Most of them can’t even save a word document as a PDF.

What does it matter what real people can or can’t do? The article and topic is about police abusing innocent people by spying on them. The fact that they aren’t able to do the things you’re justifying them getting accused of only makes it worse, to the degree it’s relevant at all.

As for the first bit? No idea, I’m not from London. But 700,000 requests potentially represent 700,000 complaints from people about alleged criminal activity.

The total number of offences in London for 2024 was 951803. Do you find it reasonable if 70% of those are anonymous online harassment?

But I can tell you now, no cop in the land has the time or inclination to start searching for this stuff unless its a crime thats been reported to them.

What about the 106 times they did it to “specifically identify journalists’ sources”? Did someone make a report for each of the 93527 LycaMobile users, which the article pretty convincingly suggests were targeted because they’re largely migrant workers?

Even if it was all legitimate, why does police need the power to search people’s communication without evidence? Why don’t they need warrants for communications data? Why don’t “intelligence and security spies” need warrants for communications content? Why are they allowed to do cavity searches for communication equipment without evidence of a crime?

if you become a victim how would you feel if the police simply responded “yeah we don’t know whos doing it and we aren’t gonna bother trying to find out, good luck”?

You’re loading the question with the assumption that no investigation can be done without reading the communications of 700000 Londoners, and that the rights of innocents should be at my digression if I’ve been victimised in any way.