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Fake identities Fake identities
(30 days later)
One point about the use of dead children's birth certificates to create fake IDs for undercover policemen (Report, 7 February) that is not mentioned much is the question of why they did it at all? There is a well-established police procedure for this, involving the creation of totally fake IDs, including all official records (eg driving licences) and also bank accounts/credit cards (with co-operation from the banks). This is better than the method chosen as it allows such identities to be backdated to arbitrary earlier starting points and gives a much rounder history. The question is, why was it done this way? It seems difficult to avoid the conclusion that this was in large part a rogue operation by the units concerned, who knew they would never get a fake identity request past their superiors, but went ahead anyway by the alternative route.
Mark Austin
Mitcham, Surrey
One point about the use of dead children's birth certificates to create fake IDs for undercover policemen (Report, 7 February) that is not mentioned much is the question of why they did it at all? There is a well-established police procedure for this, involving the creation of totally fake IDs, including all official records (eg driving licences) and also bank accounts/credit cards (with co-operation from the banks). This is better than the method chosen as it allows such identities to be backdated to arbitrary earlier starting points and gives a much rounder history. The question is, why was it done this way? It seems difficult to avoid the conclusion that this was in large part a rogue operation by the units concerned, who knew they would never get a fake identity request past their superiors, but went ahead anyway by the alternative route.
Mark Austin
Mitcham, Surrey
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