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Doreen Lawrence: Police Spied Instead of Justice
20 Nov
Summary
- Doreen Lawrence found police surveillance deeply painful.
- Undercover officers spied on Lawrence family campaign.
- Police priorities misplaced, should have sought justice.
Doreen Lawrence has revealed the profound pain caused by the Metropolitan Police's deployment of undercover officers to spy on her family during their campaign for justice following her son Stephen's murder. She testified to the spycops inquiry, stating that the police's focus was 'completely misplaced,' with resources diverted from apprehending Stephen's killers.
Lawrence characterized the surveillance as 'disrespectful and dehumanising,' noting the irony that while she was grieving and caring for her family, police resources were used to monitor their efforts. The inquiry investigates how a Scotland Yard unit gathered intelligence on thousands of activists, including the Lawrence family, between 1968 and 2010.
Evidence presented to the inquiry suggests that undercover officers were tasked with finding information to discredit the Lawrence family's campaign. This occurred as the Met faced intense pressure over its initial failure to properly investigate the racially motivated murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993, a case that exposed institutional racism within the police.
