A public inquiry into undercover policing has heard shocking evidence that senior managers permitted covert officers to deceive women into sexual relationships, considering it a routine part of their work.
Whistleblower's Damning Testimony
Peter Francis, a former undercover officer turned whistleblower, told the Undercover Policing Inquiry that intimate relationships were "an ordinary part of the undercover role" during his deployment. He stated that the practice was regarded by both officers and management alike as simply "part of the work".
Francis, who infiltrated anti-racism and leftwing groups for the Met's Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) from 1993, said that by the time of his deployment, the practice had been established for years. He revealed that two managers supervising the covert unit did not forbid such relationships and, instead, advised him to use condoms while having sex with activists.
A Systemic Practice Over Decades
The inquiry is examining the conduct of more than 139 undercover officers who spied on tens of thousands of activists between 1968 and 2010. Francis testified that "most" SDS officers during his time had sexual relations using their fake identities.
His evidence directly contradicts past denials and reluctance from senior police to admit the scale of the deception. At least 25 undercover officers are known to have formed such relationships between the mid-1970s and 2010, with some lasting up to six years. At least 50 women have so far been identified as victims of this deception.
Legacy of Harm and Ongoing Scrutiny
The inquiry itself was established largely due to Francis's earlier revelation that his unit had placed the family of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence under surveillance. His testimony this week adds further weight to allegations of institutional wrongdoing.
He highlighted the case of his former manager, Bob Lambert, who in the 1980s fathered a child with an activist while undercover and then abandoned them. Francis told the inquiry that Lambert specifically advised him to "make sure I always used my own condom," alluding to rumours within the SDS about a previous officer being tricked into fathering a child.
The evidence paints a picture of a covert unit operating for decades with minimal ethical boundaries, where the personal lives of activists were considered collateral damage in police operations. The inquiry continues to uncover the full human cost of these secret tactics.
