Issue - meetings

The Committee gave consideration to a report regarding the review of the RIPA policy. It was explained that the document was based upon the requirements of The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, as amended, (‘RIPA’), and the Home Office’s Codes of Practice on Covert Surveillance, Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) and the Acquisition and Disclosure of Communications Data. The RIPA Policy was last updated in July 2017 with the proposed revised policy incorporating minor amendments, such as numbering and headers, as well as the inclusion of two new sections. The first was ‘RIPA and the use of the internet and social media’ which was absent in the 2017 version of the policy, the second was ‘Acquisition of Communications Data’ which was also absent within the 2017 Policy and concerned the acquisition of telecommunications and postal data.

Members were supportive of the report and revised policy, with the importance also highlighted. Members requested that the Environment Agency be included as a named partner, with Officers undertaking to make this inclusion. With regard to the cost of training, it was confirmed this would be met within the corporate training budget.

Having been moved and seconded, the Chairman took the vote and it was again, unanimously

            RESOLVED that:

a)    the updated and revised RIPA Policy 2023 be approved; and

b)    RIPA training for the Chief Executive, Monitoring Officer, Directors and Enforcement Officers be commissioned and provided during 2023-2024, and an application for such be made to the Corporate Training Budget; and

c)    RIPA refresher training be undertaken annually and material, such as past but relevant recorded training, be available on the Council’s Learning Platform; and

d)    the RIPA Policy be reviewed on an annual basis by the Monitoring Officer who will report to Management Team in September each year and to the subsequent meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.