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YOU have to wonder what John Le Carre, who was brought up in Poole and whose grandad was an alderman, must think about the town's council today.

The first book in Le Carre's acclaimed Karla trilogy of thrillers was called Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. And I can't imagine that he thought for a moment about calling it Tinker, Tailor, Local Government Officer, Spy. Apart from not having the same ring about it, back in the 1970s councils were hardly known for undercover surveillance work. How times have changed.

Last month the Echo revealed that Poole council had been spying on a family to find out whether or not they lived within the catchment area of a first school. Now, an Echo request under the Freedom of Information Act revealed Poole council has used surveillance 17 times. Why? For reasons including exposing whether fishermen were illegally gathering shellfish; ascertaining who damaged a barrier and trying to identify who vandalised a door entry system.

Isn't that what our police do?

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) that allows councils to use covert techniques was brought in, we were told, as a weapon against terrorism and cyber crime.

Correct me if I am wrong, but the decision to use the RIPA legislation for less consequential purposes appears to have been taken behind closed doors at Poole.

You can't help thinking that what needed spying on most were those very meetings in secret where the use of surveillance was being approved.

In his novels Le Carre referred to the British secret service as "The Circus".

Need I say more?

7:00am Tuesday 13th May 2008

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