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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/undercover-with-paul-lewis-and-rob-evans/2016/feb/08/police-facing-call-to-publish-list-of-their-undercover-spies
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| Police facing call to publish list of their undercover spies | Police facing call to publish list of their undercover spies |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| More than a hundred individuals who will play a key role in the public inquiry into undercover policing have called for a list of police spies to be disclosed. | More than a hundred individuals who will play a key role in the public inquiry into undercover policing have called for a list of police spies to be disclosed. |
| The 133 individuals are also calling for a list of political groups that were infiltrated by the police spies to be made public. | The 133 individuals are also calling for a list of political groups that were infiltrated by the police spies to be made public. |
| They have come together to send a collective letter to Lord Justice Pitchford, the judge who is heading the inquiry examining the infiltration of political organisations by undercover police units since 1968. | They have come together to send a collective letter to Lord Justice Pitchford, the judge who is heading the inquiry examining the infiltration of political organisations by undercover police units since 1968. |
| In their letter, the individuals who were spied on by the undercover units argue that police should be instructed to disclose the two lists as soon as possible “as a fundamental requirement for the inquiry’s success”. | In their letter, the individuals who were spied on by the undercover units argue that police should be instructed to disclose the two lists as soon as possible “as a fundamental requirement for the inquiry’s success”. |
| “Without this basic information, it is effectively impossible for the inquiry to have a full picture of undercover policing,” they write. | “Without this basic information, it is effectively impossible for the inquiry to have a full picture of undercover policing,” they write. |
| How much information the police will be compelled to disclose by Pitchford is likely to be a crucial issue in the inquiry. | How much information the police will be compelled to disclose by Pitchford is likely to be a crucial issue in the inquiry. |
| The inquiry is currently holding a series of preliminary hearings. The substantive hearings at which evidence will be heard are not scheduled to start before the summer. | The inquiry is currently holding a series of preliminary hearings. The substantive hearings at which evidence will be heard are not scheduled to start before the summer. |
| In their letter to Pitchford, the individuals call for a list of the fake names used by the undercover officers to be made public (rather than their real identities). | In their letter to Pitchford, the individuals call for a list of the fake names used by the undercover officers to be made public (rather than their real identities). |
| Related: Lisa Jones, girlfriend of undercover policeman Mark Kennedy: ‘I thought I knew him better than anyone’ | Related: Lisa Jones, girlfriend of undercover policeman Mark Kennedy: ‘I thought I knew him better than anyone’ |
| It is estimated that more than 100 undercover police officers have been sent to infiltrate political groups since 1968. However, given that estimate, only around 10 per cent of them have been brought to light so far. | It is estimated that more than 100 undercover police officers have been sent to infiltrate political groups since 1968. However, given that estimate, only around 10 per cent of them have been brought to light so far. |
| Nearly all have been exposed following investigations by the campaigners they had infiltrated and journalists. | Nearly all have been exposed following investigations by the campaigners they had infiltrated and journalists. |
| In their letter, the 133 individuals urge Pitchford to ensure that the inquiry looks beyond the undercover officers who have been unmasked so that it fulfils the broad remit it has been given. | In their letter, the 133 individuals urge Pitchford to ensure that the inquiry looks beyond the undercover officers who have been unmasked so that it fulfils the broad remit it has been given. |
| Police have admitted that at least 460 political groups have been infiltrated since 1968, but have not made public a list. | Police have admitted that at least 460 political groups have been infiltrated since 1968, but have not made public a list. |
| The letter from the 133 individuals points out that there are “hundreds of organisations who still have no idea that they were spied upon. This means the overwhelming majority of individuals and organisations targeted since 1968 have had no opportunity to consider the possible consequences of the actions of undercover officers on their work and cannot currently participate as witnesses.” | The letter from the 133 individuals points out that there are “hundreds of organisations who still have no idea that they were spied upon. This means the overwhelming majority of individuals and organisations targeted since 1968 have had no opportunity to consider the possible consequences of the actions of undercover officers on their work and cannot currently participate as witnesses.” |
| The signatories are also pressing to be given the reports that the police compiled on them. | The signatories are also pressing to be given the reports that the police compiled on them. |
| One of the signatories is Kate Wilson, who successfully sued police after she discovered that she had been deceived into a two-year relationship with undercover spy Mark Kennedy (listen here to her testimony). She said: “It was only by chance that we found out Mark’s real identity. I might just as easily have been one of the hundreds who still don’t know. Everyone abused deserves the truth, not just those who happen to stumble upon it”. | One of the signatories is Kate Wilson, who successfully sued police after she discovered that she had been deceived into a two-year relationship with undercover spy Mark Kennedy (listen here to her testimony). She said: “It was only by chance that we found out Mark’s real identity. I might just as easily have been one of the hundreds who still don’t know. Everyone abused deserves the truth, not just those who happen to stumble upon it”. |
| Another signatory is Stafford Scott, the former co-ordinator of the Broadwater Farm Defence Campaign (set up by the community following disturbances on the north London estate in 1985 - for background, see this). He said: “We don’t know who spied on us or what they did whilst among us. We want the names that officers used whilst undercover so that we can begin to understand what the real purpose of the [undercover] infiltration was.” | Another signatory is Stafford Scott, the former co-ordinator of the Broadwater Farm Defence Campaign (set up by the community following disturbances on the north London estate in 1985 - for background, see this). He said: “We don’t know who spied on us or what they did whilst among us. We want the names that officers used whilst undercover so that we can begin to understand what the real purpose of the [undercover] infiltration was.” |
| Police chiefs refuse to release the names of undercover officers as they have a policy of neither confirming nor denying the identity of their covert operatives. Their argument is that this policy is used to protect covert tactics, and the lives and wellbeing of the undercover officers, their families and others. (A submission to the inquiry by the government on the doctrinal basis of this policy can be read here). | Police chiefs refuse to release the names of undercover officers as they have a policy of neither confirming nor denying the identity of their covert operatives. Their argument is that this policy is used to protect covert tactics, and the lives and wellbeing of the undercover officers, their families and others. (A submission to the inquiry by the government on the doctrinal basis of this policy can be read here). |
| Related: Undercover police spied on grieving families of De Menezes, Groce and Reel | Related: Undercover police spied on grieving families of De Menezes, Groce and Reel |
| The signatories to the letter argue that the police’s ‘neither confirm nor deny’ policy “is less about protecting individuals and far more about blocking exposure of misdeeds” and is “untenable in a transparent public inquiry.” | The signatories to the letter argue that the police’s ‘neither confirm nor deny’ policy “is less about protecting individuals and far more about blocking exposure of misdeeds” and is “untenable in a transparent public inquiry.” |
| They add: “We appreciate that the police will use every possible argument against providing greater openness and transparency, although there is no evidence that the public exposure of any undercover officer to date has either placed them at personal risk or posed any threat to national security.” | They add: “We appreciate that the police will use every possible argument against providing greater openness and transparency, although there is no evidence that the public exposure of any undercover officer to date has either placed them at personal risk or posed any threat to national security.” |
| Those who have signed the letter have been granted the status of “core participants” in the inquiry by Pitchford. This means that they are seen as having a central role in the inquiry and are, for example, represented by a lawyer. Around 200 individuals have so far been given this status. | Those who have signed the letter have been granted the status of “core participants” in the inquiry by Pitchford. This means that they are seen as having a central role in the inquiry and are, for example, represented by a lawyer. Around 200 individuals have so far been given this status. |
| Last summer, Doreen Lawrence, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, called for undercover officers who infiltrated political campaigns and spied on her family to be identified. Her call - made in an interview with the Guardian - can be read here. | Last summer, Doreen Lawrence, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, called for undercover officers who infiltrated political campaigns and spied on her family to be identified. Her call - made in an interview with the Guardian - can be read here. |
| Meanwhile it is worth reading this article by writer Laurie Penny which was published in the New Statesman magazine last week. It is an eloquent and powerful critique of how the undercover police abused the women who were deceived into intimate relationships. | Meanwhile it is worth reading this article by writer Laurie Penny which was published in the New Statesman magazine last week. It is an eloquent and powerful critique of how the undercover police abused the women who were deceived into intimate relationships. |
| “The women who were betrayed and exploited by police officers are the first victims of this outrage - but everyone with a stake in civil society has a right to answers. Until we know how the police are operating, until we know who is watching us and why, the public cannot give informed consent to be governed - and that’s a violation of everyone’s dignity,” she concludes. | “The women who were betrayed and exploited by police officers are the first victims of this outrage - but everyone with a stake in civil society has a right to answers. Until we know how the police are operating, until we know who is watching us and why, the public cannot give informed consent to be governed - and that’s a violation of everyone’s dignity,” she concludes. |
| UPDATED : A copy of the text of the letter can be found here. |