Police Scotland

Police Scotland, established on 1 April 2013, is a police force responsible for the whole of Scotland. It is the second largest police force in the UK after the Metropolitan Police.

People

Chief Constables

• Phil Gormley - 2017-January 2018
• Stephen House 2013-

Closely monitoring fracking opponents in 2017-18

Police Scotland leads Scotland’s Counter Terrorism Intelligence Unit (SCTIU). Until early 2018, the force was headed by Chief Constable Phil Gormley, a former Met Special Branch chief of two undercover policing units, including the notorious Special Demonstration Squad that infiltrated and spied on activist and environmental protest groups.

In his foreword for Police Scotland’s Annual Police Plan for 2017/18, Gormley outlines how the Scottish policing ‘service will be delivered over the coming year’ in alignment with the ‘long-term’ strategic vision for policing in Scotland. On tackling counter terrorism and domestic extremism, Police Scotland anticipates that ‘In 2017/18 we will continue to pursue terrorists and those who sponsor them and explore all opportunities to disrupt and detect such activities…’

While the ‘terrorists’ referred to here are ISIL and Northern Ireland-related, the plan also labels anti-fracking protestors and hunt saboteurs as a ‘Domestic Extremism’ (DE) threat whose activities similarly require detection and disruption:

‘There continues to be protest around shale oil and gas extraction and unconventional oil and gas extraction, both commonly referred to as ‘fracking’.

‘…in 2017/18, we will continue to closely monitor individuals and groups that are involved/suspected to be involved in the DE arena and explore all opportunities to disrupt and detect their activities’.

Police Scotland’s [ http://www.scotland.police.uk/assets/pdf/392813/392817/falkirk-lpp-2017-2020?view=Standard ‘Local Police Plan 2017-20’] for the Falkirk region similarly brands anti-fracking protest as a potential threat in its discussion of ‘counter terrorism’ risks in Falkirk - home to INEOS’ Grangemouth chemicals plant, which forms part of an enormous refinery complex classified as critical national infrastructure.

The plan also makes clear its intent to gather intelligence from local communities, despite strong public opposition to fracking in Scotland.

‘Seeking the support of communities to develop the national intelligence picture around terrorism, domestic extremism and potential protests around fracking, shale oil and gas extraction given the nature of our commercial business infrastructure located in the Grangemouth area’.

Articles

• Melissa Jones, Russell Scott, Why are counter terrorism police still spying on the anti-fracking movement?, Spinwatch, 9 September 2018