http://www.channel4.com/programmes/confessions-of-an-undercover-cop/articles/live-qa-with-mark-kennedy-10pm-monday-14-nov

Q&A with Mark Kennedy: Confessions of an Undercover Cop
(11/14/2011)
Monday November 14, 2011
2:33


Channel 4 Community Manager:
You can submit a question for Mark below, we won't publish any until the Q&A starts at 10pm, after tonight's programme. We look forward to welcoming you back here then.
9:57


Channel 4 Community Manager:
Good evening everyone and thank you for your questions so far, we will begin the Q&A with Mark shortly after the programme finishes.
10:00


MARK KENNEDY:
I'm ready to take your questions
10:00


Channel 4 Community Manager:
Good evening Mark, here's the first question.
10:01


Comment From Liam
Do you miss being a police officer?
10:01


MARK KENNEDY:
no i don't miss being a police officer
10:02


Comment From TRIGGAGE
If you hadn't been caught, would you still be living that life now?
10:03


MARK KENNEDY:
No, the strain of the life i that i lead would catch up with anyone eventually.
10:03


Comment From IanVincible
Are you suffering as a result of betraying friends and lovers? What is your advice for other serving undercover cops?
10:06


MARK KENNEDY:
it is very hard to reconcile, i am still trying to come to terms with everything. Regarding the advice to other UC's look in to what you are actually being asked to do , and try and work out where it wil end
10:08


Comment From Jane
Is anyone in prison, anywhere in Britain or Europe because of information you provided?
10:08


MARK KENNEDY:
no
10:08


Comment From Frazer
Did you feel pressured to join the Police to follow in your fathers foot steps or was it a career you really wanted?
10:09


MARK KENNEDY:
it was a career that i was passionate about at the age of 19
10:09


Comment From James Wilkin
Owing to the dangers that you may face and the time spent away from home, do you think it would be more responsible to only put people without partners and families into this position or do your roots help you to maintain your focus on the reasons that you are doing the job?
10:10


MARK KENNEDY:
thats a very good question and one that i feel needs to be addressed by those that make the decisions regarding deployments. I hope to be able to contribute to that process.
10:11


Comment From matt
do you feel as though you wasted your life for the past 7 years taking on the job you did?
10:12


MARK KENNEDY:
No i dont feel as though i wasted my life. I met some amazing people, i met a wonderful woman, and i also did a job, all hugely conflicting i know but thats how it happened.
10:13


Comment From Guest
Do you think you should have got out earlier to avoid the heartache?
10:15


MARK KENNEDY:
in retrospect yes, but the circumstances and the pressure to fulfill what i was being asked to do resulted in the end living day by day
10:15


Comment From Katie
Do you feel guilt or any remorse for those people who's trust you gained, lives you became part of and then betrayed in the most unforgivable way? ARE YOU SORRY?
10:18


MARK KENNEDY:
yes of course, i met people that i will never forget for the rest of my life people that showed me love and care and friendship like you cant believe. People that i stood side by side with, i wrestle with that every day.
10:19


Comment From Fiona
Was it hard for you to appear so passionate about the environment amongst the other activists?
10:21


MARK KENNEDY:
very good question, No not at all, the environment is an extremely important issue and one that we should all be passionate about. Activism is a sliding scale and every body should have the opportunity to express their feelings how they want to. Obviously the law currently has a boundary.
10:21


Comment From Richard
Do you miss protesting? And did you ever agree with any of the reasons why people were protesting?
10:23


MARK KENNEDY:
I totally understand why people protest and its right in a democratic society that people can. I did have frustrations at the processes that people went through to get their point across sometimes. I miss the comradderie the friendships that i had with many great people.
10:23


Comment From Dan
I was very intruigued by the programme, I think you are brave to share the story!
10:24


Comment From Will
Wow - great program Mark
10:24


Comment From Phil
You were very brave to make this programme - can't have been easy to 'expose' yourself again to the media and the often unsympathetic public. Has the process been therapeautic in any way?
10:26


MARK KENNEDY:
This process has been hugely carthartic, i would not be doing this Q&A today if it was not for Brian Hill and James Ross sitting me down and letting me cry and share for weeks on end. I thank them for their help. What they did was their work and independent i merely contributed and it saved me.
10:27


Comment From ben
You lied to everyone, your friends, lovers, wife, and your bosses - why should anyone take what you have to say now with anything other than a very large pinch of salt?
10:31


Channel 4 Community Manager:
Sorry we have a short delay, Mark is answering Ben's question and it will be published very soon.
10:31


Comment From jude
I think Ben is missing the point. Mark was undercover and had to lie.
10:32


MARK KENNEDY:
I appreciate the comment, its very hard to know how to answer that, there are many people out there who know what i was to them and how i was to them........Those that know....know and the rest you will have to make your own minds up upon what you see and read.
10:33

Could you be an undercover cop?
Yes
( 35% )
No
( 65% )

10:34


Comment From Paul
HI Mark. Amazing that you ended up falling in love. Did your bosses know that you were having a relationship? How close were you allowed to get to these protesters?
10:34


MARK KENNEDY:
For my whole deployment i thought i was the only ever UC to have the relationship that i had. I was living Mark Stones life day by day. In hind sight with the amount of intel that was coming in from various places it seems unbelievable to think that they did not know.
10:35


Comment From Pete Nicol
Mark, was there a point during your deployment that you realised there was no going back to the Police force? If so, how did you get your head around it?
10:37


MARK KENNEDY:
I was undercover for nearly 8 years, I did not get any further training during those 8 years, so when it did end i was left hanging with not very much to offer to any other dept, outside of what i knew. Things had moved on massively and it was overwhelming to have to face that without support.
10:39


Comment From Unger
Dear mark, I understand you are afraid of showing up to the Copenhagen Documentary Festival and that you had to cancel. Does this mean you are ashamed of some of the methods you used? I sure hope so, because after you got busted?
10:42


MARK KENNEDY:
I was more than happy to go to the Danish Film Festival. I think it was important to engage and am willing to do so at future events. My reason for not going was because the film festival asked me not to attend becasue they were worried about trying to provide security and as a result of this decision the documentary makers who have a duty of care towards me felt they could not meet that. Lets have a debate at the next one.
10:42


Comment From Mark Golder
has the girl you fell in love with forgiven you?
10:43


MARK KENNEDY:
We spent some amazing times together, both wonderful and hard. It's her decission alone how she feelds about me
10:44


Comment From Guest
Would you spy on the police for us protestors?
10:45

Do you think undercover operations are necessary and the needs justify the end?
Yes
( 54% )
No
( 46% )

10:45


MARK KENNEDY:
I think i would be found out in an instant, but give it go, their backs are against the wall right now!
10:46


Comment From Bert
Are you still a vegan ? what is your favourite dish ?
10:48


MARK KENNEDY:
Yes im trying hard, Sunday Nut roasts were and still are the best
10:48


Comment From james
re: the poll question, it depends on the operation! criminals yes, peaceful protestors no!
10:49


Comment From Ciara
Have you kept friends from the police force?
10:49


Comment From Lynne Taylor
I agree with James but who decides who a criminal is?
10:50


MARK KENNEDY:
No I have not spoken to a single person from the police. That saddens me because outside of the police role I thought I might have had some old friends.
10:50


Comment From George J
Criminality decides who a criminal is.
10:50


Comment From Jesq
What posotive thing do you think has come out of all this?
10:52


Comment From Guest
As a serving officer, I have done UC (level 2) and when you are trying to tackle drug dealing, firearms, child pornography etc etc, trust me undercover ops are essential.
10:52


Comment From Stef
For the question about undercovers and needs justifying means etc. HAS to depend on who they're infiltrating? Like Mark said - HE wasn't dealing with sex traffickers etc. it seems to me that there are a great deal of operations that I imagine are mainly justifiable, but not Mark's and what he went through.
10:55


MARK KENNEDY:
OK Massive question, and we can only wait to see. What I hope for, is a) Protest realises what it can achieve and what it can challenge, that the police are more receptive to peoples rights to protest. Its a difficult road to tread but there is everybody out there trying to get their point across. Also hugely important UC work will never go away, so more support and care and understanding of what you are putting a UC into needs to happen.
10:56


Comment From Shaun
How is the rebuilding process going for you Mark? Personally i hope you manage to get through the guilt etc and enjoy life.
10:58


MARK KENNEDY:
It's a slow process, I have met some amazing people recently that are helping Mark Kennedy find himself and I can only thank them for their patience and their friendship.
10:58


Channel 4 Community Manager:
Mark lots of people have been asking - after all that has happened, who are you now?
11:00


MARK KENNEDY:
someone who wants to make a dfifference, a change and someone who wants to be real. Thank you to everyone who contributed this evening. I hope it helped.
11:00


Channel 4 Community Manager:
Thanks Mark, it's been good to have you here tonight.
11:01


Comment From Claire
Mark you have a life to look forward to and hopefully you will get support
11:02


Channel 4 Community Manager:
Thank you to everyone who has joined us, Sorry if your question wasn't asked, we had thousands submitted, here are a few comments from you.
11:02


Comment From mally
I've asked a few questions Mark to no response. I admire you and take my hat off to you and truely wish you luck in life.... Its time to build bridges and move on. Its been 15 months since i resigned. Like you i became a no one... I cried and hated myself for what i did.
11:02


Comment From jason paterson
dont look back move forward mark - respect
11:03


Comment From Jane a
Good luck to you and use your gained wisdom well
11:07


Channel 4 Community Manager:
That wraps things up for tonight, if you missed the programme it's on 4oD now:
 http://www.channel4.com/programmes/confessions-of-an-undercover-cop/4od
11:13


Channel 4 Community Manager:
Thanks for joining us, if you'd like to leave a comment you can continue to leave your thoughts here:
 http://www.channel4.com/programmes/confessions-of-an-undercover-cop/articles/your-comments-on-confessions-of-an-undercover-cop