Operation Herne reports & SDS members and blacklist support group
Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.22.026931
I note you seek access to the following information:
How many officers were the subject of investigation following the release of Operation Herne reports from 2011 onwards.
Did members of the SDS provide information to the Blacklist Support Group?
Decision
I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.
Please find below information pursuant to your request above.
How many officers were the subject of investigation following the release of Operation Herne reports from 2011 onwards.
Answer: 41 police officers were the subject of investigation as a result of Operation Herne. Please note that any officer that was unidentified by rank has been excluded from this figure.
Did members of the SDS provide information to the Blacklist Support Group?
The former Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) was established in 1968 and closed in 2008. The role of the SDS was to assimilate themselves with protesters and report back on the tactics used by demonstrators, identifying core participants and estimating numbers expected at particular events.
The Blacklist Support Group (BSG) was established in August 2009 to pursue claims against the member companies and protect the rights of its members. The BSG alleged that personal information obtained by the former SDS was passed to private blacklisting organisations which were then responsible for the restriction of employment of individuals.
The SDS and the BSG existed at different times with the BSG alleging that the former SDS acted corruptly. There is accordingly no information held by the MPS that is relevant to this part of your request for information.
The allegations raised by the BSG about the actions of the SDS have been investigation by Operation Herne. Operation Herne was an independent investigation led by Derbyshire's Chief Constable Mick Creedon QPM, into the then SDS. I have provided a link to this report below.
MPS Website - Public Complaint Investigation - Operation Reuben