West Mercia Police won't reveal if journalists were bugged

West Mercia Police, West Midlands Police and Staffordshire Police will not reveal the number of times they intercepted journalists' calls under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa).

All three police forces said that it was too expensive to provide the data.

The blanket block comes despite all chief constables being compelled to pass on the information to the Interception of Communications Commissioner Sir Paul Kennedy following the launch of a national inquiry into the use of Ripa.

All three police forces have refused to say whether they have targeted journalists and they have failed to release the details under Freedom of Information law after a request by journalism industry website Press Gazette.

The forces said they were unable to provide the data because it would be too expensive.

The Shropshire Star has also requested from the three police forces the number of applications it has received to use Ripa to spy on journalists, and the number of times such requests have been approved.

We have also asked for the total number of times police officers from the three forces have used the powers.

The request comes amid fears that the powers are being used for routine investigations on ordinary citizens rather than for terrorism or serious organised crime, as was intended when the powers were written into law.

A West Mercia Police spokesman said: "We use these powers to combat serious crime and to protect people from harm.

"They are heavily regulated both internally and externally by the Office of Surveillance Commissioners. They see everything we do to make sure we comply with the law around surveillance."

He added: "It is a legal framework we work within. These powers are taken very seriously and are used proportionally and necessarily."

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "We were unable to respond on the grounds that the cost of retrieving the information is above the amount that the force is legally required to provide."

He added: "All forces have been asked to provide returns on their use of Ripa to the interception of Communications Commissioner's Office who are conducting an inquiry.

"West Midlands Police is co-operating fully with that request and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage of the inquiry."

Staffordshire Police, which is currently led by acting chief constable Jane Sawyers, said it would not comment on details of the commissioner's inquiry.