Counter-terrorism strategy
Why surveillance is used
Surveillance is used to gather intelligence on criminal and terrorist activity. Invasive surveillance techniques are only used in investigating serious crime.
The purpose of police and other public authority surveillance activity is to:
- ensure community safety
- secure evidence so offenders may be brought before the courts
- gather intelligence on criminal activity and threats to the public
Today's criminals are quick to exploit new technologies that will keep them one step ahead of the law. Public authorities need surveillance capabilities to be able to apprehend these increasingly sophisticated offenders.
Using surveillance in court
Surveillance is often the fastest and most cost-effective way of getting the evidence needed to bring criminals before the courts.
However, it's important to note that there are different types of information gathered from surveillance activity, and not all types can be used in court as evidence.
Types of information gathered includes:
- surveillance data - information obtained from observing a person or place. This can be used to get someone arrested, charged and can be used in court as evidence.
- intercepted information - the actual contents of a communication (for example a taped telephone conversation). The law doesn't allow it to be used in court as evidence.
