Now it's the citizen snoopers: Councils recruit unpaid volunteers to spy
on their neighbours
By David Derbyshire
Last updated at 1:44 AM on 30th August 2008
Councils are recruiting 'citizen snoopers' to report litter louts, dog
foulers and even people who fail to sort out their rubbish properly.
The 'environment volunteers' will also be responsible for encouraging
neighbours to cut down on waste.
The move comes as local authorities dish out £100 fines to householders
who leave out too much rubbish or fail to follow recycling rules.
It will fuel fears that Britain is lurching towards a Big Brother
society, following the revelation this week that the Home Office is
extending some police powers to council staff and private security
guards.
Critics said the latest scheme could easily be abused and encourage a
culture of bin spies and curtain twitchers.
Matthew Elliott, of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: 'Snooping on your
neighbours to report recycling infringements sounds like something
straight out of the East German Stasi's copybook.
'With council tax so high, the last thing people want to pay for is an
army of busybodies peering through their net curtains at their
neighbours as they put out their rubbish.'
Recruitment adverts appealing for the unpaid environmental volunteers
have appeared across the country in recent months.
In Hampshire, Eastleigh council wants locals to 'monitor local
environmental quality' and report 'issues' involving recycling and
waste. In East London, Tower Hamlets is recruiting volunteers for a
crackdown on reluctant recyclers. Other councils are expected to launch
similar schemes.
Officially, the volunteers are not encouraged to spy on neighbours or
report them. But councils are unlikely to ignore tip-offs.
Earlier this year the Daily Mail revealed that councils have hired 850
agents and informers to catch fly-tippers, tax cheats and other
offenders.
The 'covert human intelligence sources' keep watch on suspected law-
breakers and yobs. Any evidence they find, such as illegal alcohol sales
or wastedumping, can be used in court.
The latest recruits are being hired by council environment departments.
Eastleigh has already taken on around a dozen who answered an advert in
a council newsletter which said: 'Volunteers will be involved in
reporting issues in their area such as recycling, waste, fly-tipping,
graffiti, dog fouling and abandoned vehicles'.
The recruits will also be involved in the 'promotion of recycling and
waste minimisation across the borough'.
The LibDem-controlled council denied the volunteers would be asked to
spy on neighbours.
'These are all people who care about the environment and they will be
ambassadors for their area,' a spokesman said. 'They will be there to
report graffiti, abandoned vehicles and local vandalism, but not to
report on other individuals.
The volunteers will be trained on the council's waste and recycling
policies and asked to explain them in the community.
'They might go to an over-60s club and talk about recycling,' said the
spokesman.
But Labour councillor Brian Norgate said: 'I wouldn't be overkeen on
asking volunteers to be snooping, if that's what this turned out to be.
We have people trained in doing this.'
Tower Hamlets calls its volunteers 'environment champions'. According to
the council they report on 'a number of environmental crimes, issues and
concerns, such as graffiti, dumped rubbish and abandoned cars.'
A spokesman said: 'They demonstrate environmentally-
encourage other residents to recycle and are pro-active in the
neighbourhood.
The Local Government Association said: 'Environment volunteers care
passionately about their area and want to protect it. They are not
snoopers. They will help councils cut crime and make places cleaner,
greener and safer.'
The news follows a trend of recruiting ordinary people to help catch
those responsible for minor crimes. On Wednesday, it emerged more than
1,400 people will have police powers under the Home Office's Community
Safety Accreditation Scheme.
Security guards, park wardens and other local authority staff can issue
fines for a large number of offences, stop cars and seize alcohol from
underage drinkers.
http://www.dailymai
Councils-recruit-
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Saturday, 30 August 2008
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