8Form of authority

8 Form of authority

8 Form of authority

(1) An authority to conduct a controlled operation may be granted—

(a) by means of a written document, signed by the chief executive officer, or by means of a facsimile transmission of a document so signed (a formal authority), or

(b) by such other means as are available, including (but not limited to) orally in person, by telephone or by 2-way radio (an urgent authority).

(2) An authority, whether formal or urgent—

(a) must identify the operation by reference to the plan referred to in section 5(2A)(a), and

(b) must identify the principal law enforcement officer who is the person who is to conduct, and to have responsibility for, the operation, and

(b1) must identify the secondary law enforcement officer who is the person who is to conduct, and to have responsibility for, the operation whenever the principal law enforcement officer is unavailable to do so, and

(c) must identify each person who may engage in controlled activities for the purposes of the operation, and

(d) must state whether or not any such person may operate under an assumed name, and

(e) must identify—

(i) with respect to the law enforcement participants, the nature of the controlled activities that those participants may engage in, and

(ii) with respect to the civilian participants, the particular controlled activities (if any) that each such participant may engage in, and

(f) in respect of an urgent authority, must specify the period (not exceeding 72 hours) for which the authority is to remain in force, and

(g) in respect of a formal authority, must specify the period (not exceeding 6 months) for which the authority is to remain in force, and

(h) must specify any conditions to which the conduct of the operation is subject under section 6(1)(a).

(3) A person is sufficiently identified for the purposes of subsection (2)(b), (b1) or (c) if the person is identified—

(a) by an assumed name under which the person is operating, or