Council ‘spies’ used to catch people breaking law
Officers in Aberdeen city and shire check e-mail and phone records
Published:
COUNCIL spies have been used to snare benefit fraudsters and rogue traders, the Evening Express can reveal.
Officers in Aberdeen carried out eight surveillance operations in 2008, including the use of “covert human intelligence sources” on two occasions.
In Aberdeenshire a car dealer and doorstep salesmen were targeted for surveillance.
Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), a council can monitor people believed to be breaking the law.
But today a civil liberties group said surveillance should be a job for police or the security services.
Michael Parker, of the No2ID campaign which opposes national ID cards, said: “Local authority officers are public servants who are there to do an administrative role.
“They shouldn’t see themselves as gumshoes hanging around doorways.”
Aberdeen City Council defended its use of RIPA. A spokesman said: “The services who utilise covert surveillance are benefit fraud, council tax, housing benefit, environmental health and trading standards.”
RIPA does not allow councils to carry out “intrusive surveillance” such as bugging, phone tapping or obtaining transcripts of actual conversations.
However, it can be used to check phone and e-mail records.
Aberdeenshire used RIPA seven times in 2008 – on every occasion to obtain the name and address of people holding phone numbers.
It was used to trace people holding one 0800 number, two mobiles, and 10 land-lines.
A spokesman said: “The reason the Act was used was to assist in the identification of doorstep traders who were being investigated for alleged offences under Doorstep Selling and Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.”
In recent years RIPA has been used in the North-east to trace and tackle dangerous dog breeders and even cattle rustlers.
Readers' Comments
Maybe the council could use their "spies" to root out immigrants who are living in the loft spaces in certain tenements in Froghall and Bedford.
Abbie Mann
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