Campaign group calls for powers of entry to be reined in

Some 20,000 council officers are able to enter private property without requiring a warrant or police officer escort, research has claimed.

According to Big Brother Watch, an offshoot of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, there are 14,793 officers in local authorities with such powers. It claimed that because 115 councils either refused to answer its freedom of information requests on the issue or “failed to answer in an acceptable manner”, the real figure could be much higher.

Northamptonshire County Council and Glasgow City Council were cited as having the highest number of officers able to enter a home, with almost 500 each.

Big Brother Watch acknowledged that many of the 1,000-plus laws permitting entry are crucial for reasons of public safety and law enforcement. “However, the steady rise in the number of council officers able to wield these powers points to a wider failing within local authorities,” it claimed.

“Councils are granting powers of entry to increasing numbers of their officers for administrative ease. Entering private property is a difficult, sensitive and sometimes dangerous exercise. As the numbers rise, the potential for abuse and the lasting damage that a poorly executed operation can do to its victims become of greater concern.”

Alex Deane, director of Big Brother Watch, claimed councils were “dishing out” powers of entry to officers, without giving due thought to the public’s right to privacy and the potential for abuse. “There needs to be a much closer eye kept on the number of officers granted the right to barge into private premises without a warrant,” he added.

The organisation criticised the government and the Conservatives for failing to address the issue. The Home Office is currently conducting a review, while the shadow cabinet has failed to publish any firm proposals.

The Conservatives nevertheless insisted they would take steps to reduce the powers available. Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary Caroline Spelman said: “The police need powers to tackle crime, but there is a far weaker case for town halls to have these powers, especially given the abuse of surveillance powers by local authorities.”