Sir John Mitting published the first findings of his undercover policing inquiry at the end of June, eight years after Theresa May, then home secretary, announced the investigation in the wake of disturbing revelations about the infiltration of Stephen Lawrence’s family’s campaign for justice.
The interim report covers 14 years of covert policing activity by the Metropolitan Police from the end of the 1960s, and shines a light on the murky practices of its Special Demonstration Squad (SDS). It is a strikingly odd read: an historical document capturing the consequences of unchecked state power fuelled by Cold War paranoia, as well as recognition of a changed reality as the violence of the ‘the Troubles’ arrives in Great Britain.
Unjustified means
The SDS ran from 1968 to 2008 and was originally deployed to infiltrate left-wing political and activist groups. Recent concerns have been raised by journalists and activists, including women
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