Documents showing Avon and Somerset police had purchased controversial surveillance equipment have been taken down, after claims the force was using it to spy on people. The force has so far refused to confirm or deny its use of the technology, which indiscriminately gathers information from mobile phones. The contract documents put up by the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office had reportedly shown the force had purchased the equipment from company CellXion, to the tune of 169,575.
It was reported the force had bought the equipment, which is used for covert communications data capture (CCDC).
It comes after media cooperative the Bristol Cable said the tech had been bought in the last year. The Guardian and BBC have also claimed that Avon and Somerset police were using the equipment also known as IMSI catchers.
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IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) catchers track your location and IMSI number, which is a unique number for each phone.
Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens has now confirmed the documents were taken down and redacted in the interests of “national security”. Information on contracts is put together by the force before being submitted to the PCC for uploading.
Ms Mountstevens said: “Following advice from the constabulary, we’ve made some changes to the information published on our website.
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“Under legislation, there is a requirement to publish contracts and spend exceeding 500, however in some circumstances limited redactions will be made, in order to comply with existing law, data protection, national security and to protect commercial interests.
“It must be recognised that, on occasions, certain information cannot be disclosed.”
She added: “I’m not involved in operational policing matters however I do hold a role on the national undercover scrutiny panel.
“In that role I’m working with the College of Policing, the Home Office and others to make the process and training more accessible to the public so they can see and trust the proportionality of undercover policing.
“Undercover police operations are vital in the fight against terrorism and serious organised crime.
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“However, this does not absolve the police and other security agencies from adhering to the highest standards of professional behaviour in the course of their duties.”
When the Bristol Post asked Avon and Somerset Constabulary to whether it was using the equipment, a spokesman for the force said: “Avon and Somerset Police can neither confirm nor deny that it holds any information about your request.”
But privacy campaign groups have now called them to come clean.
Matthew Rice, an advocacy officer at the campaign group Privacy International, told the Guardian: “IMSI catchers, by their very nature, operate indiscriminately, gathering information from all individuals in the particular operating area.
“This collateral intrusion into the private lives of many innocent individuals is deeply concerning in any context let alone one that is, almost deliberately, opaque.”
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References
- ^ Comments (1) (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ Cyclist fighting for his life after being hit by a car near Bristol (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ Pensioner persistently abused police in almost 2,000 phone calls (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ Will Bristol’s smoking ban in public places be extended? (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ Woman sexually assaulted as she walked home: Can you help find man who helped her? (www.bristolpost.co.uk)