Big Brother is watching
Council used covert operations to crack down on law breakers
powers for that reason.
“There is also a big problem with businesses dumping their waste into bins for the public rather than paying out for it to be uplifted commercially. Illegal tobacco selling is a huge issue in Ayr.”
The snooping powers can only be authorised to prevent or detect crime, for public health or for public safety.
Nine of the clandestine investigations were devoted to clamping down on fake fags.
Illicit tobacco was sold at Ayr Sunday market with profits going to organised crime groups.
The council has also investigated the sale of tobacco to kids.
Most recently the council has been carrying out covert tobacco test purchases.
They took place in July and February this year and were ordered by the Trading Standards department.
The powers have now been extended to allow the monitoring of Facebook and other social media.
A report went before the Leadership Panel this week at County Buildings to amend policy to reflect the use of social media.
The paper said: “Public authorities may legitimately intrude on a person’s right to privacy on certain grounds as long as they can demonstrate the intrusion is both necessary and proportionate.”
The local authority underwent a routine inspection by the Officer of the Surveillance Commissioner into South Ayrshire’s use of covert techniques in August.
The inspection offered some ‘ fine tuning’ advice and said covert activies were used sparingly.
The report continued: “Since the previous inspection in 2013, eleven directed surveillance and one covert human intelligence source authorisations had been granted.”
A council spokesman said he could not release a comment until two days after the Leadership Panel in case the paper is called in by councillors.