Undercover police unit closed down over unjustified surveillance, spycops inquiry told
Summary
An undercover police unit called the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) was shut down after it was found to be spying unjustifiably on political activists, especially leftwing groups. The unit caused harm by spying on people who posed no threat, including grief-stricken families, and engaging in abusive behavior, such as secretly forming intimate relationships.Key Facts
- The SDS spied on tens of thousands of political activists, mostly from leftwing and pro-Palestinian groups.
- Senior officer Jon Boutcher decided to shut down the unit because it conducted unjustified surveillance and was poorly managed.
- Very few undercover officers were assigned to infiltrate actual terrorist groups, despite growing terrorism threats.
- SDS officers sometimes formed intimate relationships without revealing their true identity, causing harm to vulnerable women.
- The SDS spied on grieving families, like those of Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent man killed by police in 2005.
- The unit operated for about 40 years, infiltrating groups by assuming fake identities for around four years each deployment.
- The SDS exaggerated its successes and poorly handled public funds, with officers claiming excessive overtime pay.
- The unit was poorly trained; almost all officers refused further training before it was disbanded.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
