Report of the Independent Surveillance Review
25
and so on. Even these, however, are increasingly complex to determine. While
telecommunications historically went through one single service provider, today
the police are interested in communications that go through an ever-growing
number of CSPs, hardware and software providers, in addition to applications
available on smartphones and tablets. Then, too, online victims and offenders are
normally in different geographical locations, if not different national jurisdictions.
1.71
It is worth mentioning that the majority of normal police and law-enforcement work
is not concerned with the prevention or investigation of crime as such, but rather with
public order and personal safety. Some 70 per cent of all urgent cases to which the
Metropolitan Police respond are concerned with vulnerable people – such as missing
persons, suicide risks, mental health cases or child abuse.74
1.72
The term ‘law-enforcement agencies’ also includes organisations other than the police.
Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), for example, is concerned with law
enforcement in carrying out its function to detect tax fraud and evasion. HMRC operates
the Connect big-data system that allows it to analyse the majority of its internal data
(over 1 billion pieces of data) to find patterns and connections. As of April 2013, HMRC
reported that, with an initial investment and five years of running costs of £45 million, it
had recovered £2.6 billion through the programme.75
Data and the Security and Intelligence Agencies
1.73
While the police and law-enforcement agencies retrospectively seek data as evidence,
the UK’s intelligence agencies pre-emptively seek data to provide analyses of current
national-security issues and to identify future threats. During visits to each of the
agencies, it was put to the ISR Panel that communications data has become an essential
tool for the police and SIAs.76
1.74
The collection of large volumes of information is carried out for target development
and identifying new and emerging threats. This involves the SIAs identifying suspects,
determining their methods of communication and then selecting their communications
data to analyse. This requires positively and reliably associating communications data
with specific individuals. Bulk personal data sets are used by the SIAs in three key ways:77
•
•
74.
75.
76.
77.
To help identify subjects of interest or unknown individuals who surface in the
course of investigations
To establish links between individuals and groups, or else improve understanding
of a target’s behaviour and connections
ISR Visit to the Metropolitan Police, April 2015.
Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, ‘Big Data, Crime and Security’.
Theresa May, Hansard, HC Oral Answers to Questions, Col. 456–57 (10 July 2014).
ISC, Privacy and Security, p. 55.