IPCO Annual Report 2017
Fig. 1 C
HIS Authorisations over the last 10 years
(excluding UKIC and relevant sources)
2007-2008
Non-LEA
2008-2009
LEA
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
2015-2016
2016-2017
(annualised figure) 2017
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
3.11
At the end of 2017, there were 2,281 extant CHIS authorisations, which is very similar to the
2,229 last reported by the OSC (31/03/2017).
3.12
Whilst almost all law enforcement agencies used their CHIS powers during April to
December 2017, only 5% of non-law enforcement agencies (excluding intelligence agencies)
reported using their CHIS powers, albeit those bodies represented a wide variety of
government departments and local authorities.
Fig. 2 Relevant Source notifications, renewals and cancellations
1,200
Notifications
1,000
Renewals
Cancellations
800
600
400
200
0
3.13
7
OSC 2015-16 period
OSC 2016-17 period
‘Annualised’ for 2017
There has been marked decline in the number of Relevant Source notifications and renewals
compared with the two previous 12-month periods reported by the OSC.7 During the
period 01/04/17–31/12/17 there were 577 notifications, 38 renewals and 522 cancellations
(‘Annualised’ 769 notifications, 51 renewals and 696 cancellations). It is too early to comment
as to whether this indicates a trend and, if that is the case, the reasons for it.
However, as these statistics represent the number of times an individual undercover officer has been authorised for a specific
operation, they do not necessarily reflect the number of such operations as one operation may require the deployment of a number
of undercover officers.
15