From Friday - the first of August - police gained new powers. They are now able to put an electronic trace on your car - or bug your phone or computer - for four days without having to get a warrant from a Supreme court judge.
This is in the interests of combating terrorism, of course ! But the powers are even wider. Police are now able to cross state borders - and surveillance warrants are valid for ninety days in place of the previous twenty-one days.
We are assured there are safeguards. In the event that the police apply for a warrant from a Supreme court judge - and it is refused - all information gained must be immediately destroyed.
How do you erase facts gained from the mind of an investigating officer ? And what if those facts - now deemed to be illegally gained - are used at some time in the future to process an entirely unrelated matter ?
These " special emergency powers " are an awesome increase in the police arsenal. Some people will believe that only the guilty have reason to fear them, but not all police are model citizens. Some have a dark side and the ability to intrude on any citizens private world opens an interesting can of worms !
The only advice civil liberty people can offer is " get used to it ! " We are gradually slipping into becoming a police state because the twin threats from criminals and terrorists can not be controlled by the previous range of laws.
The electronic age brought both benefits and challenges - and as the criminal mind accepted new opportunities so the investigating powers needed new tools to level the playing field.
Today we would be wise to live our lives with the expectation that at any moment someone somewhere is looking over our shoulder !
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