Guardian: Police forces form regional surveillance units

Documents obtained by the Guardian reveal that earlier this month five forces – Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire – formed the East Midlands Technical Surveillance Unit (Emtsu) after a series of internal consultations that took place behind closed doors in March.

Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Waterfield of Nottinghamshire police wrote in an internal paper that the new £2m-a-year organisation would improve access to hi-tech surveillance as well as the planting of bugs.

"Emtsu will provide Nottinghamshire with a 'one-stop shop' approach to covert forensics, covert hi-tech crime and specialist support unit, which will include covert entry into premises, covert search and the deployment of intrusive surveillance methods," he said.