UK House of Commons discuss pirate radio today (part two)

In October 2005, Ofcom conducted Operation Crystal in London, in which 18 of its field operation staff worked with 32 Metropolitan police officers.

Considerable resources were therefore devoted to that operation, in which 53 illegal broadcaster transmitters were seized and 17 transmitters and aerials disabled. Some 43 mobile and landline telephone numbers linked to illegal
broadcasting operations were gathered for further investigation, which led to a 57 per cent. drop in the number of broadcasts that week. However, I do not think that anyone was arrested at all.

Similarly, in Operation Clavicord, which ran in Birmingham between 30 November and 1 December 2005, 12 Ofcom field operation staff worked with seven West Midlands police
officers. Three people were arrested, and 10 illegal broadcaster transmitters were removed. Six studios were raided, and equipment was seized. Efforts have therefore been made to tackle the problem, and they were recently strengthened when Ofcom restructured its field operation unit.

Ofcom is looking at the bigger strategy, too, and it has opened discussions with King's College London on research to understand the motivation of individuals who choose to manage and operate illegal broadcasting stations.
Interestingly, it is considering market research on the radio audience to determine the popularity of pirate radio.

Stephen Pound (Ealing, North) (Lab): I really do not want to appear unnecessarily curmudgeonly, but the thought of spending public or private money analysing why these people want to fill their boots with their ill-gotten gains, sell their drugs and present themselves as figures of importance in their local communities is just about the most total and utter waste of money that I have ever heard of. We have heard from the hon. Member for Hornchurch (James Brokenshire) why they are doing it. We do not need a
university department to analyse it. What we want is people to kick down the doors and put them out of business.

Margaret Hodge: Ofcom would probably say that what we need to do is kick down the right doors, although when I read that part of my brief the same point did occur to me. Perhaps more important is to undertake research into why people listen to the pirate radio stations and use that intelligence to determine how to allocate spectrum in the future so that one takes away the market and hence the profitability of running a pirate radio station.

The Government of course have a role to play in combating pirate radio, and officials in my Department have recently discussed pirate radio issues among other things with the Commercial Radio Companies Association, in particular in the context of how those illegal operations affected its members. That was followed up with a meeting with the regulators on 18 May 2006 where officials met Ofcom colleagues to go through the general issues around pirate radio as Ofcom sees them and to establish what they are doing on a long-term strategic basis to try to reduce the problem.

If a summit is organised to consider these issues, it is appropriate that a Government official should be present, and if and when we receive details, I will ensure that somebody attends. This matter is a high priority, and I
repeat that the policing of all these offences in relation to the communications industry is important to individuals who receive unwanted telephone calls or faxes. That creates more of a postbag for me and probably other hon. Members than perhaps the pirate radio issue, although I do understand the concern that that causes to the industry.

James Brokenshire: The CRCA is using its own resources to back up the enforcement activities through the courts. I hear what the Minister says, but if the CRCA is having to use its own money to obtain injunctions to add to the court process to make the enforcement stick, clearly there is an issue there.

Margaret Hodge: Clearly we need to keep the regulatory framework under constant review. I noted from the hon. Gentleman's contribution how the CRCA is perhaps more effective than Ofcom in tracking down the individuals
concerned because the difficulty in the policing exercise is that it is easier to confiscate the equipment than it is to identify and charge the individuals. Again, if there is something that we need to learn from the CRCA activity we shall consider that.

No one expects the romantic view of pirate radio to disappear overnight. The association of the '60s DJs and pirate radio is deep set in some of our minds. But by continuing to investigate, raid and prosecute where we can
those involved, I hope that we will help to reduce what I agree is serious interference in radio and limit the problems associated with this criminal activity.

I should like to reassure the House that there will be continued pressure from Government to close down any such illegal activity, and the independent regulator will continue to devote his time, money and energy to combating pirate radio stations. I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on initiating a debate on the issue.

Question put and agreed to.

Adjourned accordingly at nine minutes past Nine o'clock.

SARC thanks Mike Terry for this article

• UK House of Commons discuss pirate radio today - part one