Undercover Research Group (URG)

The Undercover Research Group (URG) was formed in 2013 to document the growing body of knowledge around the undercover policing scandal. It is made up of activists and researchers, some of whom had been targeted by spycops. Its founding members included Donal O'Driscoll and Eveline Lubbers, with Chris Brian joining them in 2017. This website is a project of the Undercover Research Group.

The group produced the pamphlet ‘Was My Friend A Spycop?’, a guide for people who believed their group may have been targeted by undercover police or otherwise spied upon. Was My Friend A Spycop?, Undercover Research Group, 1 Jul 2017.  It showed campaigners what questions to ask to confirm or disprove a suspicion, and also how to approach the issue within their group to avoid creating trauma or division.

URG also supported a number of people deceived into relationships who went on to become core participants in the Undercover Policing Inquiry. URG itself was refused core participant status, however two of its members are core participants in their own right, Chris Brian (via a group) and Donal O’Driscoll, the latter being a litigant-in-person. Litigant-in-Person Full page: Litigant-in-Person

The group has also played a part in the exposure of HN104 Carlo Soracchi ‘Carlo Neri’, HN104 Carlo Soracchi 'Carlo Neri'  HN2 Andrew Coles ‘Andy Davey’, HN2 Andrew Coles 'Andy Davey' HN2 Andy Coles (cover name 'Andy Davey) was an SDS undercover officer who Infiltrated peace and animal rights groups in South London between 1991 and 1995. He had a sexual relationship with 'Jessica' in his cover identity.  EN35 ‘Ritchie Clark’ EN35 'Richard / Ritchie Clark' EN35 'Richard A Clark', better known as Ritchie, was an NPOIU undercover from 2002 to 2006. He was based in Bedford where he helped found Bedford Animal Rights and targeted both Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty and the SPEAK campaign which focused on the new animal testing laboratory being built by Oxford University. HN37's identity as a undercover officer had long been suspected but was only confirmed by the Inquiry on 4 November 2024.  and EN37 ‘Gary Rayner’ EN37 'Gary John Rayner' EN37 'Gary John Rayner' was a NPOIU undercover officer who targeted animal rights campagners in Oxford from 2006 to 2010. This particularly included the SPEAK campaign against an animal laboratory built by Oxford University. His partner 'Abigail' was also suspected to be an undercover police officer. HN37's identity as a undercover officer had long been suspected but was only confirmed by the Inquiry on 8 October 2024.  as undercovers.

The police used the work of URG as a pretext for arguing for total anonymity (including their cover names) for former undercover officers. When applications for anonymity for former undercover officers were being made, the police said that the group’s ability to piece together various bits of information - the ‘Mosaic’ or ‘Jigsaw’ effect - would  allow for undercovers’ real names to be discovered.