Police officers infiltrated the lives of the Lawrences and their friends in order to get any information they could on their campaign for justice.
To stop this abuse of power Liberty has drafted the “Lawrence amendment” which we hope MPs will introduce to a bill currently making its way through Parliament. The amendment would ensure that all intrusive undercover policing operations would need to be signed off by a judge.
Stephen’s mother Doreen has appealed to Liberty members to help get the amendment into the bill. She says, “After my experience of undercover policing and their smear campaign of the family and others, I would urge all Liberty members to email their MP to support the amendment ahead of the next stage of parliamentary debate.”
Something has been seriously wrong with undercover policing in this country for a long time. These disgraceful practices have deceived innocent people for years – left children fatherless, ripped women’s lives apart and sought to sabotage campaigns for justice. As the work of individuals this would be shocking – that our state endorsed it is breathtaking. These abuses won’t stop until such operations are subject to proper oversight – only prior judicial authorisation and continuing review will suffice.
