Investigatory Powers Commissioner

The Investigatory Powers Commissioner is created by the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, which provides that a person cannot be appointed to the role unless they hold or have held high judicial office and are recommended jointly under the process the Act specifies. The current Investigatory Powers Commissioner is the Rt Hon Sir Brian Leveson, who succeeded Sir Adrian Fulford, the first person to hold the post, in October 2019.

The Investigatory Powers Commissioner's Office (IPCO), which the Commissioner heads, oversees the use of covert investigatory powers by more than 600 public authorities, including the UK's intelligence agencies, police, law enforcement agencies, local authorities, and prisons — independently reviewing applications to use the most intrusive of these powers and checking that all such powers are used in accordance with the law.

As well as chairing the double-lock authorisation process alongside other Judicial Commissioners, the Commissioner has a statutory obligation to inspect the use of investigatory powers, supported by a dedicated Inspectorate, and IPCO investigates potential cases of non-compliance reported to it as 'errors', assessing each for seriousness and using findings to inform policy changes and training.