Neville Lawrence: Police spy probe must be transparent

The father of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence has urged a senior judge to hold “an open and transparent inquiry” into undercover police tactics.

Lord Justice Pitchford is due to chair a two-day hearing, starting tomorrow, to decide how much of the public inquiry will be held in secret.

Mr Lawrence campaigned for the probe into the activities of police moles after undercover officers gathered information about his family.

He said: “For over 20 years I have seen the Metropolitan Police fail time and again to be open and honest on matters concerning myself and my family.

“The Pitchford Inquiry is an opportunity to get to the truth of how undercover police operated, including the infiltration of our campaign for justice, yet it appears that attempts are being made to persuade the inquiry to restrict public access to information.

“Lord Justice Pitchford must hold an open and transparent inquiry.”

The hearing, at the Royal Courts of Justice, will consider whether any witnesses will be allowed to give evidence anonymously, and which evidence will be kept secret.

Home Secretary Theresa May an-nounced the inquiry into undercover policing in England and Wales last year, after a series of claims about Scotland Yard’s secretive Special Demonstration Squad (SDS).

SDS officers used the id-entities of dead children as cover, and some had relationships with women who did not know their true identity, even fathering children. So far Scotland Yard has made payouts to eight women who unwittingly became involved in relationships with the officers.

As well as the Lawrence family, the SDS gathered information about a string of justice campaigns for murder victims or those who died following police contact. They include the campaign for Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian shot by police on a Tube train after being mistaken for a terrorist.

SDS records also had references linked to the death of Cherry Groce, which sparked the 1985 Brixton riots, and Ricky Reel, who died in mysterious circumstances in 1997.