Thousands of surveillance reports compiled by undercover police officers sent to infiltrate left-wing protest groups have been revealed to be routinely passed on to MI5, a collaboration that has shed new light on the extent of the long-standing partnership between the security services and law enforcement.
During the height of the Cold War, police sent undercover officers into long-term deployments to gather copious amounts of information about left-wing protesters, including their personal lives, political beliefs, and plans for action. The reports were often highly detailed, logging details such as bank accounts, marriages, sexuality, and even photographs of the individuals involved.
The sheer volume of surveillance data was a significant resource for MI5, which used it to build up large files on peaceful protesters engaged in democratic protests for various causes. It has emerged that many of these reports were handed over at a time when civil liberties groups were already criticizing MI5's snooping practices.
Despite Stella Rimington's admission that the Security Service was sometimes "over-enthusiastic" in its targeting of left-wing groups, MI5 maintained voluminous files on individuals, which it used to secretly vet people applying for government posts. The agency claimed it was screening out potential security risks, but many were unfairly blocked from getting jobs due to their perceived political leanings.
The reports also reveal that MI5 frequently requested specific details from undercover police officers, including "shopping lists" of information such as home addresses and photographs of individuals. In some cases, the Security Service even asked for personal data on campaigners' children, including photographs and details about their medical conditions.
Internal records obtained by the spycops inquiry have shed light on a long-term collaboration between law enforcement and MI5 that has been described by one former police officer as "highly unlikely". The partnership has been scrutinized by the inquiry, which is examining how undercover police officers were used to spy on political groups between 1968 and at least 2010.
During the height of the Cold War, police sent undercover officers into long-term deployments to gather copious amounts of information about left-wing protesters, including their personal lives, political beliefs, and plans for action. The reports were often highly detailed, logging details such as bank accounts, marriages, sexuality, and even photographs of the individuals involved.
The sheer volume of surveillance data was a significant resource for MI5, which used it to build up large files on peaceful protesters engaged in democratic protests for various causes. It has emerged that many of these reports were handed over at a time when civil liberties groups were already criticizing MI5's snooping practices.
Despite Stella Rimington's admission that the Security Service was sometimes "over-enthusiastic" in its targeting of left-wing groups, MI5 maintained voluminous files on individuals, which it used to secretly vet people applying for government posts. The agency claimed it was screening out potential security risks, but many were unfairly blocked from getting jobs due to their perceived political leanings.
The reports also reveal that MI5 frequently requested specific details from undercover police officers, including "shopping lists" of information such as home addresses and photographs of individuals. In some cases, the Security Service even asked for personal data on campaigners' children, including photographs and details about their medical conditions.
Internal records obtained by the spycops inquiry have shed light on a long-term collaboration between law enforcement and MI5 that has been described by one former police officer as "highly unlikely". The partnership has been scrutinized by the inquiry, which is examining how undercover police officers were used to spy on political groups between 1968 and at least 2010.
. I mean, who knew that law enforcement was so closely tied with MI5? It's not exactly surprising, though - I've always suspected that there were some skeletons in the closet when it comes to government surveillance. The fact that they were passing on personal info from undercover cops to MI5 is just, like, super creepy 
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. We need to make sure that our spy agencies aren't abusing their powers or sharing personal info without proper oversight. It's time to get real about national security and civil liberties! 
. I get that security risks are a thing, but do we really need our cops and spooks playing amateur detectives? It's like they're trying to catch us in their own web of surveillance 
. And can you believe they asked for personal info on campaigners' kids?! That's just messed up 
. I guess this whole thing is a reminder that even the people who are supposed to protect our rights might not be doing it right 
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. it's like they were more interested in building profiles than actually stopping real threats 
. and the fact that this all went down under the radar, even from civil liberties groups, is just a testament to how effective their PR machine must've been 
. can we imagine if these records had come out back when it was happening? probably not much of a difference in the public's opinion 
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I'm thinking this whole thing reeks of government overreach, you know? Like they're trying to stifle dissent and opposition under the guise of "national security". I mean, come on, sending undercover officers into left-wing protest groups is basically entrapment, right? And what's with all these personal details being shared between law enforcement and MI5? It's like they're trying to create a surveillance state where people are too scared to speak out.
And dont even get me started on the "shopping lists" they requested from undercover cops... its like, personal data on campaigners' kids? 
... it's wild that they were doing this all these years ago, even back in the Cold War era. It's not just about national security, it's about respect for ppl's civil liberties and privacy too 
it's like, don't they deserve a fair chance? 
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. I'm not surprised Stella Rimington said MI5 was sometimes "over-enthusiastic" in their targeting of left-wing groups, though 
like what even is going on here? they're basically spying on people for no reason other than because of their political views and then using that info to vet them for jobs 
i mean, we're already living in an age where our online data is being used to control us, so why would law enforcement need all this personal info about protest groups & individuals? 
some people say it's about keeping us safe, but what if the real goal is just to silence dissenting voices & maintain the status quo? 
it's a huge breach of civil liberties in my opinion. we need to make sure our security services aren't using that kind of tactics to silence dissenting voices. 