Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police, according to its website, is the largest police force in Scotland (Glasgow and West Scotland area) with 8,000 officers and 2,700 police staff, originally formed in 1975.[1]
Contents
Infiltration and Environmental protest
In 2009 The Guardian made public the attempts by the police to recruit paid informers from the protest group Plane Stupid. <ref=name"Vallee">Mark Vallee and Paul Lewis, [www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/25/police-informers-tape-recordings-gifford 'UK plc can afford more than 20 quid,' the officer said] The Guardian Saturday 25 April 2009, accessed 06/12/10</ref> The audio recordings made of the police's conversations raise questions about the policing of protest, especially regarding the right to peaceful protest.
Costs of Intelligence Gathering
Through a Freedom of Information request, The Guardian revealed that Strathclyde Police had almost doubled the annual amount it paid to informants since 2004, when £145,198 was paid. A total of £762,459 was paid between 2004 and 2008. <ref=name"Lewis">Paul Lewis Police force paid informants £750,000 in four years The Guardian 8 May 2009, accessed 06/12/10</ref> Though not stating the exact figure they were expecting to pay in exchange for information on the workings of Plane Stupid, as heard in The Guardian recordings, they spoke of tens of thousands of pounds. They were also recorded saying that "UK plc can afford more than 20 quid".<ref=name"Lewis"/>
Traceability
Before the recordings went public, lawyers working with Plane Stupid members had been trying to establish the identity of the two police officers involved, and which departments they worked for. As demonstrated by an article in The Guardian, these efforts were fruitless
- The lawyers are seeking to establish the identity of the officers, who had access to Strathclyde police station. Initial attempts to identify the men, who also approached other protesters, failed after the force's human resources department said there were no records of officers with their names.<ref=name"Lewis"/>
The lawyer Patrick Campbell told The Guardian
- "I have very considerable concerns about these events. There appears to be a covert operation that is running in some way with, or using, Strathclyde police's name. There appears to be a concerted effort to turn protesters to informants and possibly infiltrate peaceful protest movements.
"The methods employed are disturbing, and more worrying yet is the lack of any clearly identifiable body responsible for this".[2]
This absence of accountability has lead to speculation as to whether the officers in question could be related to the "confidential intelligence unit" set up by ACPO. [3]
Multiple Attempts of Infiltration
More members of Plane Stupid in Scotland told The Herald Scotland that they had been separately approached by plain clothes police in early 2009.<ref=name"Edwards">Rob Edwards Revealed: a web of police bids to infiltrate protest groups The Sunday Herald 25 April 2009, accessed 06/12/10 </ref>
In addition to environmental protest groups, individuals protesting against the Faslane naval base on the Clyde, have similarly been offered cash for intelligence, as reported in an article in the Herald Scotland.<ref=name"Edwards"/>
Strathclyde Police Force's Response
When questioned about the use of "covert human intelligence sources", Detective Chief Superintendent Russell Dunn of Strathclyde police, told The Guardian
- This is one method used in obtaining information, which allows the force to best deploy resources in line with our priorities. It is a cost-effective means to detect and disrupt criminality and keep people safe."<ref=name"Lewis"/>
Questioned in Scottish Parliament
In Scottish Parliament, a Green MSP asked
- A number of police forces […] have been caught deploying some pretty dodgy tactics. That has been going on for years, but they are now being caught on camera or audio because of the proliferation of technology in the hands of citizens.
Is the cabinet secretary really saying that he is satisfied with the idea that non-violent, peaceful protesters should be the subject of attempts to bribe, intimidate and threaten? Are there not some tactics that, although they may be legitimate in the pursuance of combating serious crime, are quite inappropriate when it comes to political, non-violent protest?
Kenny MacAskill, Cabinet Secretary for Justice responded "It is a matter of balancing the rights of individual citizens with the broader rights of our communities". [4]
A Scottish government spokesman said: "The justice secretary has discussed the matter with Strathclyde Police's assistant chief constable and is satisfied the force has acted proportionately and legitimately".<ref=name"Edwards"/>
Complaints Process
Unlike the Metropolitan Police and other England and Wales Police forces who answer to the The Independent Police Complaints Commission's (IPCC), complaints against the Scottish Police Forces are brought to the Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland (PCCS).Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag
Personnel Russell Dunn, Detective Chief Superintendent, Crime [5]
contacts
Strathclyde Police Headquarters 173 Pitt Street Glasgow G2 4JS Telephone: (UK) 0141 532 2000
Notes
- ↑ Strathclyde Police website, About Us Accessed 06/12/10
- ↑ Paul Lewis Police caught on tape trying to recruit Plane Stupid protester as spy The Guardian 24 April 2009, accessed 06/12/10
- ↑ Editorial Police and protest: failure of intelligenceThe Guardian 25 April 2009, accessed 06/12/10
- ↑ Scottish Parliament debates, Scottish Executive Question Time 7 May 2009, accessed 07/12/10
- ↑ Strathclyde Police Website [www.strathclyde.police.uk/getFile.asp?FC_ID=6147&docID=7625 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE FORCE EXECUTIVE 11.08.10] Accessed 06/12/10
