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SURVEILLANCE
Instruction ManualOnThe Criminal Justice(Surveillance) Act 2009
Date of Issue: July 2010
This manual sets out the implications of the Act for Revenueand puts in place controls and procedures in order to ensurethat any surveillance activity conducted within Revenue is incompliance with the law
Contents
1. Introduction................................................................................................................3
2. Criteria for use of surveillance...................................................................................3
3. Use of Camera Equipment for Surveillance..............................................................3
4. Approval Procedures..................................................................................................4 4.1 Use of Surveillance (other than a camera) or tracking device.............................4 4.2 Use of Camera Equipment for Surveillance........................................................4 5. Procedures to be observed by Nominated Officers....................................................4 5.1 General.................................................................................................................4 5.2 Cases of Urgency.................................................................................................4 5.3 Deployment of Tracking Devices........................................................................4 6. Oversight....................................................................................................................5 7. Disclosure or Breach of Procedures...........................................................................5 Appendix A....................................................................................................................6 SURVEILLANCE – the law......................................................................................6 Appendix B:...................................................................................................................9 Use of Camera Equipment for Surveillance..............................................................9
Appendix C..................................................................................................................
17H
Forms.......................................................................................................................
1. Introduction
These instructions cover the use of surveillance by means of or with the assistance of surveillance or tracking devices in Revenue. The law governing the use of suchdevices is contained in the Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Act 2009 – SeeAppendix A.The meaning of “surveillance” governed by the Act is — (a) monitoring, observing, listening to or making a recording of a particular person or groupof persons or their movements, activities and communications, or (
b
) monitoring or making a recording of places or things, by or with the assistance of surveillance devices;
However such surveillance carried out without the use of surveillance or trackingdevices continues to be unregulated as heretofore.
2. Criteria for use of surveillance
There is strict criteria laid down by law (seeAppendix A
) to justify the use of asurveillance device and its use is normally subject to the authorisation of a Judge of the District Court.In cases of urgency meeting certain criteria, the use of a device may be approved by anominated officer but only for a period not exceeding 72 hours after which anapplication must be made to the Court if it the surveillance is to be continued.
3. Use of Camera Equipment for Surveillance
Use of a camera (including a mobile phone camera)
to take photographs of any person who, or any thing that, is in a place to which
the public does not have access
constitutes surveillance under the Act. Examples of where the use of a cameradoes/does not constitute surveillance are given inAppendix B Officers should note that there may be less intrusive alternatives to the use of camerasurveillance and should be prepared to explore other options such as OSI maps,GOOGLE Earth, or mapping/sketching of a premises, as each case arises.
1
The law covers any device that incorporates a camera e.g. camera phones, camcorders, videorecording technology, etc.
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