National Public Order Intelligence Unit
Encyclopedia
The National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU) is a United Kingdom
police intelligence
unit set up in 1999 to track green
activists and public demonstrations.
es. Initially operated as part of the Metropolitan Police Special Branch. and is now part of the Specialist Operations
Business Group.
(Blaenau Gwent, Independent), asked then then Secretary of State for the Home Department various questions about the National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU). In response, David Hanson
(Minister of State (Crime and Policing), Home Office; Delyn, Labour) responded that the main purpose of the unit is to:
According to Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary
the NPOIU "performs an intelligence function in relation to politically motivated disorder (not legitimate protests) on behalf of England, Wales and Scotland." by "co-ordinat[ing] the national collection, analysis, exploitation and dissemination of intelligence on the extremist threat to public order."
Evening Standard
investigative journalist Andrew Gilligan
described it as "a secretive, Scotland Yard-based police taskforce" whose "role in controlling dissent is central".
, either at Scotland Yard
, or on the 5th Floor of Tintagel House on the bank of the River Thames
. The unit has a staff of 60-70 officers and police staff, seconded from other forces, and has had its budget more than doubled in four years from £2.6 million in 2005/06 to £5.7 million in 2009/10. The unit is led by an officer of the rank of Detective Superintendent, as of 2006 this was Maria Smith of the Wiltshire Constabulary
.
The NPOIU now forms one branch of the National Domestic Extremism Unit
(NDEU), under the control of ACPO's National Coordinator for Domestic Extremism, Detective Chief Supt Adrian Tudway. The NPOIU works in conjunction with the National Extremism Tactical Co-ordination Unit
(NETCU) and the National Domestic Extremism Team
(NDET).
of England & Wales to observe extremist political groups throughout the UK. The section of the unit is led by an officer of the rank of Detective Chief Inspector.
were criticised by pacifist demonstrators
at the Faslane nuclear submarine base
, after their details were sent to the unit. Anti-genetically modified food
protesters and Muslim university students have also been the target of surveillance by the unit.
In January 2011, it was reported that Mark Kennedy of the Metropolitan Police was one of the first officers to work as an undercover
infiltrator for the NPOIU, and had spent seven years within the environmental protest movement. Kennedy later confirmed in an exclusive interview with the Mail on Sunday, arranged through his PR agent Max Clifford
, that he as Simon Jenkins suspected suffered a version of "Stockholm syndrome
," although he denied becoming an agent provocateur
within the movement, adding that he had been incompetently handled by his superiors and denied psychological counselling.
Following The Guardian articles about the activities and accusations of Mark Kennedy, and the collapse of the trial of six activists, a number of initiatives and changes were announced:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
police intelligence
Police Intelligence
Police intelligence refers to an element of the British police. Staffed by police officers and support staff, its purpose is to track and predict crime with a view to curbing it...
unit set up in 1999 to track green
Green politics
Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...
activists and public demonstrations.
History
Established in March 1999, the NPOIU incorporated the Animal Rights National Index, work that had previously been the responsibility of the various Special BranchSpecial Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
es. Initially operated as part of the Metropolitan Police Special Branch. and is now part of the Specialist Operations
Specialist Operations
Specialist Operations is a directorate of the Metropolitan Police. At its peak, SO was a group of twenty specialist units, which were formed to give the Metropolitan Police a specialist policing capability. The SO designation was implemented in 1986 as part of Sir Kenneth Newman's restructuring of...
Business Group.
Purpose
On 10 November, 2009, in a question in the House of Commons, MP Dai DaviesDai Davies
William David Davies, better known as Dai Davies , is a former professional footballer, who played in goal between 1969 and 1987...
(Blaenau Gwent, Independent), asked then then Secretary of State for the Home Department various questions about the National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU). In response, David Hanson
David Hanson
David Hanson may refer to:* David Hanson * David Hanson , ice hockey player, most famous for his role in Slap Shot* David Hanson , guitarist with progressive rock band GoodThunder...
(Minister of State (Crime and Policing), Home Office; Delyn, Labour) responded that the main purpose of the unit is to:
- Provide the police service with an ability to develop a national threat assessment and profile for domestic extremism.
- Support forces to reduce crime and disorder from domestic extremism.
- Support a proportionate police response to protest activity.
- Help forces manage concerns of communities and businesses in order to minimise conflict and disorder.
According to Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland in the United Kingdom have statutory responsibility for the inspection of police forces.-England and Wales:...
the NPOIU "performs an intelligence function in relation to politically motivated disorder (not legitimate protests) on behalf of England, Wales and Scotland." by "co-ordinat[ing] the national collection, analysis, exploitation and dissemination of intelligence on the extremist threat to public order."
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
investigative journalist Andrew Gilligan
Andrew Gilligan
Andrew Paul Gilligan is a British journalist best known for a 2003 report on BBC Radio 4's The Today Programme in which he said a British government briefing paper on Iraq and weapons of mass destruction had been 'sexed up', a claim that ultimately led to a public inquiry that criticised Gilligan...
described it as "a secretive, Scotland Yard-based police taskforce" whose "role in controlling dissent is central".
Organisation
The NPOIU is based in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, either at Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
, or on the 5th Floor of Tintagel House on the bank of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. The unit has a staff of 60-70 officers and police staff, seconded from other forces, and has had its budget more than doubled in four years from £2.6 million in 2005/06 to £5.7 million in 2009/10. The unit is led by an officer of the rank of Detective Superintendent, as of 2006 this was Maria Smith of the Wiltshire Constabulary
Wiltshire Constabulary
Wiltshire Police, formerly known as the Wiltshire Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing Wiltshire and Swindon in the south-west of England.-History:...
.
The NPOIU now forms one branch of the National Domestic Extremism Unit
National Domestic Extremism Unit
The National Domestic Extremism Unit is part of the United Kingdom's police force, designed to tackle "domestic extremism".-See also:*National Coordinator for Domestic Extremism*National Public Order Intelligence Unit...
(NDEU), under the control of ACPO's National Coordinator for Domestic Extremism, Detective Chief Supt Adrian Tudway. The NPOIU works in conjunction with the National Extremism Tactical Co-ordination Unit
National Extremism Tactical Co-ordination Unit
The National Extremism Tactical Co-ordination Unit is a British police organization funded by, and reporting to, the Association of Chief Police Officers that coordinates police action against groups in the United Kingdom it describes as extremist. As of April 2007, it was headed by...
(NETCU) and the National Domestic Extremism Team
National Domestic Extremism Team
The National Domestic Extremism Team is a UK police unit set up to provide a dedicated response to tackling domestic extremism. This team co-ordinates operations and investigations nationally, working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service which has set up a complementary network of...
(NDET).
Confidential Intelligence Unit
The Confidential Intelligence Unit was set up in 1999 through discussions held by the members of the Association of Chief Police OfficersAssociation of Chief Police Officers
The Association of Chief Police Officers , established in 1948, is a private limited company that leads the development of policing practice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.ACPO provides a forum for chief police officers to share ideas and coordinates the strategic...
of England & Wales to observe extremist political groups throughout the UK. The section of the unit is led by an officer of the rank of Detective Chief Inspector.
Operations
Strathclyde PoliceStrathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police is the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council areas of Argyll and Bute, City of Glasgow, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West...
were criticised by pacifist demonstrators
Faslane Peace Camp
Faslane Peace Camp is a permanent peace camp sited alongside Faslane Naval base in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It has been occupied continuously, in a few different locations, since 12 June 1982...
at the Faslane nuclear submarine base
HMNB Clyde
Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy...
, after their details were sent to the unit. Anti-genetically modified food
Genetically modified food
Genetically modified foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms . Genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques...
protesters and Muslim university students have also been the target of surveillance by the unit.
In January 2011, it was reported that Mark Kennedy of the Metropolitan Police was one of the first officers to work as an undercover
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
infiltrator for the NPOIU, and had spent seven years within the environmental protest movement. Kennedy later confirmed in an exclusive interview with the Mail on Sunday, arranged through his PR agent Max Clifford
Max Clifford
Maxwell Frank Clifford is an English publicist, considered the highest-profile and best-known publicist in the United Kingdom...
, that he as Simon Jenkins suspected suffered a version of "Stockholm syndrome
Stockholm syndrome
In psychology, Stockholm Syndrome is an apparently paradoxical psychological phenomenon wherein hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them...
," although he denied becoming an agent provocateur
Agent provocateur
Traditionally, an agent provocateur is a person employed by the police or other entity to act undercover to entice or provoke another person to commit an illegal act...
within the movement, adding that he had been incompetently handled by his superiors and denied psychological counselling.
Takeover by the Metropolitan Police
In November 2010 it was announced that the three ACPO units commanded by the National Coordinator for Domestic Extremism would be rebranded as the National Domestic Extremism Unit and brought under the control of the Metropolitan Police by Summer 2011.Following The Guardian articles about the activities and accusations of Mark Kennedy, and the collapse of the trial of six activists, a number of initiatives and changes were announced:
- Acknowledging that "something had gone very wrong" in the Kennedy case to the Home Affairs Select CommitteeHome Affairs Select CommitteeThe Home Affairs Select Committee is a Committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Remit:The Home Affairs Committee is one of the House of Commons Select Committees related to government departments: its terms of reference are to examine "the expenditure,...
, Home Office minister Nick HerbertNick HerbertNicholas Le Quesne "Nick" Herbert is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs...
stated that ACPO would lose control of three teams involved in tackling domestic extremism. Herbert re-announced the already planned transfer of the units to the Metropolitan Police, with acting commissioner Tim GodwinTim GodwinTimothy John "Tim" Godwin, OBE, QPM is a senior British police officer, currently the Deputy Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police Service...
confirming that this would occur at the earliest possible timescale. - Her Majesty's Inspectorate of ConstabularyHer Majesty's Inspectorate of ConstabularyHer Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland in the United Kingdom have statutory responsibility for the inspection of police forces.-England and Wales:...
announced that Bernard Hogan-HoweBernard Hogan-HoweBernard Hogan-Howe, QPM is the present Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis . He was previously Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, an Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, and more recently one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary.On 18 July 2011, the Home Secretary...
would lead an investigation into ACPO, to assess whether undercover operations had been "authorised in accordance with law" and "proportionate". - The Serious Organised Crime AgencySerious Organised Crime AgencyThe Serious Organised Crime Agency is a non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom under Home Office sponsorship...
announced an inquiry into the conduct of Mark Kennedy. - The Independent Police Complaints CommissionIndependent Police Complaints CommissionThe Independent Police Complaints Commission is a non-departmental public body in England and Wales responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales.-Role:...
announced an investigation into Nottinghamshire Police, over allegations it suppressed surveillance tapes recorded by Kennedy, the contents of which may have exonerated the six Ratcliffe activists.
See also
- Forward Intelligence TeamForward Intelligence TeamForward Intelligence Teams are two or more police officers who are deployed by UK police forces to gather intelligence on the ground and in some circumstances, to disrupt activists and deter anti-social behaviour. They use cameras, camcorders and audio recorders to conduct overt surveillance of...
- National Domestic Extremism UnitNational Domestic Extremism UnitThe National Domestic Extremism Unit is part of the United Kingdom's police force, designed to tackle "domestic extremism".-See also:*National Coordinator for Domestic Extremism*National Public Order Intelligence Unit...
- National Coordinator for Domestic Extremism
- National Extremism Tactical Co-ordination UnitNational Extremism Tactical Co-ordination UnitThe National Extremism Tactical Co-ordination Unit is a British police organization funded by, and reporting to, the Association of Chief Police Officers that coordinates police action against groups in the United Kingdom it describes as extremist. As of April 2007, it was headed by...
- National Domestic Extremism TeamNational Domestic Extremism TeamThe National Domestic Extremism Team is a UK police unit set up to provide a dedicated response to tackling domestic extremism. This team co-ordinates operations and investigations nationally, working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service which has set up a complementary network of...