The commissioner of the Metropolitan Police declined to answer questions about the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act being used by his force to spy on journalists today.
In a regular Q&A hosted on Twitter, Bernard Hogan-Howe faced nearly 50 questions from 20 different Twitter accounts this afternoon under the hashtag #AskMetBoss asking about his force's use of RIPA to spy on journalists. Some of the questions were additionally retweeted more than ten times.
But he chose instead to answer questions about the number of horses used by the force, how he thinks Londoners rate the Met's service and how many graduate recruits will be taken on next year.
Here are some of the tweets he blanked, and some of the questions the Met chose to answer instead.
Does @metpolice routinely use RIPA to access journalists' phone records during "leak inquiries"? #AskMetBoss
— Sean O'Neill (@TimesCrime) September 24, 2014
How many times has the @MetPoliceUK used RIPA to secretly obtain journalists’ phone records? #Askmetboss #SaveOurSources
— Press Gazette (@pressgazette) September 24, 2014
RIPA was intended to detect + prevent serious crime. Why has it been used by @MetPoliceUK to find lawful, journalistic sources? #AskMetBoss
— Dominic Ponsford (@Domponsford) September 24, 2014
@metpoliceuk Why do you use opaque laws which don't require a judge's consent to target journalists' confidential sources? #AskMetBoss
— Hugo Gye (@HugoGye) September 24, 2014
.@BeakyBobby Our survey shpws about 7/10. Hard for me to speak on their behalf #AskMetBoss
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 24, 2014
Loads of journalists challenging The Met on RIPA on the #AskMetBoss. No answer though.
— Courtney (@c_greatrex) September 24, 2014
#AskMetBoss How many times has @metpoliceuk used RIPA to circumvent PACE protections on journalists' sources?
— Gareth Corfield (@GazTheJourno) September 24, 2014
OK, we are going to talk ‘horses’, but not RIPA? #AskMetBoss
— Duke_of_Monton (@Duke_of_Monton) September 24, 2014
738 have signed petition saying police shd ask judge to get journalists' phone records. What do u think? #askmetboss https://t.co/CF5wHsFMZ8
— Press Gazette (@pressgazette) September 24, 2014
#AskMetBoss @metpoliceuk when will you answer the RIPA question? How often has the Met used RIPA to pry into reporters' phones?
— Sean O'Neill (@TimesCrime) September 24, 2014
Do you understand quite how important the RIPA question is? #AskMetBoss
— Paul Bernal (@PaulbernalUK) September 24, 2014
#AskMetBoss Do you only answer questions where the answer shows you in a positive light? #SaveOurSources
— Gareth Corfield (@GazTheJourno) September 24, 2014
Hogan-Howe doesn't seem to be answering @wturvill's questions about the @metpoliceuk's abuse of RIPA powers. How odd. #AskMetBoss
— joshi herrmann (@joshiherrmann) September 24, 2014
About half of questions to Bernard Hogan-Howe in #askMetboss Q&A about use of RIPA to seize journos phone records. And none of the answers.
— Chris Baynes (@seeBaynes) September 24, 2014
Have you heard of RIPA? #AskMetBoss
— Duke_of_Monton (@Duke_of_Monton) September 24, 2014
.@terry95_8 We have over 100 horses but 32 boroughs, 8 football league teams, many protests, festivals. Would love to get more! #AskMetBoss
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 24, 2014
Is it harassment to keep asking the same question? RIPA RIPA RIPA RIPA RIPA RIPA #AskMetBoss
— Duke_of_Monton (@Duke_of_Monton) September 24, 2014
thanks everyone – that's all for now – see you next time #AskMetBoss
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 24, 2014
Did I miss it, or did @metpoliceuk fail to answer the RIPA question at all? #AskMetBoss
— Paul Bernal (@PaulbernalUK) September 24, 2014
🙁 #AskMetBoss #SaveOurSources @MetPoliceUK
— Press Gazette (@pressgazette) September 24, 2014
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