The Undercover Policing Inquiry (UCPI) Tranche 1 Interim Report, published today (Thursday, 29 June), details the Inquiry’s investigation into undercover policing operations conducted by the Met’s Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) between 1968 and 1982.
The SDS was set up in 1968 at a time of significant political and social change. It deployed undercover officers into groups that were suspected of being involved in public disorder, and that were assessed by the Security Service as having the ability or capacity to threaten the safety and wellbeing of the state.
The report acknowledges that some officers did important work, at personal risk, to gather intelligence to prevent future disorder.
The Chairman of the Inquiry found that in this period, “the great majority of deployed undercover officers and their operational managers performed their duties conscientiously and in the belief that what they were doing was lawful and in the interests of the public.”
However, the report also details unacceptable and immoral behaviour by some undercover officers during this period.
Their actions have left a legacy of hurt for some and undermined confidence in a vital policing tactic that continues to keep people safe.
Commander Jon Savell said: “We know that enormous distress has been caused, and I want to take this opportunity to reiterate the apologies made to women deceived by officers into sexual relationships, to the families of deceased children whose identities were used by officers, and to those who suffered a miscarriage of justice because of the actions of SDS officers.
“I want to reassure the public that undercover policing has undergone radical reform over the years, with greater regulation, professional codes of practice, and judicial oversight. The way in which undercover policing was conducted in the 1970s bears no relation to how it is conducted today.
“In today’s Met, we are setting clear expectations of all our people to create a Met Londoners can be proud of, and where damaging behaviour such as this is not tolerated.”
We are committed to working with the Inquiry to examine the conduct of our undercover officers throughout each stage of the Inquiry, and learning lessons from the findings.
Further details on the Met’s response to this part of the Inquiry can be found here – https://www.ucpi.org.uk/publications/closing-statement-mps-t1/
