Global Open
Global Open was set up in 2001 by Rod Leeming, a former Special Branch officer. The company keeps a "discreet watch" on protest groups for clients including E.ON.[1]
Global's tagline is "Be Aware. Be up to date. Keep the threat in perspective."[2] According to its website:
- Global Open can carry out a full security audit of an organisation's plants and offices from an activist's perspective.[3]
Contents
Background
It first came to public attention in 2007 when it was implicated in the case of Paul Mercer, a friend of the then Conservative shadow defence minister, Julian Lewis, who was exposed by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade of spying for the arms firm BAE.[1] [4]
Revolving door between undercover policing and the private security industry
Former Special branch
Leeming is a former Special Branch officer. Until Leeming left the police in 2001, he admits he regularly infiltrated undercover operatives into protest groups in his role as head of the Animal Rights National index. But he insists Global Open does not infiltrate activist groups. He told The Guardian the company only advises firms on security. However, Global Open appears to have access to well-sourced intelligence.[1]
State and private intelligence-gathering: same activities?
Peter Bleksley, former undercover police officer, when questioned about the Kennedy affair in an an interview for BBC2, confirms that there are currently more police officers embedded in the movement and that "there are also people from the private security sector working against climate campaigners".[5]
Undercover police officer becomes Global Open agent
It appears that Mark Kennedy, an undercover police officer, set up his own private security company, Tokra with links to Global Open.
- Leeming told The Guardian the company had never employed Mark Kennedy. He did, however, confirm that Tokra was set up for a "reason" but he could not say what it was – only that it was a confidential matter between Kennedy and Millgate. Today, Millgate declined to comment when asked why Tokra had been set up.[1]Leeming added that Millgate left Global Open last year on good terms because she wanted to set up her own business.[1]
Tokra company registered to Global Open director's address
- In February last year, Millgate went from being a marketing manager to a director of Global Open. On 31 March, Tokra changed its address from Millgate's work address to one in Basingstoke.[1]
- Last spring, Kennedy set up a second firm – Black Star High Access Limited – in east London.[1]
- On 12 April, Kennedy applied for Tokra to be dissolved. Within a few days of that application, he resigned from the police. Tokra was finally dissolved on the 17 August. On 31 August, Millgate resigned as director of Global Open. Black Star High Access has not yet filed any records to reveal whether it is a viable, financial concern, but it is still active.[1]
Transferable skills
Connections between Tokra, the firm of which Kennedy was director, and Global Open go beyond the company registration addresses. In an article for The Daily Mail Kennedy says
- "in January last year I was approached by a private company which advises corporations about activist trends. It’s run by Rod Leeming, a former Special Branch officer. I’d never met him before".[6]
- The company, Global Open, is based in London and has advised major corporations including E.ON – which runs the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power plant – and BAE.[6]
- Kennedy handed in his resignation from the police in January, ending work in March.
- He resumed his relationship with his girlfriend while he worked for Global Open as a consultant – although he says he did not operate undercover for the company.[6]
Revolving door
When the private company Vericola was exposed gathering information for ex-special-branch Gordon Irving of Scottish power, The Guardian raised questions of ethics regarding "former police officers cashing in on their surveillance skills for a host of companies that target protesters".[7]
E.ON
The Guardian reveals a confidential document produced by Global Open for another company interested in plans to attack the E.ON-owned power station at Kingsnorth in Kent dismissed the idea there would be violence.[1] "The aim of the protests is to cause economic damage to ensure that the cost of building more coal-fired power plants becomes prohibitive," it stated. "There is no threat of violence to persons from any of the groups concerned, despite newspaper reports to the contrary."[1] E.On was also found to be employing Vericola who was infiltrating campaign strategy meetings.[7]
Economic or Violent Threat?
A document regarding the protests at Kingsnorth, produced by Global Open states
- "The aim of the protests is to cause economic damage to ensure that the cost of building more coal-fired power plants becomes prohibitive. There is no threat of violence to persons from any of the groups concerned, despite newspaper reports to the contrary."[1]
The conflation between economic and violent threat reoccurs in the public debate about the policing of protest. The Mark Kennedy and Strathclyde Police's attempted infiltration of Plane Stupid illustrate this point. As does the statement on Global Open's own website
- "Activists claim that peaceful protest is ineffective."[2]
If the environmental movement poses no threat to people's well-being, why appoint such disproportionate resources to infiltrate and monitor them? The environmental movement does represent an economic threat to the development of industry with large environmental and social impacts.
Developed in a comment piece for The Guardian, this raises interesting questions about the idea of corporate policing.
- E.ON, the owner of the alleged target of the alleged protest, gave us a clue about what is going on here in its statement following the arrests: "While we understand that everyone has a right to protest peacefully and lawfully, this was clearly neither of those things."
- Spot the deliberate mistake. E.ON's statement conflates the notions of "lawful" and "peaceful" protest; but the critical distinction between these two lies at the heart of the question of whether the extent of policing being applied to the climate movement can be justified. Peaceful does not mean the same thing as lawful. No activists at Plane Stupid or the climate camp have ever been convicted of a violent crime, and we are proud to be a part of the long tradition of non-violent protest.
- The accusations that climate activists represent a threat to people's safety are baseless and defamatory. The true threat we represent is a financial threat to some powerful special interests.
- It is time to drop the pretence of preventing violence against people, and start an honest conversation about all of this. It is time to ask what constitutes appropriate policing of peaceful protest, whether lawful or otherwise; and to question whose interests are really being served by devoting such extravagant police resources to preventing it.[8]
Global Open's Services
Risk Management
Outlining their services on their website, "aimed at clients at a more serious level of threat from activism",[2] Global Open provide
- Forward-looking intelligence;
- An assessment of future events with the potential for conflict;
- A 24-hour warning service indicating, wherever possible, if a company is about to be targeted;
- Notification of high-risk dates;
- Immediate circulation of new activist tactics;
- A daily summary of events as required;
- Circulation of the movement of activist groups;
- Telephone and email access to our analysts in order to answer your questions.
- Graphs and push-pin maps of the current threat in any country or region.[2]
Intelligence gathering services
Their website states
- Companies currently being targeted by activists require fast access to information in order to avoid the effects of economic sabotage and personal harassment.[2]
- Until they are targeted, risk managers engaged in business continuity planning often exclude the risk from activism connected with, for example:
- Animal rights;
- Environmental issues;
- Anti-corporatism;
- Anti-globalisation.[2]
Company details
Company directors
Companies House records show Global Open was incorporated on 1 February 2001. Its directors are listed as security consultants Roderick Leeming and Victor Ash, and analyst Alison Leeming, who is also company secretary. Heather Millgate, a solicitor, is listed as a former director. [9]
Company addresses
The company Millgate Woodbridge Ltd No.07261650 is registered to:
11 Jacques Lane Clophill Bedfordshire MK45 4BS[10]
The company was registered on the 21/05/2010 and the website on 28/12/2009.
Tokra Ltd, established 09/02/2010, was registered to Millgate's current business address:
36 Orchard Drive Linslade Leighton Buzzard Bedfordshire LU7 2PL[10]
On 13/03/2010, the address was changed to:
Tokra Ltd Suite 2029 6, Slington House Rannkine Road Basingstoke RG24 8PH[10]
Tokra Ltd was wound up on 17/08/2010.[10]
Contact
Companies House registered address:[11]
- Global Open Ltd
- 10 Springpark Drive
- Beckenham
- Kent BR3 6QD
- Company No. 04152470
- Website: http://globalopen-uk.com
- Email:http://globalopen-uk.com/contact/ (email form)
Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Rob Evans, Amelia Hill, Paul Lewis and Patrick Kingsley Mark Kennedy: secret policeman's sideline as corporate spy The Guardian, 13/01/11, accessed 17/ 01/11
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Global Open Website Home accessed 17/01/11 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "Global" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Global Open Website Security Audit accessed 17/01/11
- ↑ Legal briefing, File:CAATvMercer-briefing.pdf CAMPAIGN AGAINST ARMS TRADE v PAUL MERCER & LIGNEDEUX ASSOCIATES, Leigh Day & Co. 18 April 2007.
- ↑ Kirsty Wark, NewsNight "BBC2" 10/01/11, accessed 11/01/11
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Caroline Graham I've always respected the police. But the world of undercover policing is grey and murky. The Daily Mail, 17/01/11, accessed 18/01/11
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Paul Lewis and Rob Evans Green groups targeted polluters as corporate agents hid in their ranksThe Guardian, 14/02/11, accessed 14/02/11
- ↑ Matilda Gifford Why spy on peaceful protesters? The Guardian, 26/04/09, accessed 17/01/11
- ↑ Companies House, Global Open Annual Return 2010, accessed 19 January 2011.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedCampaigns Security - ↑ Companies House, Global Open, accessed 17 January 2011.
