Shropshire Star

Privacy fears as West Mercia Police use new 'Stingray' spy technology

Controversial "stingray" devices that intercept mobile phone calls, text messages and data are being used by four Midlands police forces including West Mercia, documents suggest.

Published

The force, along with West Midlands, Staffordshire and Warwickshire, have all bought so-called Covert Communications Data Capture (CCDC) equipment – which are known as "stingrays" – according to the publicly-available minutes of a meeting between two of the region's police and crime commissioners and senior officers.

The hardware, also known as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catcher, tricks mobile phone handsets across several miles into connecting to it by impersonating cellphone towers.

It can be used to pinpoint phone owners' locations or intercept phone calls, text messages and possibly other data held on the device.

But despite what seems to be an acknowledgement of the equipment being bought in the meeting's minutes, the police forces will not confirm or deny they own the devices.

Forces say revealing tactics and equipment at its disposal would compromise investigations and aid criminalsand terrorists.

The minutes of the meeting between the West Mercia and Warwickshire Police state: "Within the West Midlands region both West Midlands and Staffordshire police have recently purchased and operated 4G-compatible CCDC equipment."

It adds: "The purchase would allow the use of the equipment in support of regional operation, but more frequently in support of local high-risk investigations, reducing the impact of demand across the region for the same equipment being used in West Midlands and Staffordshire."

Civil liberties campaigners criticise the devices being used.

Matthew Rice, of Privacy International, said: "IMSI catchers, by their very nature, operate indiscriminately, gathering information from all individuals in the particular operating area.

"This collateral intrusion into the private lives of many innocent individuals is deeply concerning in any context let alone one that is, almost deliberately, opaque."

Staffordshire PCC Matthew Ellis said: "It is right that police have the tools to tackle the complex nature of crime today.

"Some tactics police use to keep people safe and bring criminals to justice can be intrusive and it is crucial that there are robust safeguards, framed by legislation, around this work, and there are."

West Mercia PCC, John Campion, said: "I have seen real-life examples of the difference this technology can make in protecting extremely vulnerable people in our society.

"It is absolutely appropriate that the police can make use of this technology in order to keep people safe."

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