* Spycops (noun): Secret undercover political police who infiltrate protests, particularly the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS 1968-2008) and the National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU 1999-2010) - currently the subject of the Undercover Policing Inquiry (UCPI).
Since May 1968, thousands of people have been targeted by the UK secret police in what has been dubbed ‘the spycops scandal’.
Undercover police officers stole the identities of dead children. Infiltrating campaign groups in the name of averting ‘subversion’ and ‘public disorder’. They targeted grieving families of those killed in racist attacks demanding justice - like Stephen Lawrence’s parents, activists opposing war, fascism and inequality, and all kinds of ordinary people campaigning for a better society.
Read more about the History
Officers deceived more than 60 women into sexual relationships. Intimate private information was shared with MI5, corporations and blacklisting organisations. These tactics sabotaged protests, spread misinformation, and subverted democracy, leading to miscarriages of justice, wrongful convictions and destroyed personal lives.
In October 2010, the first officer to be exposed was Mark Kennedy who as ‘Mark Stone’ infiltrated environmental activists. He failed to withdraw when his police deployment came to an end and continued as a spy for the private sector.
Other unmasked officers include Bob Lambert who as ‘Bob Robinson’ deceived multiple women and even fathered a child while undercover, disappearing after his deployment was over. He also co-authored the anti-McDonald's leaflet that led to McLibel, the longest trial in English history. John Dines, who as ‘John Barker’ targeted numerous groups and deceived the activist Helen Steel into a long term relationship. Andy Coles who as ‘Andy Davey’ infiltrated animal rights groups, was exposed by his brother the Reverend Richard Coles mentioning the spy work in his autobiography.
This sparked legal challenges from the women deceived into long term sexual relationships as activists started to campaign against these undercover deployments exposing the units, building detailed profiles of who they were and how they operated.
The Inquiry
In response to public outcry, then Home Secretary Theresa May announced a public inquiry in March 2014. It took until November 2020 to start hearings, due to the Metropolitan Police Service attempting to keep undercover policing activities as covert as possible.
Some of the undercover officers have been granted anonymity over both real and cover identities, obscuring which groups they infiltrated. Many hearings take place in private, or are so secret that even the ‘non-state core participants’ affected by the deployments don’t know they are happening. The inquiry has missed repeated deadlines and is not expected to deliver a final report for many years.
Activists keep pushing for the inquiry to be transparent, robust and comprehensive, using social media to expose the revelations every day the inquiry is sitting.
What can you do?
You can follow updates as they happen on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Telegram. You can listen to the Spycops Info Podcast below, or subscribe on your favourite podcast platform. You can also follow the progress of podcast host Tom Fowler as he attends every day of the inquiry or sign-up to our newsletter for the latest updates and inquiry news.
