1968, Helen Crampton at an SDS office party

Spycops Hearings Communication Group, 2 November 2020

Today, at the first day of the hearings, during Opening Statements, David Barr, Counsel to the Undercover Policing Inquiry, released for the first time photographs of some of the earliest managers and one undercover of the Special Demonstration Squad.

Among the photos are those of Conrad Dixon, the founder of the unit, who seem to have carried out undercover activity on occasion. The majority of images appear to come from an office party in late 1968.

Until now, the Inquiry has consistently refused to release any photos, even when core participants offered their own pictures of undercover officers to be published on the Inquiry website.

The issue of photographs has been an important one to non-police/state core participants who have raised it with the Inquiry on a number of occasions. A key concern is that many of the cover names of the undercovers are quite common. As events go back as much as fifty years, recalling someone called Mike from a meeting in the 1970s is difficult without more information.

Campaigners are however disappointed that of the actual undercover officers, only one image is released, that of Det. Sgt. Dave Fisher. The cover name of Fisher, who is deceased, has been lost. According to the Inquiry, he served briefly in the SDS from August to October 1968, attending meetings of local branches of the Vietnam Solidarity Campaign in Notting Hill and Croydon.

Dónal O’Driscoll, one of the core participants, said:

While we welcome some disclosure of this nature, it is disappointing that the Inquiry for the most part continues to block publication of images of undercovers officers, a move which would assist people considerably. Without the photographs, many campaigners will have doubts over whether someone they knew, is the identified undercover or not. Nobody wants to consider ill of a comrade, especially where several people in a group have the same first name. Photos would help them overcome this doubt.

The position of the Inquiry has been to refuse to release them until now, even where photographs have been in the public domain for some time. In this they went back on early promise to publish them. Hopefully, along with the new group names mentioned today, it will allow people to identify how they were spied on and have resolution.

Dr O’Driscoll also said:

We continue to demand that the Inquiry treats those who have been targeted as a valuable resource who can contribute greatly. Releasing the photos will make all the difference and show that it is serious about getting to the truth.

Campaigners are calling on people who recognise the individuals to come forward with their memories, and to contact the Undercover Research Group.

Several of the names are already known: Roy Creamer made an appearance in the story of the Angry Brigade, while Ray Wilson authored a recent history of Special Branch. It is also notable that Dave Fisher, Riby Wilson and Phil Saunders all went on to have high ranking roles with in Special Branch.

Early member of the Special Demonstration Squad, at an office party late 1968: