Guardian Video: Undercover Police Officer: ‘How I spied on the Stephen Lawrence campaign’ Title of Programme: Undercover Police Officer: ‘How I spied on the Stephen Lawrence campaign’ Duration: 7 minutes Source: http://www.theguardian.com/uk/video/2013/jun/24/undercover-policestephen-lawrence-video Synopsis: In extracts from a joint Guardian and Channel 4 Dispatches investigation broadcast on Channel 4, police whistle blower Peter Francis reveals disturbing details about his undercover deployment Transcribed by: Jessi Gutch, 07512204384, jessicagutch@hotmail.co.uk Date finished: 04/01/14 KEY: PL: Paul Lewis PF: Peter Francis DL: Doreen Lawrence
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PF: They wanted any intelligence that could have smeared the campaign, yes, there is this general remit, so had I, through my circles, come up with something along the lines of they, the family, were political activists, someone in the family was involved in demonstrations, drug dealers, anything. What they would have done with the intelligence I can’t call it, but that is our remit, not just for them, that is always our remit when we’re out there PL: My colleague Rob Evans and I have been investigating undercover policing for two and a half years. It’s a story of two secret units and how they use sex, lies and smear tactics against political activists PL: The story began in 2011 when activists revealed how police officer Mark Kennedy had spent seven years spying on them. He had long-term sexual relationships with several women. Since then we’ve established the identities of more undercover police PL: Bob Lambert, undercover in the 1980s, fathered a child with the woman he was spying on. John Dynes; Mike Chitty; Mark Jenner Jim Boyling; Mark O’Jacobs and Lynn Watson; the only known woman police spy. All of them are accused of having sexual relationships with activists PL: But the story doesn’t end there. Earlier this year we revealed how undercover police have been adopting the identities of dead children. One source of that revelation was a whistle blower. He told us that he and fellow undercover police officers had used the identities to create false aliases. He worked for the Special
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Demonstration Squad Secret Unit posing as an anti racist campaigner. He lived undercover for four years in the mid 1990s. Speaking using his alter ego Pete Black, he’s been a confidential source. Now he’s decided to speak out PF: I personally have stepped down from the shadows and come forward basically to call for a full public boarding on a judicial inquiry something either inquiry to look into what the SDS has been doing from 1968 until its closure in 2008 PL: The murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993 was a Watershed moment in British policing. The Metropolitan Police came under intense scrutiny. Francis was told to monitor the political campaign surrounding Lawrence’s death PL: Did you ever pick up anything about family members that you then passed back? PF: Yeah there were rumours and conjecture that the family themselves may not have been a loving, caring home that was passed on, er, about the family that, um, could have been used, may have been used, if they were really desperate to try and smear the family PL: Francis was also asked to comment on intelligence that was coming directly from the Lawrence family home PF: The family liaison officer who is in Stephen Lawrence’s house was taking all the details of all the family members who were there, all the visitors who actually gave their details, some would have refused to give their details. This then was passed to the Area of Special Branch, the Area of Special Branch then passed it through the Special Branch to the Special Demonstration Squad and we were asked to comment on these individuals, whether or not, in their words, they were politicos or who they were. The purpose was for us to be able to formulate the intelligence on who was going to the house with regards to which part of the political spectrum, if at any, they were actually in PL: So they wanted you and the other SDS officers to give them information about the political persuasion of the individuals who were visiting the family’s home? PF: A hundred percent, because that would then allow us to make the assessment which way this campaign was likely to go in the public disorder arena PL: There is no suggestion the family liaison officers knew how the information would be used PL: Why did you think the family liaison officer wanted the names of people visiting your house? DL: We weren’t linked to any political groups, you know, we weren’t linked to any of them. So at the time we would have had no idea as to the reason why they were asking a question or why they were suspicious of anybody who was in our house. Um, political groups, no, nothing can justify the whole thing about trying to discredit the family and people around us PL: When he was undercover Francis met Stephen Lawrence’s close friend Duwayne Brooks. He was also the main witness to the
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murder PL: Francis says he took part in an effort to discredit Brooks. He was asked to find footage of Brooks at a violent demonstration PF: Myself and another SDS officer went through the material we had, the media we had, and between us we identified him participating in some criminality, perceived criminality. This then was sent through the same chain of command, Special Branch, DI, DCI, out to division again, and the decision was obviously made to go and arrest Duwayne for said offences PL: Did they seem pleased that you’d found out? PF: Yes, yes, they did seem pleased that we’d found out. I think also it provided probably the first in ever in the Stephen Lawrence campaign. This is a clear whiter than white campaign, can’t be tarnished, the public’s all behind it. All of a sudden Stephen Lawrence’s friend was actually a violent activist PL: A month after Francis found the footage locating Brooks at the protest, the teen was charged. A judge later threw out the case saying it was an abuse of process DL: Out of all the things I’ve found over the years this certainly has topped it. I suppose it just makes me really, really angry that all of this has been going on and all the time trying to undermine us as a family. Quite shocked PL: The Metropolitan Police said in a statement it recognises the seriousness of the allegations of inappropriate behaviour and practices involving past undercover deployments PL: The claims in relation to Stephen Lawrence’s family will bring particular upset to them and we share their concerns PL: Before said (?) it was conducting a thorough review and investigation into these matters PL: Operation Herne is a live investigation, four strands of which are being supervised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, and it would be inappropriate to pre-judge its findings PL: At some point it will fall upon this generation of police leaders to account for the activities of our predecessor, but for the moment we must focus on getting to the truth