Taxpayers Money Used For Surveillance
The Evening Standard newsletter last week revealed that nine London councils have paid out more than £120,000 between them to hire private detectives to spy on residents and even their own staff. The money, it is reported, was spent over the last three years and details show that it was spent on various items of surveillance equipment used for everything from investigating rogue traders, to hiring private investigators in order to recover stolen vehicles.
Critics have now accused the local authorities of playing spy games and using taxpayers’ money to infringe on people’s privacy. One of the councils involved, Newham council, is one of the most deprived boroughs in London, and they alone spent more than £67,000 on three investigations into residents suspected of fraudulent activity in 2010. It also spent £10,392 spying on a member of their own staff.
Another big offender was Croydon council, who spent nearly £18,000 spying on just three individuals who were claiming disability benefit in order to determine whether or not they really were disabled. Bexley council weren’t much better, spending £200 in a search for a former employee who was suspected of stealing a staff car.
Barnet council also ran up a large bill of almost £14,000 while investigating two of its own employees who had made injury compensation claims against the local authority, and spying on three members of the public.
Details reveal that the nature of the surveillance and use of surveillance equipment would involve an agent watching an address from a distance, and on occasion following a suspect, and recording their findings.