Councils used 'snooper's charter' more than 10,000 times

[steven johnson]

I'm betting that the Bush Administration's warrentless wiretapping will make the UK excesses look like child's play.

Surveillance powers originally designed to counter the threat of terrorism and safeguard national security have been used by local councils more than 10,000 times over the past five years - often for “crimes” as minor as littering, it emerged today.

Details disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act showed that councils in England and Wales used powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa) to investigate offences ranging from dog fouling to taxi overcharging.

Julia Goldsworth, the Lib Dem local government spokeswoman, said that when Ripa originally became law, only nine organisations - including the police and security services - were allowed to use it. That has since been extended to 795 bodies.

The survey showed that Ripa powers have been used on 10,288 occasions since 2004, although just 9 per cent of those inquiries led to a successful prosecution, caution, or fixed penalty notice. The alleged offences included littering, illegal street trading, and taking the fairy lights from a Christmas tree.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5979452.ece