Council cuts back on Big Brother tactics

OLDHAM Council has dramatically cut down its use of covert surveillance to tackle petty crime such as fly-tipping.

Two years ago the council was named one of the most frequent users of surveillance equipment — designed to tackle terrorism — to clamp down on crimes such as noise nuisance and anti-social behaviour.

But latest figures show Big Brother has relaxed its grip on the borough.

The council exercised its powers only three times during 2010 and 2011, compared to 15 times in 2009-10 and 19 the year before.

The powers are conveyed by the much-dislked Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), intended for serious crimes but often abused by councils for minor matters.

Between 2008 and 2010, Oldham Council used the powers to tackle benefit fraud, licensing breaches and noise nuisance.

Other councils were criticised for using the powers to gather evidence of dog-fouling and smoking.

The powers are becoming harder to use, with local councils now needing permission from magistrates to access them.

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