MEMBERS of the public need more protection from the 'intrusive' powers of undercover police, an influential group of MPs has warned following a controversial case in Nottingham.
Striking up sexual relationships and the "ghoulish" use of dead children's identities by police has led to calls for an urgent review of legislation, the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee said.
A raft of allegations have been made about undercover policing since former PC Mark Kennedy was unmasked in 2011 as an officer who spied on environmental protesters in Nottingham as long-haired dropout Mark Stone. His involvement in the group led to the collapse of a trial of six people charged with planning a protest at Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station.
Committee chairman Keith Vaz MP said: "We are not satisfied the current legislative framework provides adequate protection against police infiltration into ordinary peoples' lives – a far more intrusive surveillance than any listening device or hidden camera."
Five women and one man are suing the Met Police over alleged intimate relationships with undercover police officers, including cases where children have been fathered.
The committee said the terrible impact on the women's lives was "beyond doubt" with "risk to their psychological wellbeing", adding "there are some lines police officers must not cross".
In its interim report, the committee called for an urgent review of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act as there was an "alarming level of inconsistency" among ministers and senior police officers over the limits of the law.
It added: "We do not believe that officers should enter into intimate, physical sexual relationships while using their false identities undercover without clear, prior authorisation, which should only be given in the most exceptional circumstances."
A Home Office spokesman said: "As the Home Affair Select Committee acknowledges, undercover police operations are a vital element of the fight against organised crime, but it is crucial covert powers are used proportionately and that effective human rights safeguards are in place.
"The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act already provides strong safeguards but we recognise the system can be improved."