Privy Council Review of intercept as evidence: report - Official ...

independent facilities, however the bulk of Metropolitan Police interception is
provided by SOCA.
32. All these bodies use interception to provide intelligence on the crimes
and criminals they are concerned with. SOCA told us that interception,
together with communications data, is the single most powerful tool for
responding to serious and organised crime. This is because
It carries very low risk of putting police officers in danger or warning the
suspect of police interest in him;
It is flexible and uniquely easy to put in place quickly;
It is less costly and less intrusive than for example covert entry,
surveillance or eavesdropping;
It can help ensure the safety of law enforcement personnel; and
It can provide excellent intelligence of criminals’ plans, allowing law
enforcement to prevent serious crimes from occurring as well as to
collect evidence of crimes being committed.
For these reasons very few major criminal investigations do not involve
interception.
33. ***
34. Interception has contributed to a large number of arrests, recoveries of
firearms, and seizures of drugs and cash. ***
35. ***
36. ***
37. Very similar evidence was given by other law enforcement bodies
across the UK, including the Metropolitan Police, and the Associations of
Chief Police Officers in England and Wales and in Scotland. Only the Serious
Fraud Office (SFO) regards interception as of limited value to its current work,
because most of its investigations are carried out after the event, when
suspects are unlikely to be discussing a fraud which has been completed.
However the SFO is dealing
increasingly with live cases, and it
believes that interception would be of
value for these.
38. Even though the intercepted
material cannot at present be used as
evidence, it is of great value as
criminal intelligence. The information
it provides enables police to intervene
at the key moment when and where
there is clear evidence of an offence.
It can reveal criminals’ plans, allowing
police to disrupt the plan before it can
A Category A prisoner, serving an
indefinite sentence for armed
robbery, escaped from prison.
Communications data enabled the
identification of a mobile he was
using. Interception showed that he
and associates were planning an
armed robbery to raise funds to
make good his escape. It revealed
where he was staying under a false
name. The prisoner was arrested
and returned to prison. The intended
armed robbery never took place.
Chapter II
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