site.btaSpecial Surveillance Measures Applied to 2,410 Individuals in 2024, National Bureau Reports

In 2024, special surveillance measures (SSMs) were applied to 2,410 individuals, according to the annual report of the National Special Intelligence Means Control Bureau published on Wednesday. This marks a slight decrease compared to 2,493 individuals in 2023.

No special surveillance measures were requested or applied against magistrates.

Over the year, the Bureau received 48 complaints from citizens claiming unlawful use of SSMs. Of these, 34 investigations were completed, and 14 were dismissed due to lack of grounds. No cases of improper use were found.

In the same period, courts received a total of 4,513 requests to apply SSMs, with 774 refusals issued. The number of requests increased by 173 compared to 2023, while the number of individuals subject to SSMs dropped by 83, and the procedures to identify individuals decreased by 16. Most requests (over 86%) were initiated by the Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor’s Office.

According to the report, common reasons for refusal included insufficient justification of criminal activity, lack of connection between the target and alleged crime, unclear reasoning for requested operational methods, and inadequate identification of authorized officials to receive results.

The most frequent use of SSMs was in investigations related to organized crime groups, drug offences, thefts, fraud, customs offences, excise goods, and human trafficking.

In 2024, the methods applied included surveillance in 1,230 cases, wiretapping in 3,485 cases, tracking in 1,208 cases, correspondence checks in 30 cases, and undercover agents in 31 cases.

Despite ongoing meetings and guidelines from the Bureau, operators and supervising prosecutors continue to violate legal requirements when preparing SSM requests, the report noted.

The Bureau highlighted multiple refusals by judges citing several deficiencies in the requests or in applications to extend surveillance.