Our review of the role of undercover policing in the Lawrence case I was involved in was never about any family member. It was done to protect the family.” ●● N127 SDS 1997–2001: “... the activity [Mr Francis] describes is alien to me. I was aware of deployments close to what was a large and disparate campaign, and that these focused on managing public disorder and strategic issues for the MPS, not developing intelligence designed to besmirch the reputation of the L family. Nor was I aware of any source tasked to report on the L family... gauging community tension was a significant part of this equation (identifying problems well in advance allowing the deployment of optimal resources for favourable outcomes)... how smearing the L family would have benefited this objective I fail to see... The situation Francis describes is contrary to the reality of operations as I knew them... I was never asked to provide information to smear any of my targeted individuals or groups. I would easily have been able to, but never did... I realize that senior officers might have indulged in politicking and negative briefing, concerning any number of issues... I was working in a politically charged atmosphere and never heard any gossip or innuendo that would corroborate [Mr Francis’] story... when I did hear senior officers or members of their staff comment their general tone towards the L family was sympathetic... I spent many hours examining reports and helped compile assessments on the L campaign... I had colleagues heavily involved in these matters who shared confidences with me... I find it difficult to accept the senior officers I served under would have sanctioned the activity alleged by [Mr Francis].” ●● N123 – posted to the SDS 1993–1998 and tasked to left-wing groups – spoke on the telephone to Operation Herne in November 2013: “Francis was lying about the smearing of Lawrence…“ N123 had taken over from Mr Francis when in the back office. Mr Francis had told him that it was their role to provide “gossip for the field…” N123 had spent nine months in the back office and amongst management and had gone to field meetings. Not once did N123 see or hear any instruction to ‘smear’ the Lawrences. He did not see any paperwork to reflect this either. ●● N129 told Operation Herne recently: “[Mr Francis] was targeted towards the campaign in the same way as today… to perform a dual role of protecting the family from malicious extremist influences and providing information about potential public order issues. The anti-police sentiment on the streets was palpable, and Territorial Policing was very interested in any potential or planned disorder…” N129 believes that he was directly tasked to get involved with the campaign, although not necessarily with the family. His role was not about ‘smearing’ at all. In his opinion, Mr Francis was a very good undercover officer, his tradecraft was second to none and he was extremely dedicated to his role. However, this devotion had the knock-on effect of making him increasingly paranoid, which had a series of effects on his personal and work life. He became obtuse and complained about almost anything. He was an intelligent person, but obsessive in nature and blinkered in his outlook. N129 believes that Mr Francis would have failed psychometric testing if it had been in place at the time of his entry to the unit. 212 37119 Cromarty Volume One book.indb 212 04/03/2014 16:51 Alleged tasking to ‘smear’ the Lawrence family campaign | Ex-SDS DI Bob Lambert 6.10.1 Ex-Special Demonstration Squad Detective Inspector Bob Lambert On Channel 4 News on 1 July 2013, Mr Lambert stated that he had been an SDS manager from November 1993 until 1998. He joined as a DI manager shortly after Mr Francis had been deployed into Youth Against Racism in Europe. He denied that the SDS was “at any time concerned in smearing the Lawrence family or their campaign... 100% he had not been”, and he was almost as certain that during the period he was there that did not happen. He said he also had no direct knowledge of any names being passed back from a family liaison officer to Special Branch, but said: “I wouldn’t rule it out.” He said he could see now how it would be an intrusion. He said he was 100% sure that Mr Francis was never tasked to gather intelligence to undermine the Lawrence family campaign, and that the SDS did a lot to support them and reduce the risk of racial violence. He was not aware of any desire to discredit Duwayne Brooks. In a recent interview with Operation Herne, Mr Lambert said: “Well, Peter Francis certainly wasn’t tasked to smear the Stephen Lawrence family. He wasn’t tasked to smear anyone… his tasking was fairly straightforward, in SDS terms… his initial tasking would have taken place before I joined the unit as a member of the management team at the end of October, early November 1993… [when] on the first day… I would have discussed [his] role (primarily with Detective Chief Inspector N86) and I remember meeting him at the safe flat after a big demonstration in Welling [Comment: this must have been the October 1993 anti- British National Party demonstration]… he was targeted against militants who were involved in serious public disorder, classified then as subversion… he’d be providing very high grade timely, pre-emptive intelligence around serious public disorder… and he would go throughout his tour of duty where the hard core activists went… You had extremist groups on both sides pursuing political agendas that had to be monitored, if you like, without fear or favour and [he] had a clear understanding of that… I can’t imagine how he would now perceive that he was tasked to smear the Lawrence family or anyone else… it was quite the opposite to that and I’m sure at the time he had a clear understanding of that… All of his contemporaries in the 1990s were in very similar if not identical positions… they would often be involved in campaigns that were for a good cause, but they were there only because their target groups that were extremist were there to exploit the situation for their ends.” In his response to the possible criticisms that we were considering as part of our Review, Mr Lambert said that Mr Francis seemed to have a personal crusade against him, elevating his role in the SDS and making false allegations. He asserts that Mr Francis is an unreliable witness and someone who was clearly in need of help from a mental health perspective, who was having difficulty adjusting to life outside an undercover role and who has much to gain in making false allegations. Asked about whether there was reporting around Stephen Lawrence after he came on board as management in late 1993, he said in his Operation Herne interview: “Yes… what we had was every group on the extreme left, every group that was either directly infiltrated by the SDS… every time he or she went to a meeting or demonstration, the Stephen Lawrence case would be mentioned, would be addressed… you know, if we were to look at reports throughout 1993 and through 1994 onwards we would see that the Stephen Lawrence case was on the agenda, sometimes top of the agenda, every week… across the board… 213 37119 Cromarty Volume One book.indb 213 04/03/2014 16:51 N81 | How the SDS used N81’s intelligence at the time of the Inquiry | SDS Intelligence Update N81 was able to highlight the enormity of this task as regards sections of the black community... [N81] was also able to provide DI Walton with some specific and positive information as regards those community groups who might be prepared to build bridges. DI Walton also explained how the Home Office was very sensitive about the wider implications of the Lawrence case, in particular the potential for rioting or disorder by sections of the black community in the wake of an irretrievable loss of confidence in the police. Allied to this was a concern about the damaging effects of sustained political pressure from hard-left and anti-police elements. DI Lambert 18.8.98 Submitted (circ. copy N127/N52/N129 – All SDS Sgts) An excellent meeting and a good example of the strides N81 has made over the last 12 months. N58 (SDS DCI)” SDS Intelligence Update, September 1998 This was found within a batch of SDS operational strategy reports from 1998/1999. It appears that this update was prepared by SDS Detective Chief Inspector N58 quite early in September 1998 and its content included: “EXTREMIST INVOLVEMENT IN THE STEPHEN LAWRENCE CAMPAIGN “Over the last six months source N81 has reported comprehensively on the persistent and largely successful attempts by [N81’s group] to gain influence within the Stephen Lawrence campaign... [N81’s group] have managed to broaden the agenda within the campaign group... While the Lawrence family have sought to prevent extremist activists from taking over the campaign, N81’s reporting reveals the extent to which groups like [N81’s group] have gained a significant foothold within the ad hoc organising group... “In addition to providing valuable public order intelligence for C Squad, N81’s unique insight into the behind-the-scenes machinations of the Lawrence campaign has also proved invaluable to A/DI Walton who is currently attached to the Stephen Lawrence review team. At a recent SDS meeting N81 was able to give A/DI Walton a first-hand briefing on the case and offer some sound advice (e.g.