14 Nov 2017
Today, Sir John Mitting, Chairman of the Undercover Policing Inquiry, is publishing a ‘Minded to’ note in respect of 24 former officers (PDF, 269KB) who served in the Special Operations Squad and Special Demonstrations Squad from 1968.
- For nine of the officers, the Chairman is minded to publish cover names (HN1, HN45, HN88, HN298, HN301, HN334, HN336, HN345 and HN347)
- For two officers the Chairman is minded to publish real names (HN127 and HN216)
- For one officer the Chairman is minded to publish both the real name and the cover name, but has said there will need to be a closed hearing on the matter (HN15)
- For seven officers the Chairman is not minded to publish the real or the cover name (HN17, HN23, HN40, HN64, HN241, HN337 and HN341)
- For five officers there are no cover names, and the Chairman is not minded to publish the real name (HN322, HN331, HN332, HN338, HN348)
Today’s ‘Minded to’ note is accompanied by an explanatory note from Inquiry counsel (PDF, 289KB). The ‘Minded to’ note is not accompanied by directions or additional documents at this time. The Inquiry has decided to publish these ‘Minded to’ decisions alone this time to ensure that those with an interest in the Inquiry can see them at the earliest opportunity. Directions setting the next steps regarding the applications by the above former officers will be published in due course.
Special Demonstration Squad applications to date
This ‘Minded to’ note brings to 62 the total number of officers where:
- anonymity applications have been processed by the Inquiry to the stage of a decision or a ‘Minded to’ note; or
- no restriction has been sought over the officer’s real and/or cover identity.
To date the Inquiry has published the details for 13 former officers, made up of eight cover names, and five cover and real names.
Taken together with the ‘Minded to’ note of 3 August supplemented on 23 October 2017, the provisional decisions break down as follows
- For 17 officers the Chairman is minded to publish cover names
- For six officers the Chairman is minded to publish real names , including three where no restriction application is made
- For three officers the Chairman is minded to publish both the real name and the cover name
- For seven back office staff, there has been no application for restriction, and these names will be published
- For five officers where cover names have been published (as above), real names will be restricted
- For 10 officers the Chairman is not minded to publish either the real or the cover name
- For five officers where there is no cover name, the Chairman is not minded to publish the real name.
In addition, the Chairman has made a ruling for a restriction order over the real and cover name of HN7.
Background
The purpose of the Undercover Policing Inquiry is to investigate and report on undercover police operations conducted by English and Welsh police forces in England and Wales since 1968. The Inquiry will examine the contribution undercover policing has made to tackling crime, how it was and is supervised and regulated, and its effect on individuals involved – both police officers and others who came into contact with them.
The work of the Inquiry ranges across the full scope of undercover policing work and will look at the work of the Special Demonstration Squad, the National Public Order Intelligence Unit and police forces in England and Wales. The Inquiry will also examine whether people may have been wrongly convicted in cases involving undercover police officers, and refer any such cases to a separate panel for consideration. The work of the Inquiry will fall into three modules:
- Module one will look at what happened in the deployment of undercover officers in the past, their conduct, and the impact of their activities on themselves and others
- Module two will look at the management and oversight of undercover officers, including their selection, training, supervision and care after the end of an undercover deployment. This section will also look at the law and other rules covering undercover policing
- Module three will make recommendations about how undercover policing should be conducted in future
NOTES TO EDITORS
- The Undercover Policing Inquiry is constituted under the Inquiries Act 2005 (PDF, 207KB).
- The Inquiry’s terms of reference were announced by the Home Secretary on 16 July 2015.
- The Inquiry’s Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 96KB) document provides more information on the Inquiry more generally, as do four published update notes.
- The Inquiry’s website is www.ucpi.org.uk and the Inquiry can be found on Twitter @ucpinquiry
For further information please contact the Inquiry’s press officer, Jo Coles:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 07827 818 460