Spycops Inquiry to hear evidence of Freedom infiltration
Undercover Roger Pearce — later head of the Special Demonstration Squad — attempted to link anarchist paper to Northern Irish republicans in the 1980s
Undercover Roger Pearce — later head of the Special Demonstration Squad — attempted to link anarchist paper to Northern Irish republicans in the 1980s
The public inquiry into Britain’s political secret police – the Undercover Policing Inquiry, or UCPI – is finally beginning this summer. Here’s a bit about what we know and what to expect. The Undercover Policing Inquiry is an independent, judge-led inquiry into undercover policing in England and Wales. Its main focus is the activity of
Former spycop turned whistleblower Peter Francis has declared he won’t have anything more to do with the Undercover Policing Inquiry’s anonymity applications from his former colleagues. Francis, who infiltrated anti-racist groups in the 1990s and spied on the loved ones of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, says the public inquiry is protecting the guilty and concealing the
Freedom’s recently uncovered links to the scandal of Metropolitan Police officers infiltrating and manipulating peaceful radical groups are just part of a series of major revelations and events swirling around the Undercover Policing Inquiry over the last week. The probe into police spying against over 1,000 organisations over a 40-year period has seen multiple new
The Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance reports on the Scottish government decision yesterday that it will not probe the political undercover policing scandal. The announcement by Justice Secretary Michael Matheson came hours after he finally published a report into undercover policing in Scotland. The review had been conducted by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland. It had
Researchers for the Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance (COPS) warned today that, following the first major release of papers by controversial new spycop inquiry chief Sir John Mitting, it looks like the Met may be successful in hiding the names of officers linked to their disgraced undercover operations team. COPS has finished analysing a large release of papers
In a double-whammy ruling Sir Christopher Pitchford has said his inquiry into misconduct by police undercovers will hear no formal evidence before the second half of 2019 — but exonerated the Met of using delaying tactics. The news has astonished participants in the Inquiry, which was opened in 2014 with a projected four-year timeframe but has already
Police Scotland has confirmed the existence of 1,168 files linked to the policing of protests in 2005 against the G8 in Scotland, including one described as holding “intelligence briefings” on spycops — prompting campaigners to raise new calls for a Scottish inquiry. A full inquiry into abuses carried out by the disgraced National Public Order Intelligence Unit
Having suspended a chaotic council meeting last week amid noisy protests demanding the resignation of former spycop (and current councillor) Andy Coles, Peterborough Mayor John Fox closed today’s planned meeting to the public entirely today fearing “equally disruptive” actions. Mayor Fox, who was himself a former police officer with the Cambridge force for 23 years
Sarah Hampton has become the latest woman abused by undercover police to secure an apology in the fallout from the spycops inquiry. Sarah is the eighth person to have received a formal “sorry” from the Metropolitan police for the actions of their officers, who repeatedly deceived women into beginning relationships while infiltrating activist groups in