The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) was introduced in 2000 to give public authorities a legal framework to follow if they are carrying out surveillance. RIPA regulates the use of surveillance and provides the Council with protection against any breach of Article 8 of the Human Rights Act.
Local authorities are only allowed to carry out surveillance under RIPA for preventing or detecting a criminal offence which would be punishable by a prison sentence of at least six months.
Before using RIPA we need to show a valid reason for its use and consideration will be given to the use of less intrusive methods first. We also have to obtain Magistrate's approval before any surveillance is carried out.
If you have any queries regarding the council's use of RIPA, contact the RIPA Monitoring Officer at or visit the Home Office website.
You can read the Council's RIPA policies below:
RIPA Policy - Covert Human Intelligence Source (CHIS) (PDF Document, 657.5 Kb)
RIPA Policy - Directed Surveillance (PDF Document, 705.17 Kb)
Last updated: Wednesday, 19 January 2022 12:17 pm