Next up at the #SpyCopsInquiry is the opening statement from Nicholas Griffin QC, representing the Home Office, who directly funded the Special Demonstration Squad #SpyCops from the unit's inception in 1968 until the late 1980s.
Although the Home Office directly funded #SpyCops for 20 years, a 2014 search of all Home Office archives failed to find a single document about it campaignopposingpolicesurveillance.com/2017/03/18/wha…
Griffin quotes then-Home Secretary Theresa May telling parliament why the #SpyCopsInquiry is needed, which you can see at the start of this video on our Youtube channel
Griffin: Home Office is especially interested in role of undercover policing in protection from crime, & the legal & regulatory framework for it.
Griffin: Home Office was instrumental in founding the SDS & directly funded it. HO was police authority for the Met at the time.
Griffin: the Taylor report (2015) found Home Office secretly funded #SpyCops 1968-1988. [you can see the somewhat slender report here gov.uk/government/pub… ]
Griffin: Taylor report found little evidence of Home Secretary knowing about #SpyCops, & no evidence of knowledge of the various outrages committed by officers #busyshredders
Griffin: there will be further scrutiny of Home Office role and we will cooperate. Undercover policing is important in dealing with serious crime, but we recognise things went wrong with #SpyCops, and will help the Inquiry
Well at least Griffin didn't do the extended irrelevances of the others. As @tombfowler said, this morning was basically like listening to someone read Wikipedia, and 'ninthly' is arguably the most depressing word in the
English language.
English language.
It's time for a lawyer-length lunchtime, we'll be back at 2pm to hear the opening statement from Oliver Sanders QC representing #SpyCops themselves.
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