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Surveillance rolled back
• AS the new leader of Islington’s Liberal Democrat council, I wanted us to do our bit in rolling back the surveillance state that has been growing up around us under 12 years of Labour government. That’s why I have made the council’s use of its investigatory surveillance powers more transparent, open and accountable.
As liberals, it’s in our DNA to be against the idea of the government being able to spy on us. Under this Labour government we have become increasingly spied-upon: big government databases of our DNA, emails and text messages, and more public bodies than ever before given wide-ranging powers to spy on the public.
Islington’s audit report from the Office of Surveillance Commissioners gave us a completely clean bill of health, and – unusually for any inspector – they were unable to make any recommendation for improvement.
I’m proud of that, but using our powers responsibly is just a start. We’re going further. Under a new protocol I have drawn up, there will be regular, public oversight by councillors on powers used under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), with the council’s overview committee receiving regular reports on operations.
If someone is found innocent, any data gathered will be destroyed.
And I’m restating the important point that surveillance powers must only be used where appropriate and proportionate, such as when there are serious issues of public protection in which there is no other way of collecting evidence.
Islington has used RIPA powers to tackle environmental health issues, fraud and rogue traders selling knives to children. Sometimes surveillance will be necessary and proportionate. But it needs to be a difficult decision to take. It shouldn’t be easy. Each case needs to be carefully considered to make sure it’s necessary – the last resort.
And we need to make it accountable. The public need to see what the council is doing – and know who is responsible. As we are only using these powers where they are absolutely needed, then I am not afraid to justify it to the overview committee and the general public.
CLLR TERRY STACY
Lib Dem leader, Islington Council
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