Report to:                    Leader and Lead Member for Strategic Management and Economic Development

Date:                           7 March 2022

By:                               Assistant Chief Executive

Title of report:              Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (as amended) (‘RIPA’) and Investigative Powers Act 2016 (‘IPA’) update

Purpose of report:       To set the County Council’s policy covering the use of RIPA and IPA

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RECOMMENDATION:

The Leader is recommended to approve the amendments to the County Council’s Policy in relation to the use of Covert Investigative Techniques (‘the Policy’) as set out in Appendix 1

1. Background

1.1 This Policy is predominantly based on the requirements of RIPA, IPA and the Home Office codes. The RIPA introduced a system of authorisation and monitoring of surveillance activities, to ensure that the rights of the individual were not unnecessarily compromised. The IPA has since been introduced to require a similar system of authorisation in respect to the acquisition of communications data.

1.2       The County Council’s use of RIPA applications / authorisations is

reported on a quarterly basis to Cabinet and the County Council.

2. Proposed changes to the Policy

2.1 The existing policy in relation to the use of Covert Investigative Techniques is kept under review and formally reviewed on an annual basis.  Although there are no proposed changes to the substance of the policy, the policy has also been assessed as part of an accessibility review. The accessibility review was undertaken to help ensure that the Policy is equally accessible to people with a diverse range of abilities. This has resulted in a few minor proposed changes to Annex 4, 5, 7 and 8 of the Policy.

2.2 The recommend changes to the Policy are shown as tracked changes in the Policy at Appendix 1.

3. Conclusion

3.1 It is recommended that the Leader and Lead Member approves the changes to the relevant Policy to comply with the requirements of RIPA, IPA and the Home Office codes.

PHILIP BAKER

Assistant Chief Executive

Contact Officer: Robert Freeman      Tel No: 01273 336715

Local Member:  All