Former Metropolitan police commissioner Paul Condon has admitted to the spycops inquiry that the undercover surveillance of Stephen Lawrence's family was institutionally racist.
Key facts
- Former Met commissioner Paul Condon made the admission to the spycops inquiry.
- He acknowledged the surveillance of Stephen Lawrence's family was institutionally racist.
- Condon said the force failed to properly control the undercover unit involved.
- An undercover unit spied on the family while they pushed for a proper murder investigation in the 1990s.
- Condon described the abuses committed by the unit as 'horrendous'.
A former Metropolitan police commissioner has admitted that the surveillance of the family of Stephen Lawrence by undercover officers was institutionally racist, the spycops inquiry has heard, according to the Guardian.
Paul Condon, who was in command of the Metropolitan police during the 1990s, gave the admission as the inquiry examined the conduct of a controversial undercover unit that operated during his tenure.
The unit spied on the Lawrence family as they sought to persuade Scotland Yard to properly investigate Stephen Lawrence’s racist murder, the Guardian reported.
Condon told the inquiry that the force had failed to properly control the unit, which he said committed ‘horrendous’ abuses.
The evidence forms part of the wider spycops inquiry, which has been examining the activities of undercover police units and their impact on the people and families they monitored.
Why it matters
The admission from a former head of the Metropolitan police adds weight to long-standing concerns about how the force treated the Lawrence family, who were monitored while campaigning for justice. It speaks to enduring questions about institutional racism and accountability within British policing.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Paul Condon?
Paul Condon is a former Metropolitan police commissioner who was in command of the force during the 1990s, according to the Guardian.
What did the undercover unit do to the Lawrence family?
According to the Guardian, an undercover unit spied on the Lawrence family as they sought to persuade Scotland Yard to properly investigate Stephen Lawrence's racist murder.
What did Condon say about the unit's conduct?
Condon told the spycops inquiry that the surveillance was institutionally racist, that the force failed to properly control the unit, and that the unit committed 'horrendous' abuses.