJ and Holgate J sitting as a Divisional Court have granted a declaration that in the area of criminal justice, Part 4 of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 is, in part, incompatible with EU law. Other parts of Liberty’s challenge to the IPA will be considered at a later date.’

Full Story

UK Human Rights Blog, 8th May 2018

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Metropolitan Police’s ‘racially discriminatory’ gangs database failing to tackle violence, report finds – The Independent

‘Scotland Yard is listing thousands of children and young men on a “racially discriminatory” database that is failing to tackle rising violence in London, a new report has found.’

Full Story

The Independent, 9th May 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Undercover relationship woman wants officer prosecution – BBC News

‘An environmental campaigner who says she was tricked into a sexual relationship with an undercover police officer is mounting a legal challenge to have him prosecuted. The woman, known as Monica, will ask judges to overturn prosecutors’ decision not to charge the Metropolitan Police’s Jim Boyling.’

Full Story

BBC News, 1st May 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Both sides claim victory in surveillance law challenge – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A High Court ruling today in the latest crowd-funded challenge to the government’s powers to monitor electronic communications has left both sides claiming victory. Ruling in Liberty v Home Office, Lord Justice Singh and Mr Justice Holgate ordered the government to amend a provision of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 granting powers to require telecoms operators to store records of communications, including tracking information and web browsing.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 27th April 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Undercover policing inquiry: Chairman urged to quit – BBC News

Posted March 22nd, 2018 in anonymity, demonstrations, disclosure, inquiries, investigatory powers, news, police by sally

‘Campaigners have walked out of a public inquiry into undercover policing, demanding that the chairman stand down or appoint a full panel.’

Full Story

BBC News, 21st March 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Four large black men’ at inquest followed by police, hearing told – The Guardian

Posted February 28th, 2018 in death in custody, inquests, investigatory powers, news, police, racism by sally

‘Police launched an unauthorised surveillance operation at short notice after they became concerned about the presence of “four large black men” at an inquest into a death in custody, a misconduct panel has heard.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 27th February 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

High Court: legal privilege can apply to internal investigations on the right set of facts – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 5th, 2018 in corruption, investigatory powers, news, privilege, taxation by sally

‘The High Court has confirmed that legal privilege can apply to investigations on the right set of facts, restoring some certainty to a position that has been up for debate since May 2017.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 5th February 2018

Source: www.out-law.com