Wolverhampton fraudsters caught out by secret surveillance
Secret surveillance has been carried out by Wolverhampton City Council five times in the space of four months in a bid to catch benefit cheats and fly-tippers, it has emerged.
Officials have sanctioned the use of methods including covert surveillance and undercover officers in a bid to catch people in the act.
The council is required to publish regular reports into the extent of its surveillance carried out under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.
A total of five operations were carried out between July and the end of November last year. The first took place on July 5 when covert surveillance was used to try and catch a fly tipper. Later that month on July 17 the same method was also used to try and collect evidence against a benefit fraudster.
On September 13 last year an undercover officer was used in a bid to trap a dodgy scrap metal dealer with a test purchase.
There have also been two occasions, in September and October, when communications data, which could include things such as telephone billing information and Internet addresses, has been used to catch a rogue builder making a housing grants claim and someone else who was believed to have been flytipping.
Recent changes to the act means that authorisation for covert surveillance and getting access to communications data now requires approval by a magistrate.
Covert surveillance can now also only be used for crimes where the penalty is at least six months in prison. Between 2008 and 2010 the council used secret surveillance on 120 occasions.
Sixty-two operations resulted in successful prosecutions or informal cautions with legal proceedings being carried out against 20 fly-tippers, six nuisance noise-makers and nine fake benefit claimants. Action was also taken against shops selling booze to youngsters, illegal fuel sellers, and rogue electricians.
