266

This is the number of different ways that the UK state can legitimately gain access to your home, as found in a report by Harry Snook for the Centre of Policy Studies. In the report "Crossing the Threshold: 266 Ways the State Can Enter Your Home", Mr Snook says:

"As a result of the proliferation and variety of entry powers, a citizen cannot realistically be aware of the circumstances in which his home may be entered by state officials without his consent, or what rights he has in such circumstances."

Mr Snook concludes that these entry powers need to be harmonised, and that all state officials wanting to gain entry to a home should seek permission from the Court before doing so.

This report links in nicely with the emerging concerns over the coming into being of a surveillance society. See my previous post on the Information Commissioner's Office report on the surveillance society.

Links
News story in the Independent

Comments

[geeklawyer]

? The centre for policy studies link gives an error. And I'd quite like to read this (and I'm much too lazy to Google(TM))!

[Andrew Mills]

Alexio has fixed the link!