Lord Bracadale named a Surveillance Commissioner

Court of Session judge Lord Bracadale has been appointed to the panel of senior figures overseeing the interception and surveillance activities of the police and security services.

As a Surveillance Commissioner in Scotland he joins a team of six under the former Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, the Chief Surveillance Commissioner, which keeps under review the activities of property interference, intrusive surveillance, directed surveillance and covert human intelligence sources under the Police Act 1997 and Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. It is understood that he will succeed one of the existing Scottish Commissioners, Lord Bonomy and Lord MacLean.

A judge since 2003, Lord Bracadale (Alastair Campbell) was elevated to the Inner House in 2013.

His appointment comes against a background of findings of breach of proper practice by Police Scotland in attempting to trace the source of leaks of information to a newspaper about an investigation into the murder of a prostitute. 

Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur, the party's justice spokesperson, has accused the police of playing "fast and loose with the rules to identify journalistic sources".