Key facts
- Victims of undercover police surveillance accuse the UK Home Office of seeking a cover-up by curtailing the spycops inquiry.
- The inquiry has examined abuses by undercover officers, including deceiving women into relationships and stealing identities.
- Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is consulting on whether the inquiry should continue in a different format.
- The inquiry, led by Sir John Mitting, has cost £144 million and is expected to last another two years.
- Over 2,000 people have objected to the consultation, believing it will hide police wrongdoing.
- Kate Wilson, deceived into a relationship by officer Mark Kennedy, stated that curtailing the inquiry's powers would be a cover-up.
Victims of intrusive police surveillance have accused the UK government of attempting to orchestrate a cover-up by seeking to curtail the ongoing spycops public inquiry. The inquiry, which has been examining widespread misconduct by undercover officers over several decades, is facing potential limitations to its scope and powers.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has initiated a public consultation on the future of the inquiry, citing concerns about its length and significant cost. The process, established in 2015, was initially expected to conclude within three years but has so far cost £144 million and is projected to continue for another two years. Mahmood stated the consultation aims to determine if the inquiry should proceed in a different format.
However, those who were targeted by the undercover operations believe the Home Office's move is designed to severely limit or scrap later stages, thereby concealing the full extent of police wrongdoing. More than 2,000 individuals have reportedly objected to the consultation, viewing it as a rigged process that offers limited alternatives, including a narrower remit or reduced powers to compel witness testimony and document disclosure.
The spycops inquiry has investigated units like the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), which infiltrated political groups between 1968 and 2008. It has heard evidence of officers forming intimate relationships with women without revealing their identities, spying on families of victims like Stephen Lawrence, and using the identities of deceased children. The inquiry is also set to examine the National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU), active between 1999 and 2011, which included officer Mark Kennedy, known for deceiving women into relationships and whose withheld evidence led to overturned convictions.
Kate Wilson, who was deceived by Kennedy, stated that curtailing the inquiry's powers would effectively be a cover-up, preventing a full understanding of undercover policing misconduct. A Home Office spokesperson acknowledged the public's shock at past failings and commitment to justice but highlighted the inquiry's extended duration and cost, asserting the need to consult affected individuals on its future.