Former Met commissioner apologises for undercover spying on Stephen Lawrence campaign
The former Metropolitan Police commissioner apologized for an undercover unit that spied on the Stephen Lawrence campaign.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The former head of the Metropolitan Police, Paul Condon, has apologised for the actions of a controversial undercover unit that spied on the Stephen Lawrence campaign. Giving evidence to the long-running inquiry into the Special Demonstration Squad, Condon admitted the force had failed to control the unit, which used covert techniques for decades to infiltrate political activists.
Condon, who served as commissioner in the 1990s, said the infiltration was part of a wider pattern of paranoia within Special Branch. He offered a personal apology to everyone harmed by the unit's activities. The inquiry has heard how officers lied, cheated, and even fathered children with women using fake identities.
The Stephen Lawrence family, who were campaigning for justice after the racist murder of their son, were themselves placed under investigation by the unit. This revelation has deepened the sense of betrayal, as the family had been asking the police to investigate the murder. The unit was disbanded in 2008, but the legacy of distrust continues.
The apology is not the first the Lawrences have received. The earlier Macpherson inquiry into Stephen's murder had already found the Metropolitan Police guilty of institutional racism. However, the extent of the undercover surveillance of the Lawrence family was not known at that time. The undercover policing inquiry itself has now surpassed ten years, far exceeding its original three-year timeline.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 4 |
|---|---|
| Former Met commissioner Paul Condon apologised for the undercover unit's actions against the Stephen Lawrence campaign. | |
| The Stephen Lawrence family were under police investigation while they sought police help to investigate their son's murder. | |
| Undercover police unit infiltrated campaigns for 40 years, using fake identities, lying, and having children with women. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Channel 4 News focused on the personal apology from former commissioner Paul Condon and the broader context of police misconduct. The report highlighted the betrayal of the Stephen Lawrence family, who were spied on while seeking justice for their son. It also noted the long-running nature of the inquiry and the systemic failures within the Metropolitan Police.
- “I personally apologise for every single person who has been damaged by the actions of officers in the special demonstration squad over the decades, and I am appalled by so much of what I have learnt throughout this inquiry.”
- “When they were asking the police to investigate the murder of their son, it was they who were placed under investigation.”
Broadcast Timeline
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