Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act: policy and procedure

Summary

This Act has far reaching implications for many areas of work carried out by the Council. The Act does not in any way restrict its operation to specific functions and therefore it is imperative that any officer who might be carrying out surveillance and the Council's Authorising Officers are fully aware of when the need arises for an authorisation to be obtained.

This document only sets out the brief principles involved and it must be stressed that any officer requesting authorisation and particularly those persons empowered by the Council to grant authorisations must ensure that they receive appropriate training before dealing with any authorisations.

However, any surveillance carried out by the Council will generally be OVERT so that the person being investigated is fully aware of the situation. This will never need authorisation.

This policy describes the steps that must be undertaken by officers if they require authorisation of a RIPA request. It also includes the process necessary to complete the cycle once an authorisation has been granted.

Document

• Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA): Policy and Procedure (PDF) [476KB] (opens new window)