Covert Investigation

'THE POLICE HUNTER/GATHERER'S TOOLKIT': A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO A COMPLEX AND OFTEN CONTROVERSIAL AREA OF THE LAW

An appreciation by Elizabeth Robson Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers and Phillip Taylor MBE, Head of Chambers and Reviews Editor

The fact that this is the fifth and latest edition of 'Covert Investigation' from the Oxford University Press is a testament to the book's enduring popularity and above all, its usefulness and the special insights it provides into the diverse legal, ethical and moral issues inherent in implementing police intelligence techniques. Of particular interest to practitioners and police is the Foreword by John Grieve, former Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service. He will be best remembered for his trenchant and rueful comment on what he termed 'institutional racism' in the Police Service in the wake of the Stephen Lawrence enquiry some—-years ago. Known for his clear-eyed objectivity, he commends this book as a 'rare and valuable example of its kind.' Referring to the extreme pressures and almost impossible expectations placed upon the shoulders of investigators and their supervisors — politically, financially and legally — often via the media, Grieve adds that covert investigation, whether in the "real" physical world, or online is 'one area of policing of widespread democratic concern and this book contains blueprints of the best ways of how to act.' Yes, the very concept and the operational methods of "covert" investigation present some tricky dilemmas. Moral and ethical considerations loom large, sometimes even larger than statutory requirements.

Then, there are the often-spurious demands of individuals for individual privacy.

Here, the authors, Clive Harfield and Karen Harfield, put forward the view that when a crime is suspected, 'the moral rights of the community (of which individual victims/potential victims form a part) to be protected from serious crime, or have such a crime investigated and prosecuted as fully as possible must, in the circumstances, outweigh a suspected individual's moral right to privacy.' Of special interest to legal practitioners is Grieve's observation that the book maps 'the legal minefield that the legislation creates for police decision makers' in that it 'explains the processes by which certain traps intended to undermine the investigators and prosecutor's case can be avoided.' 'This,' he says 'is 'a remarkable addition to the police hunter/gatherer's toolkit' and — one might add — an essential addition to the professional library of the well-informed practitioner.

The date of publication is cited as at 12th September 2018