2012 Annual Report of the Interception of Communications Commissioner
I was again impressed by the attitude and expertise of the staff I met who are involved in the
interception of communications and I am satisfied that they act with the highest levels of integrity.
6.5.5 SOCA
My formal inspection visits to SOCA took place in April and October 2012. SOCA has a wide
remit and acts as the intercepting agency for the police forces and other law enforcement agencies
in England and Wales. I selected a number of warrants in relation to serious criminality, including
warrants relating to drugs supply, firearms supply and use, armed robberies, money laundering,
kidnaps / threats to life and corruption.
I received presentations in relation to specific interception warrants from the case officers and
I was able to discuss with them both the rationale behind the warrants and the results that had
been achieved. I was impressed with the diligence and commitment of the staff I met.
During these inspections I discussed a sensitive matter in relation to a breach of the Section 15
safeguards. I was satisfied with the investigation that SOCA were conducting into this breach.
I also discussed the renewal process with SOCA and concluded that the current process is
relatively unsatisfactory, largely due to the fact that they have to prepare the renewals so far in
advance that they have not had the opportunity to gather intelligence over anywhere near the
full three month period that was authorised by the Secretary of State. I discussed this issue at my
meeting with the Home Secretary referred to later in this section.
6.5.6 HMRC
My formal inspection visits to HMRC took place in April and October 2012. I selected a number
of warrants in relation to various types of serious criminality including, tobacco smuggling, alcohol
smuggling, VAT fraud and money laundering. When necessary I was able to discuss the rationale
behind the warrants with the warrantry staff.
I was satisfied with the information provided to me at HMRC and with the professionalism and
knowledge of the staff involved in the interception of communications. We also had a useful
discussion in relation to the current and future challenges of internet based communications.
6.5.7 Metropolitan Police Service (MET) Counter Terrorism
Command (CTC)
My formal inspection visits to the MET CTC took place in April and November 2012. The Met
CTC operates against the threat of terrorism at a local, national, and international level. It has the
national lead for domestic extremism and also deals with sensitive national security investigations.
I selected a number of warrants to review during the inspection relating to domestic extremism,
corruption, the supply of firearms and/or drugs and other serious criminality on the periphery
of MI5 national security investigations. I was able to discuss the rationale of the warrants with
the warrantry staff and was particularly impressed with the quality of the documentation. We
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