MoD OSU (Operational Support Unit) Police regularly use video as a way of intimidating people as well as for intelligence and training purposes. However, last Monday seemed to be the first time other FIT were present at the base since the G8 2005. The two police with blue shoulders identified themselves as being from the Northern Ireland and South Yorkshire Police. They said they were there to "see how other police deal with protesters." Interestingly a French Police officer, who wore his French cap and a UK police jacket, was also present and said he was there to "observe." Monday was also the first time local Strathclyde Police have used video recording, with one L-division officer filming. This seemed to be for training purposes only, rather than intelligence led (or maybe just because everyone else was, and they didn;t want to seem unfashionable).
It is not surprising that since the anti-nuclear movement throughout Europe works closely together and shares tactics and members that the police have decided to do the same.
The FITwatch site shows that the N Yorkshire cop was photographing the Nottingham DESi demo in July, and his number is 1818. In the photo you can clearly see his cap has a different badge from the Met cop beside him. If my memory serves me right, he was also at Climate Camp.
Comments
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'Only paying my mortgage'
04.10.2007 01:16
Good report but that is a bizarre and false statement. Strathclyde Police photograph and video activists all the time, long before it became a national police obsession - have I misunderstood you ?
The cop in the centre of the first photo seems a really nice guy. He used to be MoD Plod at Coulport. He claimed his dad used to take him on protest marches against the base being built. I've passed him Chomsky books in the past, at his request. Presumably he hasn't read them or understood them. His dad would be black-ashamed.
d
I noticed them too
04.10.2007 07:26
GE
not first FIT at 365
04.10.2007 13:15
i was approached by officers from the environmental action unit (cant remember the exact title - but its
nominally attached to staffordshire police as they were first set up to combat animal rights activists and focussed on newchurch guinea pig farm)
anyway blah
and approached me while i was in a lock on on the ground at 630 am
greeted me by name and started chatting about various details of my life
they had been doing FIT at climate camp last year where they had also buzzed me with information about my past
ocal police said that this was as far as they knew the first time police from outside scotland had been involved in f365
ex
Lying Cops
08.10.2007 07:10
There were some police from Yorkshire present during the Coventry blockade earlier in the year. Never trust a cop....
Dave C
e-mail: Gitboy@Action4Peace.org