Brendan O'Friel (pictured) has been re-appointed as the Isle of Man’s Surveillance Commissioner for a further three years by the Department of Home Affairs.

Retired UK prison governor Mr O’Friel was the first appointee to the then new post in December 2006.

Mr O'Friel said of his re-appointment, "I am delighted to have the opportunity to continue to develop the role of the Surveillance Commissioner, trying to balance the needs of the community with the rights of the individual."

The Surveillance Commissioner is responsible for providing an effective and efficient oversight of the conduct of covert surveillance and directed surveillance by public authorities, in accordance with the Regulation of Surveillance Etc. Act 2006.

The Department is also pleased to announce the appointment of Steven Coren as Deputy Surveillance Commissioner, to work in conjunction with Mr O'Friel, undertaking the same duties when the Surveillance Commissioner is unavailable.

Steven Coren is a lawyer specialising in public law.  Educated at Cambridge University, where he took the Constitutional Law Prize, Mr Coren has been called to the Bar of England and Wales, and has also completed the Manx Bar examinations.

Based at the law firm Moroneys, he advises in particular on Manx public, administrative and employment law, and also appears at tribunals and inquiries.

He commented, "Part of the function of the Surveillance Commissioner is to provide an independent scrutiny role.  This involves considering surveillance authorisations to ensure, for example, that they are necessary and proportionate. 

"It is a highly interesting area, and I am fortunate to be working alongside the present Commissioner."

Full details of the Surveillance Commissioner’s responsibilities and the annual reports he has produced can be found here.