Covert Investigation 6e 6 Revised edition

Examining all the key issues to consider when deploying investigative tools under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, Covert Investigation is a highly practical and detailed guide to this important, complex, and sometimes controversial area of the law.

This sixth edition of Covert Investigation has been fully revised to incorporate amendments to RIPA enacted by the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Act 2021, setting the moral and legal context for the ethical management and implementation of covert investigations, and the statutory principles underpinning such interventions. Its first Part discusses the issues facing authorizing officers and focuses on practical management issues from both strategic and operational perspectives, including the management of risk. Part 2 concentrates on the statutory elements of covert investigations, addressing directed and intrusive surveillance, property interference and surveillance through communications and the data generated. It includes detailed discussion of the use of covert human intelligence sources, especially the significant moral issues arising from relationship manipulation and privacy intrusion. The authors present clear and concise guidance to ensure that applications for covert investigations are made only in appropriate circumstances and that such investigations are undertaken with integrity. Featuring a range of helpful tools, such as scenarios, tips, and checklists, this edition is an essential resource for police and non-police investigators alike

The book forms part of the Blackstone's Practical Policing Series. The series, aimed at junior to middle ranking officers, consists of practical guides containing clear and detailed explanations of the relevant legislation and practice, accompanied by case studies, illustrative diagrams, and useful checklists.

Clive Harfield,Karen Harfield

Clive Harfield is Associate Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice at the Thomas More Law School, Australian Catholic University. Previously he taught criminal law at the University of Wollongong, Australia; cyber security and digital investigation ethics at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia; and held a Fulbright Fellowship at Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA. He has led criminal justice sector capacity-building projects in Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea, and served in the National Crime Squad of England and Wales, the UK National Hi-Tech Crime Unit, and was a BCU intelligence and covert operations manager in Warwickshire Police.


Karen Harfield is a senior executive public servant with the Australian Commonwealth Government. She has previously served with the Australian Crime Commission, the Australian Customs Service, with HM Inspector of Constabulary, as Head of Intelligence for Warwickshire Police, and in the National Crime Squad of England and Wales.