Category: Civil liberties

Government, the police and intelligence services are too easily given sweeping powers that they too often abuse

Jenny works with campaigners to defend our civil liberties

Read on for her latest posts on this topic

Government will count number of spy kids used by police

Published on by iwin1961
At last, after much nagging, the government is starting to count the number of juveniles used as police spies, or as they call them, Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS). In a Lords’ debate, peers criticised the government for extending to four months the time that children can be used by the police before the operation is reviewed and can be extended. I have organised another airing of this issue with an oral question to the Minister on 18th March. 

Continue reading “Government will count number of spy kids used by police” →

Taser use needs radical rethink

Published on by iwin1961

Since the introduction of Tasers to the UK police force in 2003, the number of officers carrying tasers, as well as the number of incidents involving tasers, has grown dramatically. Between 2017 and 2018 alone, there were 18,000 reported incidents involving tasers, which have disproportionately affected black people and people with mental disabilities.

Continue reading “Taser use needs radical rethink” →

The police helped blacklist trade unionists

Published on by iwin1961

Unfortunately I couldn’t be at the meeting organised by the Blacklist Support Group but this is my message of support:

It’s been a privilege to be allied with the Blacklist Support Group in their exposure of the corruption within the police. There are direct links between the lives ruined by blacklisting, the spying on people labelled domestic extremists like myself, and the invasion of many women’s lives by undercover police. Political policing has been a nasty reality in this country for decades and I stand in solidarity with all those trade unionists and campaigners who have worked hard to expose the lies and deceits which state sponsored spying has inflicted on innocent people.

Further questions on child spies

Published on by iwin1961

The police now have a four-month period before they have to review the deployment of individual child spies. I want to know if this change in the rules by the government will lead to the police using child spies more frequently. As well as putting forward a series of written questions (below), I will ask this question of the Government on 18thMarch:

“Further to the Regret Motion of 16 October 2018, what assessment has Her Majesties Government made of the recruitment, use, deployment, numbers and oversight of children used as spies by the Police?” Continue reading “Further questions on child spies” →

Latest podcast now available

Published on by jonesjb

Ending the war on drugs and what happens next, with ex-undercover officer Neil Woods – listen here

Neil has authored two fascinating books about his experiences as an undercover cop turned whistle blower and he joins me to give us his insights on the war against drugs and explain: how drugs money has caused escalating violence on the streets; why younger children are being used; how drugs money supports others forms of crime and leads to endemic corruption in our police force. Continue reading “Latest podcast now available” →

Stansted 15 must be freed

Published on by iwin1961

We urgently need new legislation to exempt those taking part in non-violent direct action from all the anti-terrorism legislation that has been passed in previous years. That legislation was not (we hope) designed to throw peaceful protestors into prison, but it is now being used to jail fifteen citizens whose ‘crime’ was to stand in the way of deporting people, some of whom have subsequently won the right to remain. Continue reading “Stansted 15 must be freed” →

Next podcast out soon!

Published on by jonesjb

Out in a few days will be Episode 5 ‘The Drugs War’ with ex undercover officer Neil Woods. Neil has authored two fascinating books about his experiences as an undercover cop turned whistle blower. Neil joins me to give us his insights on the war against drugs and explain how drugs money has caused endemic corruption in our police force.

Episode 6, out in December, will be ‘The Bogus War on Gangs’ with Stafford Scott. Stafford was a co-founder of the Broadwater Farm Defence Campaign in 1985, and is now a consultant on racial equality and community engagement. He tweets as @StaffordScott and we can look forward to his book!

Previous episodes here