Perhaps you are keeping a hive full of foreign
bees in the cupboard under the stairs.
Or maybe there's a secret pool in the back garden where seals
are breeding so quickly that a cull is necessary to control them.
Such events might seem inconceivable. Yet suspicion that either
is taking place would be enough excuse for a state official to
smash his way into your home.
An astonishing 266 laws exist giving powers not just to police
but to an extensive range of public officials to enter private
residences – by force if necessary – according to
the Centre for Policy Studies.
The centre-right think tank says its findings are proof that
an Englishman's home is no longer his castle.
They will also heighten fears that the country is drifting towards
a "Big Brother is watching you" surveillance state.
Harry Snook, author of the CPS pamphlet, said the bulk of the
powers had been created by Parliament over the last two decades.
Some are indisputably needed, such as seizing items which could
be used for committing a terrorist attack, or making an arrest.
But many are obscure, originating from the likes of the Scrap
Metal Dealers Act 1964, the Conservation of Seals Act 1970, and
the Bees Act of 1980.
The circumstances where officials can enter a private home include
to carry out a fact-finding mission for landmines, search for
material or tools related to nuclear explosions, measure rooms
to regulate overcrowding or check for unlicensed scrap metal dealing.
The Conservation of Seals Act allows the Secretary
of State for Agriculture immediate entry to a property, to check
if there are any seals living inside which may be "damaging
fish stocks". Refusing entry carries a £2,500 fine.
The 1952 Hypnotism Act allows inspectors inside to check if any
entertainment taking place breaks the law covering hypnotism stage
acts.
Refusing entry to an official who wants to check for foreign
bees hidden in the house, which are banned in the UK under the
Bees Act 1980, carries a £1,000 fine.
The 1979 Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 allows customs
officers, a police officer or a coastguard to enter any property
by force if it is suspected the householder is giving a signal
to smugglers that the coast is clear by, for example, shining
a light.
Mr Snook said: "The law of entry as it currently stands
is failing citizens. It fails to protect them from overzealous
officials, provide them with simple and consistent rules on when
someone can enter their home, and ensure that such incidents are
properly recorded.
"Every power of entry is a disruption of a citizen's right
to privacy in his or her home in favour of the interests of the
State.
"With 266 powers in force and more contemplated, it is high
time for Parliament to put its own house in order – and
give its citizens security in theirs."
In a further "Big Brother" development plain-clothes
snoopers are being paid £30,000 a year to track down homeowners
who put their rubbish out at the wrong time of the week or in
the wrong place.
The "envirocrime" officers are employed to enforce
environmental regulations and have the power to fine residents
who "offend".
Ealing Council in West London is spending nearly £150,000
on recruiting and employing four new enforcement patrollers to
add to its 23- strong team monitoring "waste disposal"
regulations.
