Any law is a standard determined by the governing power for the benefit and good operations of its society. Any abuse of that law is bound to create social unrest and resistance, exactly the opposite of the effect that the law is intended to achieve. Hence, maintaining confidence in the exercise of a law as part of law enforcement in an increasingly blurred environment between law enforcement, security and intelligence relies on appropriate controls.
The exercise of any intrusive investigative power is part of the suite of tools available to law enforcement agencies to meet their objectives. However, their use is predicated on the rule of law and the confidence it gives to the general community that not only can law enforcement agencies enforce the law, but also the community is protected from excess by its own guardians.
Intrusive Investigative Powers …show more content…
Those intrusive methods represent a dangerous balance between achieving community safety and abuse of power. The intrusive powers are not limited to covert operations alone or by data intercepts but also by coercive interviewing of witnesses (Heyman 2014) . The rationale for such methods is predicated on the requirement to ensure that evidence that could lead to prosecution is not destroyed or made inaccessible. Accordingly intrusive powers level the playing field between law enforcement, government and criminals (Heyman