Undercover policing has come under recent fire as long-term and costly surveillance operations of peaceful environmental movements have come to light. In one case, an undercover officer, Mark Kennedy, switched sides to give evidence in court on behalf of the protest group that he had infiltrated. A number of undercover officers have also been found to have formed intimate relationships with campaigners to gather information, and campaigners consider this a particularly serious breach of trust.
Sir Hugh, president of ACPO,
acknowledged that the police can only be effective if their role is seen as
legitimate by the great majority of population – when the public has concerns
about policing methods, they must be examined and remedied swiftly.
In a robust
40 minute question and answer session, Sir Hugh took questions from three of the
protestors whose group was infiltrated by Kennedy. They asked about the use of
intimate relationships in undercover policing and how the protest group’s
actions had been represented by the police in the media. While he could not
elaborate on specifics of particular cases while reviews are underway, he
offered to come back after the reviews are complete to talk through the details
with the activists. Shami promised to remind him of and facilitate that offer
when the time comes!
Journalists
from Channel 4 News, the Guardian, the Daily Mail and the Evening Standard also
had questions for Sir Hugh, including whether there exists a central codified
manual for undercover policing, what oversight exists for corporate espionage,
and who is ultimately responsible for the deployment of undercover officers.
Sir Hugh’s speech showed real willingness in senior policing to restore transparency and legitimacy to the force. The latest revelations, along with policing tactics at the G20 and subsequent university fees protests have undermined public trust in the police’s ability to serve and protect. We hope that his call leads to action, and soon.
