Striking the Right Balance between Privacy and Public Protect ion

[Ian G Batten]

On Thu, 24 Oct 2002, Watkin Simon wrote:

> > From: Roland Perry [mailto:roland@linx.net]
> > Sent: 24 October 2002 10:48
> > 
> > And you seem to assume that all criminals are both organised (in the
> > sense of being part of a group which can develop and anti-surveillance
> > strategy) and organised (in that they can deploy any strategy 
> > when up to
> > no good). Look at this BBC report from a few days ago, for example:
> 
> at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2314389.stm

  A professor of English Language and Linguistics at the University of
  Birmingham has examined the two texts allegedly sent by Danielle to
  the defendant on the 18 and 19 June 2001 and other texts sent by her
  before that time," said Orlando Pownall QC, prosecuting.

That'll be Malcolm Coultard, presumably, who has progressed to the fame
of his work being described in the commentary of the open-top Birmingham
site-seeing bus as it passes along the edge of the campus.

However, if the argument the Home Office are reduced to is that RIPA is
required so that people who waste police time with fake text messages
can be prosecuted, it's a bit of a come down.  No people smugglers,
terrorists, money launderers and so on getting convicted?

ian