EN289

This article is part of the Undercover Research Portal at Powerbase - investigating corporate and police spying on activists

---

Part of a series on National Public Order Intelligence Unit
'EN289'
Alias:	unknown
Deployment:	late 2000s
Role:	other

EN289 is the cipher given to a police officer who played a role in the National Public Order Intelligence Unit / Animal Rights National Index. They are a serving police officer as of 2017. Sir John Mitting, chair of the Undercover Policing Inquiry, has ruled that the Inquiry will restrict the officers real name in the Inquiry.

• For the EN cipher system see EN officers page.

As a police officer

From the officers anonymity application in the Undercover Policing Inquiry:

In relation to the National Public Order Intelligence Unit, EN289 was, to the best of his/her recollection, only ever deployed on approximately six occasions. These deployments involved attendance at marches and demonstrations. EN289 was never provided with an official legend and he/she did not infiltrate any organisation or group. EN289 does not recall the need to stay away from home on any of the deployments or that he/she had had an in-depth conversation with anyone. EN289 was a Level 2 undercover officer and so his/her role involved providing basic intelligence and was no different to the sort of policing that takes place at any demonstration. This intelligence would be fed into the Senior Investigating Officer responsible for the policing of the demonstration.

EN289 confirms that EN289 and their cohort were instructed to obtain the identity of a deceased child but EN289 does not believe that he/she was ever provided with any documentation in that name. EN289 did not disclose the pseudonym to anyone nor did EN289 build a legend or live under that pseudonym. EN289 does not recall that pseudonym. EN289 does not know therefore if disclosure of the pseudonym would pose a risk to him/her because a link could be made with his/her real name.

EN289 cannot recall whether any specific assurance was given to him/her that his/her real identity would not be disclosed but he/she is firmly of the belief that an assurance must have been provided as, otherwise, he/she would not have undertaken this work.

EN289 does not recall any further deployments for the National Public Order Intelligence Unit following his/her career development in the early 2000s.

In the Undercover Policing Inquiry

• 2 May 2018: Mitting minded to restrict real names with the application over the cover name to be determined at a later point, writing:

EN289 is a serving police officer. EN289 undertook ad hoc deployments for the Animal National Rights Index/the National Public Order Intelligence Unit in the late 1990s, attending and reporting on approximately 6 marches. EN289 was instructed to, and did, research and obtain the identity of a deceased child. The nature of the deployments was such that EN289 did not have to use it. Save in one respect, the information and evidence which EN289 could provide is of peripheral relevance to the Inquiry. That respect is the fact that EN289 was instructed to obtain the identity of a deceased child. Given that the cover name was not used, no purpose would be served by determining EN289's application for a restriction order in respect of the cover name at this stage. : Publication of the real name of EN289 would not serve to permit the Inquiry to fulfil its terms of reference, might impair performance of police duties and might have some impact on the mental health of EN289. In those circumstances, publication of the real name would not be in the public interest and would risk interference with the right to respect for private and family life of EN289 which would not be justified...

• 9 July 2018: Inquiry releases gisted versions of the [ restriction order application] and medical report for the officer and Mitting directed that any submissions in response to these applications were to be made by 20 July 2018.

• 30 October 2018: Mitting rules to restrict both real and cover names, writing:

The submissions address publication of the cover name, upon which I have, as yet, not indicated any decision which I might be minded to make.