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Archived Press Release
Originally created on: Thursday 15 September, 2011
Press release 15 September 2011
To those that fly tip or write racist or offensive graffiti - we’re out to catch you
Fly tippers that dump hazardous waste, including asbestos, tyres or chemical drums, or rogue traders that prey on the most vulnerable will be prosecuted using covert surveillance.
Brighton & Hove City Council’s Cabinet is to consider a recommendation to continue to use powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) where necessary to combat crime. Surveillance activity by the council rose slightly last year compared to previous years.
Surveillance is used where necessary and proportionate to prevent crimes such as rogue traders ripping off the most vulnerable and housing benefit fraud, which costs taxpayers thousands of pounds each year.
The council resorts to surveillance only after exhausting other traditional methods of investigation such as gathering witness statements, or in the case of fly tipping, highly visible site inspections on a regular basis and random inspections.
Typical crimes where surveillance is used include illegal dumping of hazardous waste, asbestos, tyres or chemical drums, repeated fly tipping in the same locations, repeated large scale fly tipping or regular offensive or racist graffiti.
Cllr Pete West, Cabinet Member for Environment, said:
“In some cases covert surveillance is the only way to stop certain crimes but we exhaust all other avenues and ensure it’s only used where necessary and proportionate.
“We use it to stop the minority of people who think it’s acceptable to ruin the environment through fly tipping, write racist or offensive graffiti, or where rogue traders prey on the vulnerable. The fact is that these crimes are unacceptable and we will do our utmost to prosecute offenders.”
Related information
- Go to our refuse & recycling pages to report fly tipping and find out how to deal with waste responsibly
- Find out more about how we deal with graffiti in the city
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