"Spying" powers used to combat fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour
Thursday, 9.25am - POWERS designed to allow spying on terror suspects have been used by South Kesteven District Council to investigate anti-social behaviour and fly tipping.
Thursday, 9.25am - POWERS designed to allow spying on terror suspects have been used by South Kesteven District Council to investigate anti-social behaviour and fly tipping.The council carried out surveillence on the public nine times between April 2007 and April 2008, permitted by legislation in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.
Local authorities are only allowed to carry out covert surveillance in order to prevent or detect crime and disorder.
A spokesman for SKDC said: "This is surveillance which is not intrusive and is undertaken for the purposes of specific investigation or operation and involving the observation of a person or persons in order to gather information about them.
"Local authorities are only authorized to carry out covert surveillance for the purpose of the prevention or detection of crime and disorder and not for any other purpose.
"It cannot be used indiscriminately, only where it is suspected crime and disorder has or may take place."
SKDC says it has never used powers in the Act which could have allowed them to apply for phone records or billing information about members of the public.
Local authorities' use of the legislation was made public in April, when it was revealed a family from Dorset were spied on by their local council to see if they had cheated the school catchment system.
Your comments
I think it's ridiculous that putting the wrong type of rubbish in your bin can now result in you having a criminal record, something which has apparently already happened elsewhere.
David
Grantham
Do you think local councils should be allowed to use these powers to combat crime and disorder? Or is it an invasion of privacy even if crime and disorder are being committed? Click here to tell us what you think.
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