Vincent Harvey

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

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Part of a series on undercover police officers
Vincent James Harvey
Alias:	Vince Miller, HN354
Deployment:	1976-1979
Unit:	Special Demonstration Squad
Targets:	Socialist Workers Party

Vincent James Harvey is a former senior police officer who served as Director of the UK Division at the National Criminal Intelligence Service 1998 to 2002. Prior to this he had been a Special Branch officer including serving as an undercover in the Special Demonstration Squad.

While with the SDS he used the cover name Vince Miller to infiltrate the Socialist Workers Party from 1976 to 1979. According to Sir John Mitting, Chair of the Undercover Policing Inquiry, the officer's 'deployment appears to have been unremarkable, despite the fact that he has admitted four 'fleeting' sexual encounters with different females during his deployment - two of them with female members of the Walthamstow branch of the SWP. One of them was 'Madeleine', who was granted core participant status in the Undercover Policing Inquiry on 6 January 2021..

For the purposes of the Undercover Policing Inquiry he was also referred to by the cipher HN354 (for the N cipher system see N officers). The Inquiry had ruled his real name would be restricted.

Following a statement from Madeleine, Mitting decided to revoke the restriction order over the real name though not before both the undercover and Madeleine gave evidence. In April 2021 both gave live evidence to the Undercover Policing Inquiry. The restriction order over his real name was revoked in September 2021.

+++++ Last Updated 22 September 2021 +++++

As an SDS undercover officer

A full profile of Harvey's time as an undercover police officer is being prepared.

• Witness statement of Vincent James Harvey with list of associated exhibits.
• Transcript of Harvey's evidence to the Inquiry.
• Gist of Harvey's accounts of sexual relationships while undercover
• Witness statement of 'Madeleine'
• Transcript of Madeleine's evidence to the Inquiry with index of associated exhibits.

Photographs of Vincent Harvey, while undercover as 'Vince Miller', provided by Madeleine.

• Photograph
• First additional photograph
• Second additional photograph

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Post undercover career

National Criminal Intelligence Service

Vince Harvey of the NCIS speaking at the launch of the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency in December 1999

In 1998, Harvey is named Director of National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) as head of its UK Division, a title which later became UK Tactical Services Division. This appears to have been at rank of Assistant Chief Constable.. He held the position until 2002, when he is succeed by Keith Bristow. During this time he is one of the NCIS's senior managers, answering only to the Director General John Abbott.

According to archives of the NCIS website, the UK Division included: the NCIS regional offices in Midlands, North East, North West, Scotland, South East and South West and the Strategic and Specialist Intelligence Branch which was subdivided into:

• Organised Crime Unit
• Drugs Unit
• Strategic Research & Development Unit
• Specialist Crimes Unit (including Paedophile Section, Kidnap & Extorian, Counterfeit Section & Vehicle Crime)
• Economic Unit
• Football Unit

During his time at the NCIS, it had responsibility for the Animal Rights National Index (a forerunner of another undercover policing unit, National Public Order Intelligene Unit and the National Domestic Extremism Database. It had wide ranging surveillance powers, including telephone and email interception and covert surveillance, though it is not known if it had its own undercover unit.

Media appearance for NCIS

Vince Harvey made a number of media appearances during his time as a Director of the NCIS

• December 1999: Scotlanda speaker at the launch of the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency (including a photograph).
• November 2000: quoted in and photograph to accompany a BBC News special investigation gangs operating in Essex.
• November 2000: quoted in BBC News Online in relation to investigation on organised criminal gangs operating in Essex, of whom he said:

These are thoroughly unpleasant people who don't mind using any technique if it furthers their own cause.

• May 2002: BBC news story on mass arrest of 36 people suspected of downloading child pornography as part of Operation Ore. Harvey is quoted as saying:

Every image of a child being sexually abused is an image of a crime scene and each photograph is that of a victim. Using the sophisticated technology along with traditional detective and analytical work, we can now make sure there is no place for paedophiles operating online to hide.

In the Undercover Policing Inquiry

Vince Harvey of NCIS as he appears in a BBC news special investigation on organised crime in Essex, November 2000

• 22 November 2017: directed that any application for anonymity from the MPS Legal Team by were to be made by 30 November, and for the MPS Designated Lawyer Team by 4 December 2017

• 29 November 2017: Metropolitan Police make application to restrict real name only.

• 15 Jan 2018: Mitting indicates he is minded to grant the restriction order over real name and that there was no application in relation to cover name which will be published in due course. The Inquiry Chair also stated:

In the unlikely event that any member of the public can be prompted to give evidence about his deployment publication of his cover name would serve that purpose.' Publication of real name is not necessary to permit Inquiry to fulfil its terms of reference and would give rise to interference with his article 8 rights to private and family life.

• 19 June 2018: cover name and target group released.

• 9 July 2018: provisional ruling to restrict real name. Directed that any objections to this to be made by 20 July 2018.

• 30 July 2018: final ruling that HN354's real name will be restricted in the Inquiry.

• 9 October 2018: Restiction order granted over disclosure of any information by the Inquiry which would lead to the identification of HN354's real name.

• 6 January 2021: "'Madeleine' applies to be designated as a core participant in Category [H]. She joined the Walthamstow branch of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) in the mid-1970s. This branch of the SWP was infiltrated by HN354 ('Vince Miller') between the beginning of 1977 and September 1979". She says to have had an sexual relationship with him between 1978 and 1979, 'the last year of his deployment' which is of some significance to her. This ended with his sudden departure.

• 30 March 2021 (revised 6 April 2021): Mitting issues a ruling that HN354's real name will be revoked in light of Madeleine's witness statement where she sets out the relationship with the undercover. There will be a delay in doing this because:

It is, however, imperative that the risk of a seriously adverse impact on his immediate family member is not run. Madeleine accepts that it should not be. For that reason, the Inquiry will not publish the real name of HN354 before the risk has passed; and it will not be revoked before he gives evidence.

• 21 September 2021: Mitting revoked the restriction order over HN354's real name. The same day Harvey's witness statement is re-released containing the full real name, Vincent James Harvey. Three photographs provided by Madeleine of Harvey while he was undercover were also released through the Inquiry website.