RIPSA Forms Guidance (March 2011)

A guide to completing the standard forms for covert surveillance and CHIS under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers(Scotland) Act 2002 (RIPSA)

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2002 (RIPSA) governs the way Scottish local authorities conduct Directed Surveillance and deploy a Covert Human Intelligence Source (CHIS). Each covert investigation involving these surveillance techniques has to be properly documented using the correct standard Scottish Executive forms. Incorrect form filling is a regular criticism made by the Office of Surveillance Commissioners (OSC) when doing compliance inspections. Up to now there has been no published Scotland specific guidance on this important issue.

Ibrahim Hasan has developed this detailed guide on how to complete the standard RIPSA forms for Directed Surveillance and CHIS. It is specifically tailored to the needs of Scottish local authorities whose surveillance operations differ from other RIPSA authorities. The guide consists of each form reproduced with detailed notes on how to complete each section. The often-misunderstood key human rights concepts of necessity, proportionality and collateral intrusion are fully explained. All the forms are included from application, through to review, renewal and cancellation. There is even a suggested template form to be used when doing surveillance not covered by RIPSA. This is not available elsewhere.

The guide has been fully revised in the light of the new RIPSA Order (which came into force on 29th November 2010) and suggested best practice by the Office of Surveillance Commissioners.

At a time of increasing pressure on local authority budgets, the RIPSA Forms Guide will save you time and money.

DOWNLOAD ORDER FORM | DOWNLOAD EVALUATION COPY

GUIDANCE CONTENTS

Detailed notes on how to complete each section
References to the new RIPSA Codes and Order
References to the OSC Procedures and Guidance Document

Other useful documents including:

Colour flowcharts to help officers decide what type of RIPSA surveillance they are undertaking
A list of common mistakes to avoid when completing forms
A suggested template form to be used when doing non RIPSA surveillance (not available elsewhere)
A detailed briefing note on the decision of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in the case of Poole Council and its implications for local authorities conducting Directed Surveillance

PRICES

HARD COPY (£199 plus vat) - This is for one full colour bound copy.

CD ROM (£299 plus vat) - This is for a CD Rom containing an electronic version of the whole document as well as Word and PDF versions of each form with guidance notes. This comes with a with a perpetual multi user license allowing you to upload the guidance/individual forms onto your intranet site and to make as many hard copies as you need for internal use. You can also amend and customise the guidance to suit your organisation's specific surveillance operations. You will also receive one colour bound copy for free.

33% DISCOUNT

If you previously bought the RIPA version (hard copy or CD ROM) you will automatically qualify for a 33% discount on the above prices.