British Political Policing - 460 Political Groups Infiltrated Over 4 Decades

BRITISH POLITICAL POLICING 460 Political Groups Infiltrated Over 4 Decades London police lied about stats to get taxpayer money, probe finds Published time: 21 Jun, 2016 19:52 Edited time: 21 Jun, 2016 19:53 Police officers from London’s Met who ran an intelligence operation that infiltrated hundreds of political groups exaggerated the success of their work, according to a high-level police report. Managers of the secretive Scotland Yard unit, which is known as the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), were found to have exaggerated the validity of intelligence obtained by undercover officers, the internal inquiry found. What’s more, the inquiry also suggested the SDS overemphasized the achievements of the unit in order to get public funding. Although the findings were sent to Metropolitan police commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe last year, they were kept secret until now, the Guardian reports. The latest report adds to mounting criticism of the British police after undercover officers infiltrated over 460 political groups spanning over four decades. Many undercover spies were found to have formed long-term relationships with women during operations and officers that gathered intelligence on relatives of the murdered teenager Stephen Laurence and families campaigning for justice, but concealed evidence in court cases. A large percentage of the officers controversially stole the identities of dead children to form their fake identities, without permission from the families of the deceased. READ MORE: Police spies ‘violated human rights’ of women tricked into sexual relationships The behavior of undercover police emerged after 2010 when journalists and political activists led investigations into events, prompting senior police figures to set up an internal inquiry in 2013, led by Derbyshire chief constable Mike Creedon. Last year, Creedon sent a “restricted” report to Hogan-Howe, outlining an update on the inquiry and was released to the Guardian through a Freedom of Information request. Creedon said there was evidence of SDS managers exaggerating their actions and achievements. “Evidence of SDS managers clearly exaggerating the involvement of SDS officers and the value of their intelligence has been discovered and certainly for the first two decades of the unit there was an annual report to the commissioner [of the Metropolitan Police] and the Home Office to ensure continued funding,” he said. Though Creedon did not provide any examples, he added: “This would not be the only occasion where members of a unit embellished their importance and success in order to secure finance.” A hearing is to be held on Wednesday to determine if police should inform parents of the dead children that their identities were stolen. While only a few names of officers who adopted these identities have been revealed, a ruling in favor of releasing the spies’ names could lead to transparency in identifying many others. https://www.rt.com/uk/347671-london-police-lied-taxpayers/ COMMENT Some 'democracy' this is.  No wonder there's never any change.  It's suppressed.

British Undercover Police Surveillance of Unions & Collusion in Blacklisting 1,000 Workers

MIRROR ARTICLE Police 'spying' whistleblower admits to MPs that he infiltrated six trade unions     18:41, 13 March 2015     By Mark Ellis , Steve Doohan The revelation by former Special Demonstration Squad officer Peter Francis has piled further pressure on Home Secretary Theresa May to widen inquiry into undercover policing [ ... ] Pressure: Unions want Home Secretary Theresa May's inquiry into undercover policing to cover a wider remit An undercover cop turned whistleblower has admitted to MPs for the first time that he spied on six unions. The revelation by Peter Francis, a former officer with the Metropolitan Police's controversial Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), has piled pressure on the government to widen the remit of a judge-led public inquiry. Campaigners and union leaders claim the move is the only way to discover the extent of police involvement and collusion in the blacklisting of thousands of construction workers. Home Secretary Theresa May this week ordered an investigation into undercover police work and the SDS over the last 40 years by Appeal Court judge, Lord Justice Pitchford, Speaking at a House of Commons reception, Mr Francis admitted that he spied on the National Union of Students, Unison, the National Union of Teachers, the building workers’ union UCATT, the firefighter’s union FBU and the Communication Workers’ Union. He said it was an opportunity to “unreservedly apologise” to all the union members he spied on and he said the Home Secretary’s investigation must look into blacklisting and police collusion. Blacklisting came to light when in 2009 the Information Commissioner’s Office seized a database of names of 3,213 construction workers and environmental activists. It was held by the now-closed down Consulting Association (TCA) and its files were used by 44 companies to vet new recruits and block trade union and health and safety activists from getting jobs. Mr Francis added: ”Police spying on political activists has destroyed lives and that I, most unfortunately and regrettably, played a part in this.” GMB national officer Justin Bowden said “The decision by Peter Francis to blow the whistle on undercover police spying on five further unions is to be congratulated. “Until all the information about the undercover spying activities of the police is fully in the public domain, and the police held to account for their activities, trust cannot even begin to be restored. “The latest revelations from Peter Francis highlight exactly why it is essential that Lord Justice Pitchford’s inquiry into undercover policing and the operation of the Metropolitan Police’s controversial Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), must also include blacklisting.” http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/police-spying-whistleblower-admits-mps-5329601 Thought this was a pretty cool article because it exposes police interference with groups exercising their political and other basic rights in Britain. Government might play at (a) being distanced and (b) conducting an enquiry, but the police force is under the control of the government and I don't buy for one minute that this is the work of some rogue police unit that's not accountable to those above, all the way to politicians and intelligence personnel. This is just more of the same; only they've got caught. Interesting to see who has been targeted.  It looks like the British authorities go after just about any kind of target - ie the harassment is wide-sweeping. Blacklisting is an added *ugly* factor.  Hope the people affected by this get a nice, big payout. Regardless of the inquiry, don't expect anything to change.