2011-01-19
Metropolitan police admits senior commander gave false information to MPs when quizzed about protests in 2009
Giving evidence to the House of Commons home affairs committee a month after the protest – in which thousands of demonstrators clashed with police – Commander Bob Broadhurst insisted there were no plain-clothes officers among the crowd, saying it would have been too dangerous to do so.
But committee chairman Keith Vaz last week wrote to the Met’s commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson after questions arose about Cmdr Broadhurst’s evidence in the wake of the unmasking of undercover policeman Mark Kennedy, who attended many demonstrations during seven years living as a spy among green activists.
Today, the Met issued a statement correcting the testimony given by Cmdr Broadhurst on 19 May 2009.
He told MPs then: "We had no plain-clothes officers deployed within the crowd. It would have been dangerous for them to put plain clothes officers in a crowd like that.
“The only officers we deploy for intelligence purposes at public order are forward intelligence team officers who are wearing full police uniforms with a yellow jacket with blue shoulders. There were no plain clothes officers deployed at all.”
But today’s statement conceded: "Having made thorough checks on the back of recent media reporting we have now established that covert officers were deployed during the G20 protests.
“Therefore the information that was given by Commander Bob Broadhurst to the Home Affairs Select Committee saying that ‘We had no plain-clothes officers deployed within the crowd’ was not accurate …
“The officers were covertly deployed by the MPS to G20 protests to identify individuals who may be involved in the organisation of criminal activity and to give live time intelligence/evidence as to the protesters’ activity.”
However, the Met stood by Sir Paul’s assurance to the committee at the same hearing that the force did not use “agents provocateurs” – undercover officers actively fomenting unrest – at the protests around the world leaders’ summit in April 2009.
The Met statement said: "Prior to the evidence session, there had been extensive discussion in the media and then at parliamentary committees about allegations that police officers were acting as agent provocateurs in the protests.
“Such behaviour goes completely against how the MPS deploys officers. The commissioner’s comments at HASC refer to this point – not to covert deployments.”
Sir Paul told the committee at the initial hearing that “the idea that we would put agent provocateurs in the crowd is wholly antithetic to everything I have known about policing for the best part of 34 years”.
Cmdr Broadhurst has now been summoned to appear before the committee again to explain the inaccuracy of his earlier evidence.
The force’s acting commissioner, Tim Godwin – standing in for Sir Paul while he recovers from an operation – met Vaz this afternoon to apologise for the false evidence.
Vaz later sent him a letter, asking for Cmdr Broadhurst to come back before the committee on 25 January.
Vaz said: “I am most grateful to acting commissioner Godwin for calling to see me today to apologise for the discrepancy in the evidence given to the committee. We look forward to receiving Commander Broadhurst’s explanation on Tuesday.”