Leak reveals Staffordshire Police internet spy inquiry

Requests from a police constable to Italian software company Hacking Team were uncovered after the cyber security firm was itself hacked.

The email shows how the force was seeking technology to 'access Wi-Fi points to check users' and wanted to know whether it could choose which data to covertly collect or whether it would end up receiving everything a user did online.

The request came as the force has changed how it tackles cyber crime to confront identity theft, fraud, drug dealing and child sexual exploitation.

It emerged in a cache of data published online by hackers who attacked the cyber security company and posted information and emails online.

The data dump revealed how the firm appeared to have been selling hacking tools to repressive regimes in Sudan and Bahrain – although it denied it dealt with these countries.

The Staffordshire Police email chain started in June 2014 When PC Chris Hood of the force's Internet Investigations Confidential Unit sent an email to Hacking Team about its Galileo software.

He wrote: "I have seen some information about your Galileo software and for the outset this may be of use to the new formed unit I am working from within Staffordshire Police in the UK, would you be able to answer the following points:

"Can the software access Wi-Fi points to check users and if so what data can be retrieved from this? Can the software be remotely installed on the device or does a user have to follow a link to manually install?

"Can you select what data is to be retrieved from a device or will the program automatically send you all data?"

He then asked about the price. However, the deal never went ahead.

Det Ch Insp Rich Finlow, head of intelligence at Staffordshire Police, said: "Tackling cyber crime is a priority for Staffordshire Police and we are committed to using technology to prevent and detect crimes such as fraud, identity theft, drug dealing and child sexual exploitation.

"We have changed the way we think about investigating crime because society has changed the way that crime is committed.

"The force is at the forefront nationally in terms of developing its capability to combat cyber crime and we do have a dedicated team to exploit digital technology.

"As part of our commitment to investigating online crime we did contact Hacking Team to understand better the product they were marketing. However, it was simply an initial inquiry and did not progress any further."