Crime prevention

We work with the national police and agencies and we are active in our local communities to help to prevent crime.

In the UK, for example, if required and requested by the Secretary of State we have a legal responsibility to intercept mobile communications under the terms of the O2 general conditions for operating in the UK.

We comply with these rules under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and we are audited yearly by the Interception Commissioner on behalf of the UK Government. We were deemed fully compliant in 2005/06.

RIPA also imposes on O2 UK the legal requirement to disclose communications data to specified law-enforcement agencies. In 2005/06, O2’s police liaison team reponded to thousands of these requests.

During the year several of our UK security team’s investigators were accredited to the Advanced Professional Certificate in Investigative Practice which also includes training on human rights.
 
We also comply with all local regulations in our different markets with regard to handset registration and limiting access.

In Germany we co-operate with law-enforcement agencies to fight crime wherever possible and, when appropriate, within the limitations of strict privacy laws. We have a legal obligation under the Telecommunications Act (TKG) to provide data from our networks to enable lawful interception of services and to support location of handsets. Since 2005, O2 Germany has been involved in a pilot project to automate the exchange of data requested by authorities. If successful, the pilot project will mean we can respond faster to requests for data and provide better information.

In 2005/06 O2 Germany responded to thousands of police requests for data and there was a significant increase in requests compared with the previous year.

In O2 Ireland, we have set up a Government Liaison Unit (GLU) to provide government agencies with a single point of contact for information requests. This provides services to the police and defence forces, such as responding to name and address requests for mobile subscriber numbers, call-trace requests and location searches, in accordance with the law.

The unit also offers a 24-hour call service to the Irish Police Force for emergencies. Usually these calls involve locating a missing person and, to date, the unit estimates that the service contributed to saving 25 lives in 2005. The unit also helps the Marine Casualty Investigation Board as part of their investigations into accidents at sea.

O2 Ireland launched a new call-trace system in November 2005 to help it provide call data to the emergency services.

We are active in schools on crime prevention and safety issues for children in the UK, Germany and the Isle of Man and participate, for example, in the UK’s HM’s Prison Service’s Prison Me – No Way! campaign to help young people avoid mobile phone crime.

We publish leaflets to alert people to the issues of mobile handset theft and personal safety.