ModernEyes wants to know about the use of undercover agents The justification is often national security, well I wonder what other methods are being
used, in the name of national security to combat crime Covert human intelligence sources are undercover agents who form or continue a relationship with others in order to covertly obtain information. Anyone familiar with TV police dramas will appreciate the benefits an undercover officer or an informant might provide to the police. The use of covert intelligence sources is governed by the (RIPA). RIPA came into force on the same day as the Human Rights Act. This was no coincidence. RIPA provided a statutory footing for a number of investigatory techniques. Before the Human Rights Act came into force, the European court of human rights in Strasbourg made a number of findings of a breach of article 8 (right to respect for private life) by the UK because there was no clear legal basis for using undercover agents or other forms of surveillance. RIPA was intended to provide such a basis. In addition to the use of covert human intelligence sources, RIPA governs the use of directed and intrusive surveillance. Directed surveillance is covert surveillance, conducted for the purpose of a specific investigation, which is likely to result in the obtaining of private information about someone. Intrusive surveillance is the same, but the surveillance relates to things taking place in a private home or vehicle. The surveillance either involves the presence of an undercover agent in the premises or vehicle or is conducted using a surveillance device. Liberty accepts that the use of these three investigatory techniques can be justified in suitable cases, but we have a number of concerns about the RIPA regime. Third, there is limited