Case Summary
AB v Hampshire Constabulary [2019] UKIPTrib IPT 17 191 was a case before the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) concerning whether the covert use of body-worn video (BWV) by a police officer inside a private home amounted to “surveillance” under Part II of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).
The claimant, AB, had reported a burglary at a non-residential property he owned. The following day, police officers visited his home unannounced to inform him that they would not be investigating the crime. During this visit, one officer activated their BWV without informing AB, and the recording was only disclosed later.
The key legal issue was whether this covert recording inside AB’s home constituted unlawful surveillance under RIPA. The Tribunal ruled that it was capable of amounting to surveillance, distinguishing the case from previous rulings on covert recording during voluntary police interviews.
AB v Hampshire Constabulary [2019] is referenced on page 279 of Copper Stopper.