Question: I came across this item which was passed over without comment:
The QC reminded Acourt he had attended a committal proceeding - before
being discharged of the Lawrence murder in 1996 - at which a police cctv
surveillance video taken in the flat of one of the gang members,
including Neil Acourt, had been peppered with racist comments.'
Leaving aside the alleged nature of the people videoed, isn't it a bit
worrying that the police ,through cctv surveillance ,are allowed to video
people inside their own home?
Answer:This used to be technically illegal, even for the police and customs &
excise,but now they do have the power to do this, although they are meant to
abide by the following rules, to obtain permission from an ex-judge, and not
to use these powers to fail to apply for a warrant if they happen to catch
one side of a phone conversation:
Intrusive Surveillance Code of Practice
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/iscop.htm
However, there is currently nothing to prevent abuse of CCTV surveillance
technology pointed at the general public, simply walking down the street,
in what used to be anonymous, public spaces
