Landmark Tribunal Investigates Police Surveillance of Journalists

The tribunal will determine if covert surveillance by police forces in Northern Ireland was unlawful and violated press freedoms.

The Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) in London has begun hearings into allegations of unlawful police surveillance on journalists in Northern Ireland.
Journalists Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney, arrested in 2018 over a documentary on the Loughinisland killings, initiated the complaint.
The IPT will scrutinize actions by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Durham Constabulary, and the Met Police.
In 2020, a High Court ruling found that search warrants used against the journalists were wrongly obtained, leading to an apology and £875,000 in damages from the PSNI.
The tribunal will also review claims of broader spying activities, including the PSNI's alleged routine monitoring of journalists' phone data.