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I kinda agree - probably beefed up a bit to make it more watchable for the viewers.
Copied from Wiki:
//// Where possible the Hunters try to use the same methods of surveillance employed by the state, including open source intelligence, cyber expertise and interrogating friends and family. When the Hunters did not legally have access to those powers, such as CCTV and ANPR, the powers have been replicated for the show. ////
and:
//// Each Fugitive was filmed by a dedicated camera person who followed the Fugitives wherever they went. While filming, the production team were split so that the team working with the Hunters were separate from the team working with the Fugitives to prevent information passing between the groups and to provide a more realistic experience. During production there were over 800 Freedom of Information requests submitted to find the location of state owned CCTV cameras positioned throughout the UK mainland. When real footage couldn’t be obtained, Channel 4 owned cameras captured footage which would have been available to the state and it was stored on a central database for the Hunters to access if they wished. However, they had to "officially" request the information as if it was a real fugitive hunt.[17] The Hunters were overseen by an independent adjudicator, former Head of Covert Operations for the Metropolitan Police, Kevin O’Leary, whose job was to make sure that the information requested and gathered by the Hunters reflected the information that would be available to them in real life and within the appropriate time frame. He was the only person who had the power to release information to the Hunters and would only do so when he considered that the Hunters had done sufficient detective work to justify the access to the information. ////
I can't find the info at the mo, but as I recall, they all start off with a bank account with £250 in and they have, at some point, to make a withdrawal. The rules also state that they have to keep moving, so they can't just set up camp in the middle of nowhere and hide for the full duration .... and I think that the rules also state that they have to make contact with a family member or a close friend.