Revealed: Full scale of Met's 'snooping' on phone calls, texts, and emails

 
Police in a top secret operations room Picture: Glenn Copus
GLENN COPUS
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Scotland Yard is making more than 120 requests a day to access private phone calls, texts and emails, new figures reveal.

Statistics revealed to the Evening Standard show that last year the Met made 45,249 requests to obtain communications data under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, or Ripa.

The legislation allows officers to access people’s phone use, emails and web searches — provided they do not view the content.

The extent of police use of the controversial Ripa laws will alarm privacy campaigners. But today Scotland Yard defended the power as protecting “ordinary Londoners”.

In many cases police use the “snooping” law to track the activities of terror suspects as well as serious criminals and gangs.

However, in an exclusive interview, the head of the Met’s covert policing said accessing communications data had now become routine in almost every major criminal investigation.

In addition, officers are using Ripa legislation on a day-to-day basis to save lives by tracing vulnerable and missing people.

Commander Richard Martin, the head of intelligence and covert policing, said: “Often, all you hear about is how the police are using Ripa to tackle organised crime — but we also use it to help trace people who are in a vulnerable state and without accessing this data these cases could end in tragedy.”

The figures showed that last year the Met used Ripa legislation in 2,800 cases which were classified as “urgent” and a “threat to life.” A 24-hour snapshot of 12 urgent cases one day this year showed that eight of them involved vulnerable people who had gone missing.

One of these was a young girl held captive by a gang and at great risk of being raped.

Several cases involved depressed people who had called their family to say goodbye before going missing. One of them was a woman with severe post-natal depression.

Detectives also use the powers in order to track suspects in major crimes such as rape, kidnap or murder as well as “routinely” obtaining data to investigate offences ranging from harassment to assault.

While the officers cannot read content, they use the power to track who called who, for instance, or to monitor email traffic.

The statistics have emerged as MPs are due to hold a debate on the intelligence agencies’ use of surveillance after David Anderson, QC, the Government’s anti-terror watchdog, called for a major shake-up in the law on eavesdropping.

One day of investigating 'threats to life' in London

THIS is a 24-hour snapshot of police requests to access communications data classified as urgent “threat to life” cases. All the incidents took place in London on one day this year.

The date has been kept secret to avoid identifying victims:

  • 12.28am Missing. Depressed male taken overdose, contacted family to say goodbye.

  • 12.30am Missing. Depressed male taken an overdose at an unknown location.

  • 1.01am Missing. Female, under age of 16. Missing for several days, contacts family and says being held by group of men. Fears of exploitation and rape.

  • 2.30am Manhunt. Stranger rape, urgent need to locate and arrest suspect to preserve evidence and protect public.

  • 3.10am Missing. Vulnerable drug addict disappeared, immediate risk of serious injury from drug dealer.

  • 3.34am Missing. Patient walked out of hospital havingtaken overdose. Needs treatment, suicide risk.

  • 4.46am Missing. Depressed male has missed mental health assessment and is intent on committing suicide.

  • 9.30am Missing. Female with severe post natal depression has contacted husband ... intent to commit suicide.

  • 11.34am Missing. Domestic violence victim in contact with police ... about to commit suicide.

  • 5pm Childline. Under-16 intent on absconding with father ... significant risk to child.

  • 11.17pm Male kidnapped in gangrelated attack.

  • 11.59pm Under-18 murdered, urgent need to locate suspects to preserve forensic and protect public.

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