Police surveillance powers in the UK are subject to a range of regulations. These regulations evolved over the period covered by the allegations, reflecting changes in lifestyle and technology. They have changed further since the start of the IOPC investigation.
However, there are some key principles that have remained at the core of the regulatory environment throughout. These include that all police surveillance has to be authorised, typically by senior officers, and that intercepting telephone calls is a particularly intrusive form of surveillance, which can only be authorised in strict circumstances by the Home Secretary.
