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Top secret police force to spy on political Campaign groups

richard from plane stupid | 09.02.2009 11:22 | Climate Chaos | Repression | Social Struggles | South Coast

Allo, allo, allo. What's going on here then? I'm Inspector Clouseau, of the Confidential Intelligence Unit, and I'm here to investigate rumours that you may be part of Plane Stupid, the anti-aviation direct action group with a penchant for bad puns. Have I found anything out? I can't tell you: all our intelligence is confidential.

Yes, this is the news, first leaked by the Mail on Sunday, that bored plod at the Association of Chief Police Officers have started up a new super secret group to investigate any groups which have anything nasty to say about capital and the state. ACPO is the private company that masterminds the nutkins at NECTU, last seen leaking reports to the Observer that pretended environmentalists were dangerous terrorists. They've named Plane Stupid as one of the groups singled out for special interest.

Other groups under investigation are anti-Israeli groups, those who instigated the recent wildcat strikes and animal rights groups. We shouldn't be surprised really: history shows that the state and industry will do anything it can to protect itself. At least they got one thing right: they're also looking into groups of fascists; suggestions that they might like to start with ACPO or NETCU should be sent to Steven Pearl, Constabulary HQ. Hinchingbrooke Park, Cambridgeshire. PE29 6NP.

More news about super-duper police spy team

Yesterday we covered the Daily Mail story about the Confidential Intelligence Unit - a special task force set up to tackle "domestic extremism". For those of you who missed the memo, the new unit has been set up by the Association of Chief Police Officers: a private company which is unanswerable to the public, believes itself outside of the remit of the Freedom of Information Act and generally lords it about the place.

Thanks to the power of t'interweb we've found the job description for the head of the CIU (pronounced 'cooo-eee'). Successful applicants will be tasked with "manag[ing] the covert intelligence function for domestic extremism, and the confidential intelligence unit" and "Develop[ing] the business of the confidential intelligence unit to support NCDE [National Covert Domestic Extremist] units and the wider DE policing objectives."

They will be asked to "Represent NPOIU [National Public Order Intelligence Unit] at Public Interest Immunity hearings, and legal meetings regarding sensitive source material" - basically refusing to give any info about who they are and how they work, should anyone be prepared to risk arrest and ask. It's very important that officers "Consider and shows respect for the opinions, circumstances and feelings of colleagues and members of the public, no matter what their race, religion, position, background, circumstances, status or appearance"... unless those opinions and feelings happen to be anti-state, in which case it's open season.

richard from plane stupid
- Homepage: http://www.planestupid.com

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