Watchful eye

Councils need to spell out how their use of surveillance powers is saving taxpayers' money and protecting vulnerable residents, writes Cllr Mehboob Khan.

The media picture of interfering ‘council spies' snooping on residents is ill-founded and does not represent the respect with which councils treat surveillance tools.

However, the public is understandably concerned about unnecessary use of investigatory powers by government bodies. So it is vital that councils set a leading example by using powers in a proportionate and transparent manner, as they yet again face scrutiny about access to information with the parliamentary passage of the Draft Communications Data Bill.

We all know the importance of these powers. They have enabled Surrey County Council to track down and successfully prosecute a car-clocking gang which made an estimated £4m selling ‘clocked' cars to unsuspecting buyers.

In Kent, a rogue trader who charged a blind, elderly lady £700 to cut her lawn and then frogmarched her to a cash point to get money was caught using video surveillance; while Wolverhampton City Council used telephone and email records to tie a local man to a business which supplied huge amounts of counterfeit music, software, computer games and DVDs, including a substantial library of illegal pornography.

But the public concern continues, and we as councils are not making the case for the use of these powers transparent enough. Few would argue that saving the taxpayer £4m or protecting vulnerable elderly people is an intrusion of privacy, but this information is not made public.

Even the National Anti-Fraud Network, the council-established shared service that provides a centre of excellence for council communication data requests and serves 83% of councils in England, Wales and Scotland, does not have comprehensive information on the results of obtaining the data. We know that prosecutions using the data are often successful, but we have no way to quantify this and therefore explain their value.

New rules that came into force on 1 November mean councils will be the only public body required to obtain a magistrate's authorisation to conduct surveillance. While some may see this as an extra burden, it does provide a unique reassurance to residents that other bodies cannot replicate.

Councils including Sheffield City Council, Brighton & Hove City Council and Charnwood Borough Council are setting best practice by having a transparent policy for use of surveillance powers and, importantly, publishing regular information when powers have been used.

I would like to see more councils publishing their use of these powers in an easily accessible manner for residents. Of course, information could only be released at an appropriate point and may need some details removing. However, this approach would highlight the serious nature of the offences the powers are used for and show how they lead to successful prosecutions that protect the public and prevent fraud. Increased transparency will provide reassurance to residents that their councils are acting responsibly to protect them – and prevents information being taken out of context.

The LGA will continue to explain the importance of council use of these powers to government and attempt to correct the misconceptions that frequently appear in the media, but we need your help to do so. These powers make a real difference to the lives of our residents, so let's explain that to them.

Cllr Mehboob Khan is Chair of the LGA's Safer and Stronger Communities Boards.