Legal experts have said that police may be able to use the mobile phone information of rioters in order to catch and convict them following the disturbance the recent riots across England have caused.
It is understood that investigators will be able to request the contents of text and instant messages alongside location of individual devices.
BlackBerry smartphone manufacturer Research In Motion has already announced that it will work alongside investigators to identify user information which directly relates to criminal activity.
Over the last week, Research In Motion’s BBM instant messaging service has been identified as a method by which rioters have communicated with each other to coordinate their actions, alongside other social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) investigating police officers are able to apply for access to a customer’s phone records including information on location, details of all calls made and received and online activity.
However, the police will have to request a report for each suspect individually – a clause which creates a large amount of paperwork for the force.
The next few weeks will prove interesting in terms of police investigation and cleanup of the aftermath following the rioting.
