Calls to clarify police role after informant recruitment claims

Published on Saturday 25 April 2009 20:00

SCOTTISH justice secretary Kenny MacAskill was facing pressure last night to clarify police conduct after claims by an environmental protestor that officers tried to recruit her as a paid informant.

Matilda Gifford, of environment campaigners Plane Stupid, said police told her that they have a network of informants inside protest organisations, which they tried to persuade her to join.

The 24-year-old community worker from Glasgow said she was approached by officers claiming to be from Strathclyde Police a few weeks after she was arrested in a protest at Aberdeen Airport in March.

Yesterday, Richard Baker, Labour's justice spokesman at Holyrood, said: "I am asking Kenny MacAskill to look into this issue so Parliament can be reassured the steps taken by police in this instance were appropriate. However, I am fully aware of the serious and reckless nature of the protest which took place at Aberdeen Airport."

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Robert Brown added: "The justice secretary needs to clarify the extent of these activities and the amount of police effort devoted to them."

Gifford said yesterday she had exposed the police tactics because she wanted the officers to be "accountable". She added: "We openly say who we are and are willing to justify what we do. But we still don't really know who these people were."

Gifford said she had attended meetings at a Glasgow police station, which she recorded, and later in a cafe, where officers offered her financial rewards for information on Plane Stupid. She passed recordings of three conversations with police to a newspaper, which posted them on its website.

Gifford said the officers did not specify how much money would be offered, but that it would be tax free and cash in hand. When Gifford said she would not be interested if they were talking about "20 quid" she was told: "UK plc can afford more than 20 quid."

She said they warned her that her protest activities might damage her employment prospects, and the experience left her feeling intimidated.

She said: "They were playing games, trying to make me believe that other people in the group were already informing.

"The police are using sinister tactics and taxpayers' money. I think it raises serious questions about whether the police are there to protect the state and big business or to protect the civil liberties of people."

Gifford went to meet the officers a third time with her lawyer, but the police did not turn up. She said that about half an hour later one of the officers approached her and said he was 'disappointed'. Gifford said that when Plane Stupid's lawyer contacted Strathclyde Police to find out more about the officers, police denied any knowledge of them. Later they said that police had been in contact with Plane Stupid protesters.

Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton said the force had "a responsibility to gather intelligence". He continued: "The purpose of this contact has been to ensure that any future protest activity is carried out within the law and in a manner which respects the rights of all concerned."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "This is an operational matter for Strathclyde Police and, obviously, there is a requirement to balance the protection of individual civil liberties with ensuring the safety of the wider public. The justice secretary has discussed the matter with Strathclyde Police's Assistant Chief Constable and is satisfied the force has acted proportionately and legitimately."

A report by airport managers working for BAA, estimated the protest cost the airport 1m with passengers, airlines, handling agents and retailers all hit when flights were brought to a standstill. Around 20 flights - including an air ambulance - faced delays, while 19 flights were cancelled when the protest was staged.

On March 4, six men and three women appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court charged with breach of the peace and vandalism in connection with the protest. The nine appeared on petition and were released on bail with the special condition they do not go near airports.