13k bids to access people’s mobiles and emails

Back in May the Sentinel revealed the PSNI spent £1m accessing people’s mobile phone data over the past five years.

The money was paid out to mobile phone companies for access to data under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA).

Now the Sentinel can reveal that the PSNI has made over 13k applications for communications data under RIPA since 2009.

RIPA is the law governing the use of covert techniques by public authorities, according to the Home Office.

Its guidelines and codes apply to actions such as: “Intercepting communications, such as the content of telephone calls, emails or letters; acquiring communications data - the ‘who, when and where’ of communications, such as a telephone billing or subscriber details conducting covert surveillance, either in private premises or vehicles (intrusive surveillance) or in public places (directed surveillance); the use of covert human intelligence sources, such as informants or undercover officers access to electronic data protected by encryption or passwords.”

Asked how many times the PSNI requested communications data under RIPA in the last three years the force revealed there were 4,233 in 2009/10; 4,789 in 2010/11; and 4,826 in 2011/12.