Undercover police can have sex 'when necessary'
New guidelines say it is 'never acceptable' for officers to start relationships with people they are investigating
New guidelines for undercover police state that officers must never start relationships with members of the groups they infiltrate and should only have sex if they face a threat to their safety in not doing so.
The College of Policing has gone public with its 80-page document after eight women sued when they discovered they had relationships - and children - with men they did not know to be officers. The women, who began legal action in 2011, had been associates or members of social justice and environmental campaign groups.
The guidelines say it is "never acceptable" for an undercover operative to have sex with somebody who does not know they are infiltrating an organisation. They also say that taking controlled drugs will never be "authorised as a tactic".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But officers will be able to justify sexual activity with members of groups they infiltrate if they can show that they perceived an immediate threat to themselves or others were they not to do so, says The Guardian.
The code adds that officers may engage in "communications of a sexual nature" with group members if an authorising officer believes it is "necessary and proportionate to operational objectives".
Alex Marshall, the chief executive of the College of Policing, told Radio 4's Today programme: "It's never acceptable for an undercover officer to form an intimate sexual relationship with the people they're targeting or they meet while carrying out these duties."
He added that undercover policing should only be used to infiltrate "people who represent a risk to the public".
It emerged in 2014 that the Metropolitan Police had planted an undercover officer among the supporters of the family of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered by white racists in 1993.
Many undercover officers also stole the identities of dead children, living under their names, The Guardian says.
An inquiry chaired by Lord Justice Pitchford is currently examining various undercover policing operations, dating back as far as 1968 and including the surveillance of the Lawrence family.
There will be a six-week consultation on the guidelines for undercover police before a final version is released later this year.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 22, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - frozen assets, blazing fires, and more
By The Week US Published
-
How much of a blow is ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu?
Today's Big Question Action by Hague court damages Israel's narrative that Gaza conflict is a war between 'good and evil'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
UK gynaecological care crisis: why thousands of women are left in pain
The Explainer Waiting times have tripled over the past decade thanks to lack of prioritisation or funding for women's health
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drug
Speed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
By The Week Staff Published
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policy
Speed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
By The Week Staff Published
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?
Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UK
Speed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakers
Speed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
By The Week Staff Published
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’
Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Motherhood: why are we putting it off?
Speed Read Stats show around 50% of women in England and Wales now don’t have children by 30
By The Week Staff Published
-
Anti-Semitism in America: a case of double standards?
Speed Read Officials were strikingly reluctant to link Texas synagogue attack to anti-Semitism
By The Week Staff Published