The Undercover Police Scandal ITV1

[JaneJeffer]

Anyone watching?

These women should have been police detectives!

There's an excellent bbc podcast ... thousands and thousands of pounds were paid to these men ( and women) to keep them undercover . Public money used unethically!

They also had some handy friends.

But why were they undercover? What crimes had the women committed that the police were trying to find out about?

Is this the one where they were members of the animal rights group?

I'd love to know the name of the podcast.

But why were they undercover? What crimes had the women committed that the police were trying to find out about?

Have you not read anything about this scandal online or in a newspaper at any point in the past 14 years? Nothing at all? How can you even ask this question?

It's the reason it was such a scandalous abuse of these women.

What do you mean how can i ask such question? So rude and patronising.

Ive only seen the first episode of this programme.

Whats your issue?

So
Again why were the police undercover? What crimes had the women committed that they were trying to investigate?
What was the point of the under cover investigation?

@springishereeeee the programme didn't explain that very well so far but it seems the women were involved in various protest groups for example environmental causes, anti racism, etc.

I haven't watched this, and am not surprised not everyone knows about it.

These women have been fighting to years to get recognition of their abuse, but as we know from other scandals, the main stream media chose not to report it. Look at the PO scandal.

To summarise, the Met Police agreed that certain police officers should infiltrate groups they thought were subversive. Some were animal rights. Some were more overtly political.

Some of these undercover police formed relationships with women in these groups. Some of these men had children with these women. Although some already had a wife and children.

All apparently sanctioned by the Met.

At the moment there are court hearings about this.

Which is why TV has decided to do a programme I suppose.

If interested you can look at https://policespiesoutoflives.org.uk/ and this section has the individual stories of the women and the impact of this deceit on them https://policespiesoutoflives.org.uk/our-stories/

There is also https://www.spycops.co.uk/

What crimes had the women committed that they were trying to investigate?

Most of them had committed no crimes at all, that is why it is so scandalous. They were innocently involved with the charities or protest or political groups that were being investigated. They were collateral damage because they provided useful 'cover' for the undercover police.

Try watching the news once in a while. Or pick up a newspaper. This is the core of the scandal.

There's no need for the rude responses on here.

It's so shocking that the police & home secretary at the time allowed this, unbelievable really. The women concerned had children and built lives with those men, believing that they were in "real" relationships. Its blighted the life of the women and children to find out they were in relationships/had fathers who were practising state sanctioned deceit.

I think if I was one of those women I would feel violated, assaulted even.

There is absolutely no need for your rudeness to people asking questions.

It's absolutely horrendous what these women went through.

These police officers who had sexual relationships with women are rapists imo (I know the crown prosecution service disagree). Consent given by deception is not consent.

Not to mention how the parents of the dead boys whose identities they stole must have felt when they found out. Absolutely horrendous.

To be fair, the only place this issue has come up on Mumsnet before is probably the Feminism sex & gender discussion boards... (and a mention in one previous TV thread - there was a fictionalised/ unrealistic 'spycops' story line in 'Sherwood').

Unless you read the Guardian, the Morning Star or other radical/ left-wing publications, or caught a glimpse of it on the C4 news (or the Victoria Derbyshire show) it would be pretty easy not to know anything about it.

I would thoroughly recommend the new 3-part series on ITVX (you can watch all 3 episodes online already) as it gives a good, gripping overview and explains how much of a part in uncovering this story was played by the women at the heart of it.

After you've watched it, there are lots of websites where you can read more, eg https://spycops.info/ and https://policespiesoutoflives.org.uk/ and https://campaignopposingpolicesurveillance.com/

These women will NEVER be police detectives.

Their experience of being spied/ reported on, deceived to this degree and then treated appallingly by the police means that none of them have any trust/ faith in the police, and see it as an inherently, institutionally sexist and misogynist organisation.

I’m beginning to wish I had never started this thread

Well I really appreciate this thread because I too had no clue about this scandal.

And I'm off to go watch this series now....sounds my exact type of thing. 👍😁

I'm really glad you did, because more people need to know about this series. I'm really surprised not to have seen more about it on MN tbh.

Thank you for starting this thread @JaneJeffer It is appreciated. ♥

@IwantToRetire Thank you so much for the detailed explanation. I have just watched episode 1, and was a bit confused as to why these women were targeted, but your post has made it clear. I didn't twig what the reason was, but it's clear now, thank you.

What a dreadful way to treat these woman, it's absolutely scandalous! It's like some weekday afternoon Channel 5 thriller 'my fake undercover husband!' It's outrageous that they used these women like this. They believed they were in genuine relationships with these men, and with a few of them, it only started to unravel when several of the women wanted children.

Also, as several posters have said, a few of the men were married.

And as for using the identities of deceased babies. WTAF?!

"These police officers who had sexual relationships with women are rapists imo (I know the crown prosecution service disagree). Consent given by deception is not consent."

I agree @ARichtGoodDram .

At the moment there are court hearings about this.

Which is why TV has decided to do a programme I suppose.

I think it's also helping that the Met and their behaviour, particularly toward women, is something that the media are interested in highlighting atm

They weren't really interested in taking them to task over their attitude toward women when this story broke 15ish years ago.

I'm really surprised not to have seen more about it on MN tbh.

There's been a few posts on FWR but really not that much.

Partly, and I know this is terrible given what the women and their children have been going through, that the case keeps going on and on, and stops and starts.

That's partly why I know about the website, but admit I dont keep up with it.

But so glad at least one tv channel has made a documentary, but a shame if they aren't explaining it properly.

And I really only started taking an interest because one of the women is Helen Steel who with a fellow campaigner took McDonalds to court. It went on for years, and they eventually won after going to the European Court. Its known as the McLibel case.

So this made me think that someone so principled must be part of something to take note of, as there are so many stories about the Met Police (which I am mainly sure are true) that you just cant keep up with them. (I know doesn't put me in a very good light)

I do hope the documentary helps them.

I dont think I realised how many women had been decieved. Its just shocking.

All those years of thinking you were experiencing something genuine and in fact if was all just a hoax, or worse.