The History and Practice of the Political Police in Britain [2nd ed.] 0904014061, 9780904014068

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The Political Polict

THE HISTORY AND PRACTICE OF

The Political Police in Britain

BY TONY BUNYAN

JULIAN FRIEDMANN PUBLISHERS

First published r976

O

1976

byTony BunYan

Julian Friedmann Publishers Ltd, 4 Perrin's Lane, London NW3 tQY ISBN o ooaor4 o6

Contents

r

Second Edition

PREFACE,

ix

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

xi

INTRODUCTION

1

r

5 5

TFIE POLITICAL USES OF LAW The Official Secrets Acts The scope of the Official Secrets Acts The use of the Official Secrets Acts

36

THE UNIFORMED POLICE

58

I

A

r

87o-r9zo

rgzo-r

964

reforms and consolidation Centralisation and technological changes

-* Internal

5l

58 6z 65 7o

Part II The Police today t964-1975 The organisational structure of the police Criminal Records and pre-emptive policing Technology and policing

74 79 83

Portrait of

88

a police chief

The police and the press The police and firearms The Special Patrol Group and the Special Constabulary Text set in r o/ r r pt. Photon Baskerville, printed by photolitltgraphy, and bound in Great Britain at The Pitman Prcss, Bath

4r

Short History of the Police

Prior to r 8e9 - The 'old' policing system r8z9-r87o - The formation of the 'new' police .

r6 c6 z8

Summary I ncitement and Sedition The use of conspirary charges Chronology of the Angry Brigade triais' The Emergency Powers Acts

Part

Sol

ll

The Home Office Conclusion

9r 92

94 98 100

THE SPECIAL BRANCH Part

I

102

A Historl of the Special Branch

Intelligence gathering before r 883 The formation of the Special Branch The First World War and the October Revolution The hunger marches and the IRA The Cold War and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament Part

II

The Special Branch Today

r964-1975

7

ro2

lo2 r04 l1l

120

r23 r29

It

COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY PREPARATIONS A history ofinternal defence rgrG-r96o Interlude P reparing for confrontation Th.e National Security Plan

257 266 271

CONCLUSION

?89

257

276

POSTSCRIPT

297

APPENDIX: Capitalism, the state and [,ilrcral-Democracy

294

Responsibilities and staff The Special Branch and the Left

r3r

Sources of information Special Branch operations Some examples of Special Branch operations

r35 r39

I]IBt,IOGRAPHY

303

r43

I,IST OF ABBREVIATIONS

307

Conclusion

r50

INDEX

309

MIs

.152

The formation of MI5 From spying to subversion

r52 r56

MI5 r945-1975

164

The 'purges' and Positive Vetting MI5 and Ministerial responsibiliry The organisation of MI5

r65 r68

MI5's internal structure MI5 and MPs MI5 and industry

r75

Structural changes I 945-l

MI6

172

r78 r8o

The Military Intelligence Agencies 9 Z5

184

r85 r89

The Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS) Heads of the intelligence establishment

19r

Conclusion

r94

THE TECHNIqUES OF SURVEILLANCE Telephone tapping Opening the mail

Other techniques of surveillance I

r34

nformers and agents-provocateurs

r94 r96 r96

2lt 2r7

zr8

THE PRIVATE SECURITY INDUSTRY

230

The security industry and state agencies The securiry industry and the labour movement

238

245

Preface

1'he purpose of this book is to trace the development of the agencies of t he state whose function is to counter and contain political movements in ttris country. Existirrg treatments of the main agencies concerned lhc police, the Special Branch, MI5 and the military- tend to consider

their activities separately; here they are considered as part of an intcr