Metropolitan Police say undercover cops ‘violated women’s rights’

Scotland Yard has apologised to seven women who were deceived into “abusive, deceitful, manipulative and wrong” relationships with undercover police officers.

The Metropolitan Police said it has reached a settlement with the women over civil claims relating to the “unacceptable” behaviour of a number of officers working for two now disbanded units.

Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewit said: “I acknowledge that these relationships were a violation of the women’s human rights, an abuse of police power, and caused significant trauma.”

“I unreservedly apologise on behalf of the Metropolitan Police Service. I am aware that money alone cannot compensate the loss of time, their hurt or the feelings of abuse caused by these relationships.”

The unprecedented apology and pay-outs centre on the conduct of officers working for the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), an undercover unit within Special Branch that existed until 2008, and for the National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU), which was operational until 2011.

The details of the settlement are being kept secret.

Mr Hewitt said: “Thanks in large part to the courage and tenacity of these women in bringing these matters to light it has become apparent that some officers, acting undercover while seeking to infiltrate protest groups, entered into long-term intimate sexual relationships with women which were abusive, deceitful, manipulative and wrong.”

He said: “I wish to make a number of matters absolutely clear. Most importantly, relationships like these should never have happened. They were a gross violation of personal dignity and integrity.” In his statement, Mr Hewitt said:

• None of the women with whom the officers had a relationship “brought it on themselves”.
• The women’s privacy had been “grossly violated”.
• Some officers may have “preyed on women’s good nature” and “had manipulated their emotions”.
• That the subsequent trauma left the women “at risk of further abuse and deception by these officers”.
• Whether or not genuine feelings were involved on the part of any officers is “entirely irrelevant”.

The assistant commissioner added that the relationships may well have reflected attitudes towards women that “should have no part in the culture of the Metropolitan Police”.

Set up in 1968, the SDS has been the focus of intense controversy in recent years.

The force also admitted in January that the identities of dead children were used by SDS officers in a practice the Met conceded was “morally repugnant”.

A separate police-led Operation found that the unit had carried out undercover operations to collect information on 18 justice campaigns over 35 years