FISHERMEN and off licences are just two surveillance targets the Borough of Poole has admitted to secretly watching in the wake of last month's spying scandal.
Details obtained by the Daily Echo under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 show Poole council has been using the covert powers, originally intended to target terrorists, since 2005.
Using the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), the council has admitted to 17 separate instances of directed' surveillance.
Identifying who vandalised a door entry system.
The council's spying tactics were exposed when the Daily Echo published the story of Poole parents Jenny Paton and Tim Joyce.
The couple and their three children were snooped on for two weeks to check if they were living in the correct school catchment area. Other ways in which the council has used the RIPA powers include detecting neighbourhood nuisance and anti-social behaviour, substantiating benefit claims and monitoring suspected drug dealers.
The RIPA Act was introduced in 2000 with ministers emphasising the creeping threat of terrorism and cyber-crime.
Tim Martin, head of legal and democratic services at Poole council, said they used the powers to respond to residents' concerns or information gathered by officers.
He said: "The council uses legal powers to investigate and prosecute those individuals who attempt to break the law, damage our local communities or threaten Poole's natural environment."
He added illegal shellfish dredging could cause a serious public health risk if stock was not fit for consumption.
Bournemouth Borough Council has said it only uses surveillance powers for detecting benefit fraud and admitted to carrying out six covert operations in 2007-08.
More than 1,000 RIPA operations are thought to be launched each month for offences like dog-fouling and underage smoking.
7:00am Tuesday 13th May 2008
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