Decision details

The Committee considered a report of the Commissioning seeking authority to enter a collaboration agreement between the City Police and the Metropolitan Police, enabling the Commissioners of the two forces to authorise use of surveillance and investigation in accordance with the RIPA powers in their counterpart forces.

The provisions of RIPA heavily regulate these activities. By allowing each Commissioner to authorise the aforementioned activity in the other’s force area, the collaboration agreements hopes to enhance operational effectiveness and expedience of authorisations within an agreed framework of notification, oversight and intelligence checks to be completed which will minimise operational risk.

There was considerable debate concerning the use of RIPA provisions in the Force’s work, and the T/Commander reassured Members that the powers were available on a highly select set of circumstances. It was confirmed that the City of London Police usually dealt with some twenty of such cases a year.

RESOLVED - That:-

a)            the pursuing of a formal collaboration agreement, within the definition of the Police Act 1996, covering arrangements for Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) applications and authorisations between the Metropolitan Police Service and the City of London Police be approved; and

b)            the Comptroller & City Solicitor and the Commissioner be instructed to settle suitable terms for a Collaboration Agreement under Sections 22A and 23of the Act between the City of London and City of London Police and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).