Spy Equipment In England And Wales

Many people are unaware of the power that police officers in the UK have when it comes to using spy equipment in England and Wales.  The UK police force have the power to enter any private properties at their discretion and plant spy equipment in the form of bugging devices if they believe their use is warranted.  Covert surveillance work is currently undertaken by forty-plus police forces in England and Wales, and in conjunction with the MI5 division.

Years ago, only MI5 had the power to install spy equipment in England and Wales where the occupants were members of the public.  Now the police are also able to carry out this work, although they must first obtain warrants from the Home Secretary to allow them to enter homes without the occupant’s knowledge, and subsequently plant the devices.  With this power the police have to abide by very strict guidelines to avoid being prosecuted themselves.

Surely though, the need does indeed to bestow this power upon the police force, and it’s benefits can be widely used to monitor threats of numerous criminal activities, including the current hot-topic of terrorist threats.

The Mis-Use Of Surveillance Equipment

Issue of personal privacy are an important consideration in the field of surveillance equipment – as highlighted last year in the States.

Two police officers were positioned within a surveillance satellite station in West Virginia.  The two officers positioned a covert camera so that it was aimed at a temporary changing area being used for a fashion show in a local mall.  For over an hour and a half they viewed the footage from the changing room in a display of extreme abuse of power and invasion of the girl’s personal privacy.

What made the incident even more sickening was the fact that the models used in the fashion show were underprivileged schoolgirls who were taking part in the show, and the project was giving the young girls the chance to wear couture fashion items which they would never normally get the chance to experience.  The age of the young participants made the charge even more serious for the two officers involved in the incident.

Surveillance equipment can be used to protect individuals from harm and criminal damage but it seems in this instance that is was used to do more harm than good.

Privacy Issues Surrounding The Use Of A Voice Recorder

If you are about to purchase a voice recorder, you should first investigate the privacy isses surrounding its usage, to be sure that you are acting within any legal requirements.

Generally speaking it is illegal to record anyone without their consent beforehand. The recording of telephone conversations tends to be particularly strict in order to preserve privacy for individuals.  Ideally the law requires there to be sufficient cause for recording a telephone conversation with a voice recorder, especially if a crime is involved such as abusive or threatening behaviour by one person toward another.   If this is the case, the person affected should obtain a crime number and the police should be able to monitor the situation or at least be aware that a recording device is in place within the home.  This way, when an incident occurs, documentation is in place to provide a full and accurate history of what has taken place.  If an unauthorised telephone recording has taken place, it may be that this evidence would be inadmissible in a court of law, so would prove to be useless if it is intended to be used in a criminal prosecution.

The current law states that a voice recorder can be used to record a third party conversation if the recording is to be used by the user and the user alone, for their own use.  To then go and share this recording with others would break this clause and would be breaching the laws of privacy.  There are exceptions to the rule though, especially when it comes to using a voice recorder within a business environment and to gather business-related documentation, but this must always occur within the framework of the Data Protection Act.