THAMES Valley Police has refused to reveal if it has continued to use anti-terrorism laws to snoop on journalists.
Police forces have been criticised for using the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) to seize the phone records of reporters to find out who their confidential sources are for stories, and yesterday Home Secretary Theresa May said she would be tightening rules to stop abuse.
Thames Valley Police has previously been embroiled in legal rows over seizing records. In 2006, officers bugged a part-time Buckinghamshire reporter’s car using RIPA, an act ruled in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.
And in 2002 the force seized the phone records of the INS News Agency, initially claiming it was using RIPA.
Our top stories
It then backtracked and cited, at various times, the Official Secrets Act, the Prevention of Corruption Act, the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and then the Data Protection Act.
When faced with the prospect of the then Chief Constable having to appear in court, it settled with INS, paid its costs and destroyed the records.
The Oxford Mail asked if the force had used RIPA against any other journalists to trace confidential sources.
Spokeswoman Michelle Campbell refused to answer. She claimed that would require going through more than 50,000 RIPA cases.
Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel