Express & Star

West Midlands Police defend data intercepts

Police have defended the use of controversial powers to grab people's private communications records after it was revealed they are using the laws every two minutes.

Published

West Midlands Police intercepted people's phone, email and internet records nearly 100,000 times in three years using controversial snooping powers - the second highest in the country.

The figures, released to anti-surveillance pressure group Big Brother Watch under Freedom of Information laws, found there were more than 730,000 requests for communications data between 2012 and 2014 from forces across the UK.

West Midlands Police - the country's second largest force - used powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 98,095 times during the three-year period.

Earlier this year the Express & Star revealed widespread use of the powers by the West Midlands force – equivalent to at least once every 20 minutes.

Chief Superintendent Stephen Graham, head of the West Midlands Police intelligence department, said: "Mobile phones now play a vital role in the investigation of crimes and help to locate missing people or in cases where we have threats to life.

"The application to obtain these details is subject to guidance and strict codes of practice. All police forces are regularly and rigorously inspected by an independent body on the way in which we use this tactic.

"The information gives details of when a call was made and which phone number was called. It may also give details of the location of the people making and receiving the call but would not include what they say or what data they pass on within a communication – including text, audio and video.

"People may think that it is an extension of police powers when all it is doing is giving us the ability to do what we already do."

RIPA has been hit by controversy with campaigners saying the laws were hastily passed under the belief they would be used to investigate terrorism and serious organised crime

But now ministers are now facing calls to curb the scale of police access to private communications information.

The highest user was the Metropolitan Police who used the powers more than 140,000 times in the same period.

There were annual increases in applications in each of those years, peaking at just under 250,000 last year.

Nationally police forces across the UK are requesting access communications data every two minutes new research reveals.

Tom Watson, the campaigning Labour MP for West Bromwich East, said: "Our intelligence and police services remain in danger of losing public legitimacy for the surveillance they conduct.

Tom Watson urged the government to support workers who have been made redundant

"It's absolutely vital that people understand for what reason this information is requested so frequently. Of course, there has to be secrecy about the nature of the intelligence but it is not unreasonable for public policy makers to know the terms on which these investigations are undertaken."

Councils across the Black Country and Staffordshire used the same powers to snoop on residents 400 times over the last five years.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.