Worcester News editorial comment

PRIVACY and security come at a cost, but that cost may be becoming too high.

It is a concern heightened locally by the revelation that West Mercia Police have spied on people nearly 400 times in the last three years using the controversial Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA).

Like many restrictions on our liberties this legislation was introduced to help police fight terrorism.

Either there are a lot of suspected terrorists in our county, or police are using these powers for purposes not envisioned by Parliament.

We do not know for certain, because this information is, of course, kept secret.

Perhaps most disturbingly, police forces have used RIPA to spy on journalists (though there is no suggestion West Mercia has done so).

This is a deeply chilling threat to the investigative journalism that helps scrutinise the Establishment. Journalists’ information and sources had been protected from State interference by two earlier laws. Law-makers have, rather sloppily, allowed RIPA to circumvent this protection.

Police insist they use RIPA to keep people from harm, and that their powers are heavily regulated, but this is an opaque system so open to abuse it falls short of the high standards an open society like ours demands.

It must be reformed.