Glossary and Acronyms

A | B | C | D | E-F | G-H | I-L | M | N | O-Q | R | S | T-Z

A

1. A Squad: division of Metropolitan Police Special Branch which had responsibility for administration and protection duties.
2. A8 – see under Public Order Branch.
3. AC – see under Assistant Commissioner.
4. ACC – see under Assistant Chief Constable.
5. AC-PIT: Assistant Commissioners – Public Inquiries Team. See under Inquiries and Review Strategic Command (IRSC).
6. ACPO – see under Association of Chief Police Officers.
7. ACPO TAM – see under Terrorism and Allied Matters Committee.
8. ACSO – see under Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations.
9. Aeroscope (Operation): a Nottinghamshire Police operation to stop a planned protest at Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in April 2009. 114 people were arrested, including undercover police officer EN12 Mark Kennedy 'Mark Stone'.
10. Agent provocateur: when an undercover police officer acts in a way which encourages or facilitates others to commit criminal acts.
11. Aggravated activism: replacement term for ‘domestic extremism’.
12. Animal Right National Index (ARNI): a Special Branch unit focused on animal rights, which in 1999 formed the nucleus of the National Public Order Intelligence Unit.
13. Anonymity applications / orders: part of the preliminary hearings of the Undercover Police Inquiry where some non-state core participants and many involved in undercover policing applied to have anonymity in the proceedings. This extended to many ‘cover names’ as well.
14. Application: a formal request to the Inquiry Chair to make a decision.
15. ARNI – see under Animal Right National Index.
16. Assistant Chief Constable (ACC): a senior ranking officer in a police force, just below Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable. Authorisations for undercovers needed to be signed off at this rank.
17. Assistant Commissioner (AC): a senior ranking officer in the Metropolitan Police Service. Often referred to as Assistant Commissioner ‘A’, ‘B’, where the letter, etc. refers to the different divisions they were responsible for.
18. Assistant Commissioner ‘C’: Head of C Division which included CID, Anti-Terrorist Branch and Special Branch; later replaced by Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations. In the line of command for the Special Demonstration Squad.
19. Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations (ACSO): following an 1985 re-organisation of the Metropolitan Police, the ACSO had responsibility for all Specialist Operations, Counter-Terrorism, CID and centralised operations in the Metropolitan Police, replacing Assistant Commissioner ‘C’. [node]
20. Assistant Commissioners - Public Inquiries Team (AC-PIT) – see under Inquiries and Review Strategic Command (IRSC).
21. Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO): a private company acting as a forum for senior cops, which ran the Terrorism and Allied Matters Committee, and through it the NPOIU and other domestic extremism units. ACPO was later replaced by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing.
22. Assurance: topic within procedural work of the Undercover Policing Inquiry looking at ensuring that the police were preserving and managing records of relevance to its work.
23. Attorney General's Undertaking: a promise given by the Attorney General made to the Undercover Policing Inquiry that witnesses giving evidence to the UCPI cannot be prosecuted on the basis of that evidence.
24. Authorisation (of undercover operations): since 2000, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act requires undercover deployments to be authorised by senior officers with no direct involvement in the operation. Prior to that, there was no specific legislation governing surveillance.

B

25. B Squad: a section within the Metropolitan Police Special Branch which had responsibility for monitoring political groups; circa 1969 it became focused on Irish related matters, with much of its previous work being transferred to C Squad.
26. Basic Command Unit (BCU): catch all term for a local policing area, covered by anything from a small team up to an entire division.
27. Backstory: also known as ‘legend’ or cover story, this is the fictional history that undercover officers used to create and support their undercover persona.
28. Back office: the support office where the SDS administrative sergeants worked and officers preparing for undercover deployment would create their cover persona while performing clerical duties. Along with a Front Office, it was housed separately to New Scotland Yard. Not to be confused with the safe house, where the undercovers gathered twice weekly.
29. Blacklisting: the blacklisting of workers for trade union activity and other political activity by (predominantly) construction firms. The most prominent blacklists were maintained by the Economic League and its successor The Consulting Association. [node]
30. Blacklist Support Group (BSG): support and campaigning group representing workers who were blacklisted for political or trade union activity. [node]
31. BOCU – see under Borough Opertional Command Unit.
32. Bomb Squad – see under Anti-Terrorism Branch.
33. Borough Operational Command Unit (BOCU): territorial division within the Metropolitan Police District, term since replaced by Basic Command Unit.
34. Box or Box 500 – see under Security Service.
35. BSG – see under Blacklist Support Group.
36. BCU – see under Basic Command Unit.

C

33. C Squad: the division of the Metropolitan Police Special Branch with responsibility for monitoring political groups; a main client of intelligence from undercover police; for periods the SDS came under its aegis. Also known as CE Squad for a period.
34. C Division – see under Criminal Investigation Department.
35. CAB – see under Cabinet Office.
36. Cabinet Office: civil service department with responsibility for handling the affairs of prime ministers and the Cabinet, and supporting Cabinet Committees.
37. Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance (COPS): an umbrella group for campaigners active around the spycops scandal.
38. Canaby (Operation): police investigation into the Poll Tax Riots.
39. Category: core participants have been divided into fourteen categories depending on how the Inquiry determined their interests are aligned. Categories contain both individuals and organisations.
40. Cathedral (Operation): a Metropolitan Police criminal investigation into the actions of EN12 Mark Kennedy 'Mark Stone' of which little else is known.
41. CC – see under Chief Constable.
42. Chair of the Inquiry: the judge appointed to head the Undercover Policing Inquiry and present its final report and recommendations. Currently Sir John Mitting.
43. Chief Constable (CC): the head of a police force (with the exception of the Metropolitan Police, which is headed by a Commissioner).
44. Chief Inspector (DCI): a middle rank within policing; the head of the SDS and the NPOIU were often of this rank; within the Metropolitan Police Special Branch they often had responsibility for a particular unit, or a set of desks within a squad.
45. Chief Superintendent (DCS): a senior police officer. Responsibilities vary according to police force and unit. Within the Metropolitan Police Special Branch, each squad was headed by a Chief Superintendent, often with a Superintendent acting as a deputy.
46. CHIS – see under Covert Human Intelligence Source.
47. CI: either Confidential Informant (see under Covert Human Intelligence Source) or Chief Inspector (see under Chief Inspector).
48. CID – see under Criminal Investigation Department.
49. CIU – see under Confidential Intelligence Unit.
50. CL – see under Commissioners Lawyer.
51. Clients: in Special Branch, the generic term given to those in receipt of intelligence or analysis, whether from the Special Demonstration Squad or other sources.
52. Closed Hearings: due to restriction orders granted by the Inquiry to protect the identity of undercover officers, police tactics and those targeted, some hearings are not open to the public and are referred to as ‘closed’. There is some limited attendance by those who have a very direct interest in the evidence.
53. Closed Material: this is evidence which will not be released or examined in public during the course of the Inquiry, having been made subject to a restriction order. Such orders are usually made on the grounds that publication would undermine an anonymity order for an individual, or because the police believe it would not be in the public interest to reveal particular tactics.
54. Closed Officers: undercover officers and their managers who have full restrictions over their identities, including cover names, so their evidence is heard only by the Inquiry Chair.
55. College of Policing (CoP): a national policing body focusing on policy and practice, a successor to the Association of Chief Police Officers. It includes oversight of the Authorised Professional Practice on Undercover Policing.
56. Colton (Operation): Operation Herne investigation into HN104 Carlo Sorracchi ‘Carlo Neri’.
57. Commander: a senior rank in the Metropolitan Police, equivalent to Assistant Chief Constable in other police forces. The head of the Metropolitan Police Special Branch held this rank for much of the period covered by the spycops scandal.
58. Commander of Operations, Special Branch: not to be confused with Commander, Head of Special Branch. The Commander of Operations was often considered the second in command of the Metropolitan Police Special Branch, with specific responsibility for operational matters, such as the Special Demonstrations Squad. Though called Commander, they may have been Chief Superintendent rank.
59. Commissioner’s Lawyer (CL): the lawyer for the Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police, representing the interests of the Metropolitan Police as a whole.
60. Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis: formal title for the head of the Metropolitan Police Service, equivalent to Chief Constable in other constabularies.
61. Common Weal (Operation): name given to the SDS operation deploying HN18 ‘Rob Harrison’ as an undercover.
62. Confidential – see under Security Classifications.
63. Confidential Intelligence Unit (CIU): the sub-unit of National Public Order Intelligence Unit which actually ran the undercover police. [node]
64. Constable (DC, PC, WPC): lowest rank for a police officer; the majority of the undercovers were of this rank. Those who served in Special Branch or CID were entitled to be called Detective Constable.
65. Consulting Association (TCA): blacklisting organisation which co-existed with and later replaced the Economic League. The Information Commissioner’s raid on its offices in 2009 exposed the extent of blacklisting operations and revealed evidence that intelligence from undercover police had been used to blacklist workers.
66. CoP – see under College of Policing.
67. COPS – see under Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance.
68. Core Participant (CP): a core participant in an Inquiry is someone who is recognised by the Inquiry Chair as having a particular interest in the Inquiry and its outcomes. CPs can be either individuals or organisations that could be significantly impacted by the work of the Inquiry, and/or subject to criticism by it. CP status allows them greater input into the Inquiry, including around opening and closing statements.
69. Counsel to the Inquiry (CTI): the barristers who take a lead on presenting evidence and cross-examining witnesses.
70. Counter Terrorism Command (SO15, CTC): the Metropolitan Police division responsible for investigating and countering issues of terrorism, but also has responsibility for ‘domestic extremism’ issues; formed from the merger of Anti-Terrorist Branch with Special Branch in 2006.
71. Counter Terrorism (Intelligence) Unit: in the 2000s special branches were organised into regional bodies to focus on counter terrorism issues, but also holding policing responsibility for domestic extremism. Larger ones were known as Counter Terrorism Units, while smaller ones were simply Counter Terrorism Intelligence Units; Counter Terrorism Command is the largest such CTU.
72. Cover name or cover identity: the false name used by an undercover officer during their deployment. From the mid 1970s to mid 1990s the majority of which were stolen from deceased children.
73. Cover officer or ‘handler’: a police officer with the day-to-day responsibility for handling with the undercover officer, including their security and welfare while on deployment and collating their intelligence. Not used within the SDS until required by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act in 2000.
74. Covert Human Intelligence Source (CHIS): the official description for any person secretly providing intelligence to police or security agencies, as given in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act. The term CHIS includes undercover police, informants and other infiltrators, regardless of the level of tradecraft, or whether they are police or civilian.
75. Covert operations: the generic name for any policing operation using covert tactics, whether undercover police or some form of technical or physical surveillance.
76. CP – see under Core Participant.
77. CPS – see under Crown Prosecution Service.
78. CT – Counter-Terrorism.
79. CTC – see under Counter Terrorism Command.
80. CTI – see under Counsel to the Inquiry.
81. CTIU – see under Counter Terrorism (Intelligence) Unit.
82. CTU – see under Counter Terrorism Unit.
83. Criminal Investigation Department (CID): parent body to Special Branch in the Metropolitan Police, with responsibility for wider criminal investigations. Police with the title of Detective are usually within CID. Assistant Commissioners with responsibility for it were often referred to as Assistant Commissioner ‘C’ (not to be confused with C Squad).
84. Crown Prosecution Service (CPS): the government agency that takes the lead on bringing court cases in England and Wales once a police investigation has taken place. Led by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

D

81. D Squad: a division of the Metropolitan Police Special Branch, often responsible for considering naturalisation issues.
82. DAC – see under Deputy Assistant Commissioner.
83. Data Protection Act (DPA): the pieces of legislation which set out the responsibilities of any organisation which holds or processes data on individuals; the original legislation dates from the 1984 Act, which was updated by later legislation, and later replaced by the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
84. DC: Detective Constable – see under Constable.
85. DCI – see under Deceased Children's Identities or Chief Inspector.
86. DCS: Detective Chief Superintendent – see under Chief Superintendent.
87. Deceased Children's Identities (DCI): the identity of a person who had died young, which was stolen by an undercover police officer to base their cover identity around.
88. Deployment: the period of time that an officer would be undercover.
89. Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC): a high ranking officer just above Commander in the officer structure of the Metropolitan Police. The DAC in the line of command for Special Branch was sometimes known as DAC Security, having responsibility for a portfolio of related units.
90. Designated Lawyer (DL): a lawyer of a (former) police officer who has been designated to represent their interests at the Inquiry.
91. Desk: a subunit of a squad within Special Branch with responsibility for a particular area, usually headed by a Detective Chief Inspector or Detective Inspector. For instance, the Industrial Desk within C Squad was responsible for monitoring industrial disputes and trade union activity.
92. DI: Detective Inspector – see under Inspector.
93. Disclosure: evidence provided to core participants to assist them answering questions and provide written statements. Most of the evidence consists of internal police reports, being released by the Inquiry for the first time.
94. DL – see under Designated Lawyer.
95. Domestic Extremism (DE) or often just ‘extremism’: term used by Special Branch and Home Office to refer to political campaigners who engaged in protest and demonstrations. Sometimes synonymous with or seen as replacing ‘subversives’ as a term. A problematic concept that was difficult to define legally, it appears to be replaced by the new term of ‘aggravated activism’.
96. DPA – see under Data Protection Act.
97. DPP: Director of Public Prosecutions – see under Crown Prosecution Service.
98. DS or DSgt: Detective Sergeant – see under Sergeant.
99. Duff: SDS jargon for anything that is created to back up their undercover persona – e.g. a ‘duff’ (fake) job, birthday, etc. Also used as a more specific term for the undercover’s cover address.
100. DSupt: Detective Superintendent – see under Superintendent.
101. Dummy file: fake Registry File relating to reports mentioning undercover police officers.

E-F

103. E Squad: a division of the Metropolitan Police Special Branch, often responsible for considering foreign and black power groups (considered as having foreign origins).
104. Ebury Street: SDS headquarters in central London, actually 13 Johnson House, Cundy Street, off Ebury Street.
105. ECHR: European Convention on Human Rights – see under Human Rights Act.
106. Economic League (EL): an employers' organisation which assembled files on trade union and political campaigners in order to blacklist them.
107. EL – see under Economic League.
108. Ellison Review – see under Stephen Lawrence Independent Review.
109. Elter (Operation): the police response to the Undercover Policing Inquiry with regards the National Public Order Intelligence Unit. It is under the aegis of the National Police Chiefs’ Council and runs parallel with Operation Herne, the Metropolitan Police investigation into the SDS.
110. EN (nominals): numerical codes assigned as cyphers to National Public Order Intelligence Unit and other police officers by Operation Elter.
111. Extremism – see under Domestic Extremism.
112. F4: can refer to an MI5 desk focused on agent running and counter-subversion, or a Home Office department focused on policing and the Security Service.
113. F6 / F7: can refer to MI5 desks focused on left wing groups, or Home Office departments relating to policing.
114. Family justice campaigns: campaigns run by families and friends of people who died at the hands of the police or in related circumstances. Often critical of police.
115. Field: word used to describe the area of activity of an undercover officer, e.g. Trotskyist field, or to simply denote they had been deployed.
116. FIT – see under Forward Intelligence Team.
117. Five by Five by Five (5x5x5): a form issued under the National Intelligence Model to note and grade raw information obtained by the police, including undercover officers.
118. FOIA – see under Freedom of Information Act.
119. Forward Intelligence Team (FIT): overt police surveillance team within the Metropolitan Police which monitored protests and campaign events and meetings. Equivalent to POPS.
120. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): legislation enacted in 2000, providing public access to information held by public authorities.
121. Front office: the part of the Special Demonstration Squad head office where the managers were to be found, as distinct from the back office.

G-H

122. Gant (Operation): police investigation into attacks on butchers' shop windows in 1980s.
123. GCHQ – see under Government Communications Headquarters.
124. GDPR – see under General Data Protection Regime.
125. General Data Protection Regime (GDPR): updated version of Data Protection Act; governs the data protection responsibilities of the Undercover Policing Inquiry.
126. Gist: censored and summarised version of a document, used where material is covered by a restriction order but the Inquiry otherwise deems it of importance for the public to understand the nature of the material.
127. GNM: Guardian News & Media – see under Guardian.
128. Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ): the national agency focused on technological surveillance and intelligence gathering.
129. Guardian: newspaper responsible for breaking many stories relating to the spycops scandal.
130. Hairies: a nickname for the Special Demonstration Squad used within the few parts of the Met which knew of the unit’s existence; a reference to the fact that undercovers grew their hair long.
131. Handler – see under cover officer.
132. HASC – see under Home Affairs Select Committee.
133. Hearing: a session of the Undercover Policing Inquiry which hears evidence or arguments; can be open to the public or closed.
134. Herne (Operation): the Metropolitan Police’s overarching internal inquiry into the undercover policing scandal. It has produced four reports and a number of spin-off investigations, some examining criminal activity and misconduct in public office by former undercovers and their managers.
135. Hibiscus (Operation): investigation into allegations of destruction of documents related to undercover policing. See also under Assurance.
136. HMIC - see under HM Inspectorate of Constabulary.
137. HN (nominals): numerical codes assigned as cyphers to Special Demonstration Squad and other police officers by Operation Herne.
138. HRA – see under Human Rights Act.
139. HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC): government body responsible for looking at the effectiveness of policing and making recommendations; produced several reports in the wake of the spycops scandal.
140. HO – see under Home Office.
141. Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC): parliamentary body which monitors the work of the Home Office and related government bodies such as the police.
142. Home Office (HO): government ministerial department whose responsibilities include police and Security Service; directly funded the Special Demonstration Squad 1968-1988.
143. HRA - see under Human Rights Act.
144. HSB: Head of Special Branch.
145. Human Rights Act (HRA): the 1998 legislation encoding into British law the European Convention on Human Rights.

I-L

144. IMOS – see under Intelligence Management and Operation Support.
145. Inquiry Chair - see under Chair of the Inquiry.
146. Intelligence Management and Operation Support (IMOS): an evolution of the Special Branch Registry, formed as part of the computerisation of the Metropolitan Police Special Branch.
147. Informant / Informer: an individual who provides intelligence to police or other agencies, whether knowingly or unwittingly. Also referred to as Covert Human Intelligence Source.
148. Inspector (DI): a low to middle rank within policing; within Metropolitan Police Special Branch, they were often the second-in-command for the Detective Chief Inspector, deputising for them when the DCI was absent, or headed a specific desk within a squad.
149. Intelligence: information from a source, eg phone tap or undercover officer, which has been processed for passing to others.
150. Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT): a secretive judicial body responsible for considering complaints about the use of intrusive powers used by intelligence services and public authorities.
151. IOPC – see under Independent Office for Police Conduct.
152. ILT – see under Inquiry Legal Team.
153. IPCC – Independent Police Complaints Commission, see under Independent Office for Police Conduct
154. IPT – see under Investigatory Powers Tribunal.
155. Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), previously Independent Police Complaints Commission: the body set up to investigate complaints against the police or oversee internal investigations by the police themselves.
156. Inquiries Act: the 2005 legislation governing the actions of public inquiries including the Undercover Policing Inquiry.
157. Interim Report: report issued by Undercover Policing Inquiry on 30 June 2023 in which the Chair addressed issues arising from Tranche 1. He found that the ends did not justify the means and that the SDS would have been rapidly brought to an end had its existence become known.
158. Inquiry and Review Support Command (IRSC), previously Assistant Commissioners – Public Inquiries Team: the unit within the Metropolitan Police responsible for providing assistance to public inquiries such as the Undercover Policing Inquiry; answerable to the Assistant Commissioner for Professionalism.
159. IRSC - see Inquiry and Review Support Command.
160. Legend: another term for an undercover’s fake persona, backstory and cover employment.
161. Liaison File (MI5): file containing notes of meetings held between MI5 and other agencies, including with managers from Special Branch and the Special Demonstration Squad.

 M

157. Magenta Triangle (Operation): name given to the SDS operation deploying HN16 ‘James Straven’ as an undercover.
158. Mentions / No previous mentions: notation in Special Branch Registry File next to a person's name indicating whether or not they had come to the Branch’s attention previously. Usually indicates a dedicated Registry File for that person or group had not yet been opened.
159. Metropolitan Police District (MPD): the geographical area within which the Metropolitan Police has formal responsibility and jurisdiction for policing.
160. Metropolitan Police Service (MPS, The Met): the police force with responsibility for all policing activity within the Greater London area; also referred to as New Scotland Yard.
161. Metropolitan Police Special Branch (MPSB): until 2006, the Metropolitan Police’s intelligence-gathering division concerned with ‘subversion’, ‘domestic extremism’ and terrorism; also had responsibility for VIP protection. Also known as SO12.
162. MI5 – see under Security Service.
163. Minded-To Note: an indication by the Inquiry Chair of how he intends to rule on a particular issue, often in relation to anonymity.
164. Miscarriage of Justice: when the conviction of a person or group is considered unsafe; within the spycop scandal this has been related to unfair trials because of the undisclosed presence or role of an undercover; includes undercover officers appearing in court under their cover names, acting as agents provocateur or being privy to privileged legal information.
165. Module: a methodology of a public inquiry, breaking down the subject under investigation into sections to be examined separately.
166. Montrose (Operation): the Operation Elter investigation into EN12 Mark Kennedy 'Mark Stone' and related officers for criminality or misconduct in public office, running since 2015.
167. MPD – see under Metropolitan Police District.
168. MPS – see under Metropolitan Police Service.
169. MPSB – see under Metropolitan Police Special Branch.

N

170. National Co-ordinator for Domestic Extremism (NCDE): ACPO-appointed officer to coordinate policing around domestic extremism, which eventually brought the NPOIU, NDET and NETCU all under a single command.
171. National Crime Agency (NCA): national policing body, successor to the Serious and Organised Crime Agency; core participant at the Inquiry as it has interest in undercover policing.
172. National Crime Squad (NCS): national policing body formed in 1998 from Regional Crime Squads, to look at major organised and transnational criminal activity; merged with other policing bodies to form Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) in 2006.
173. National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS): national policing body formed in 1992 to collate intelligence and provide analysis to police forces. Later given powers to gather intelligence; merged with other policing bodies to form Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) in 2006.
174. National Domestic Extremism and Disorder Intelligence Unit (NDEDIU): a rebranding of national domestic extremism units when they were stripped of operational powers and brought under the control of Metropolitan Police’s Counter-Terrorism Command in 2011.
175. National Domestic Extremism Team (NDET): domestic extremism unit set up in 2005 to provide national strategic support to police forces and which went on to run its own investigations; merged into NDEU in 2010.
176. National Domestic Extremism Unit (NDEU): created in 2010 when the NPOIU, NDET and NETCU were merged into a single unit under the control of the National Co-ordinator for Domestic Extremism; following the spycops scandal it was stripped of operational powers and brought under the control of the Metropolitan Police, becoming the National Domestic Extremism and Disorder Intelligence Unit.
177. National Extremism Tactical Co-ordination Unit (NETCU): a domestic extremism unit set up by Cambridgeshire Constabulary in 2003 to assist companies being targeted by animal rights campaigns. Came under the control of the National Co-ordinator for Domestic Extremism and in 2010 was merged into the National Domestic Extremism Unit.
178. National Intelligence Model (NIM): a tool developed by ACPO in late 1990s to standardise intelligence requirements and information gathering; sometimes known informally as the 5×5×5 system after a key intelligence form.
179. National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC): a successor organisation to ACPO, representing all chief police offices of UK police forces. Oversees Operation Elter and is a core participant in the UCPI.
180. National Police Coordination Centre (NPoCC): a national unit which sits within the National Police Chiefs’ Council, which coordinates the local, regional and national police response to a range of events including public order incidents, and has interests in policing of protests.
181. National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU): a national intelligence-gathering unit focused on protest groups and campaigns, particularly environmental or animal rights, which ran a public order section (POPS) and undercovers (CIU) such as EN12 Mark Kennedy 'Mark Stone'; established in 1990 by ACPO from ARNI and other units; in 2010 merged with others to form the National Domestic Extremism Unit.
182. National Special Branch Intelligence System (NSBIS): database software formerly used by Special Branch and counter terrorism units to co-ordinate intelligence gathering, including on domestic extremists.c
183. NCA – see under National Crime Agency.
184. NCS – see under National Crime Squad.
185. NCIS – see under National Criminal Intelligence Service.
186. NCDE – see under National Co-ordinator for Domestic Extremism.
187. NCND – see under Neither Confirm Nor Deny.
188. NCTPOC – National Counter Terrorism Policing Operation Centre.
189. NDET – see under National Domestic Extremism Team.
190. NDEU – see under National Domestic Extremism Unit.
191. NDEDIU – see under National Domestic Extremism and Disorder Intelligence Unit.
192. Neither Confirm Nor Deny (NCND): expression claimed as official policing and Security Service policy when it came to answering questions on whether an individual was an undercover officer or other form of agent.
193. NETCU – see under National Extremism Tactical Co-ordination Unit.
194. New Scotland Yard (NSY): headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, often used as a synonym for them.
195. NIM – see under National Intelligence Model.
196. Nitrogen / Sparkler (Operation): Metropolitan Police investigation into the activities of undercover HN10 Bob Lambert 'Bob Robinson', in particular his role in the burning down of a Debenhams department store while undercover in 1987.
197. NIU – see under Northern Intelligence Unit.
198. Nominal: Reference numbers originally assigned to police officers and other individuals as part of investigations by Operations Herne and Elter. Subsequently adopted by the UCPI.
199. Non State Core Participants (NSCP / NSNPCP / NSPCP): the description given to core participants in the Inquiry who are not classed as police or state actors.
200. ‘No previous mentions’ – see under mentions.
201. Northern Intelligence Unit (NIU): a national police unit which was merged into the National Public Order Intelligence Unit.
202. NPCC – see under National Police Chiefs’ Council.
203. NPoCC – see under National Police Coordination Centre.
204. NPOIU – see under National Public Order Intelligence Unit.
205. NSBIS – see under National Special Branch Information System.
206. NSCP / NSNPCP / NPSCP – see under Non-State Core Participants.
207. NSY – see under New Scotland Yard.
208. N.T. or N/T: No Trace, applied next to names in Special Branch intelligence reports to indicate that the person had not come to Branch attention previously. 

O-Q

207. OCU – see under Operational Command Unit.
208. Operation: term used to label specific policing activities or investigations. For example, Operation Montrose is a specific policing investigation to undercover EN12 Mark Kennedy 'Mark Stone', whereas Operation Pegasus was the name given to Kennedy’s actual undercover deployment.
209. Operational Command Unit (OCU): catch-all term used to denote a policing unit of varying size with a particular operational function.
210. Order – see under Ruling.
211. P Squad: Ports Squad, the part of Metropolitan Police Special Branch which had responsibility for policing of ports and airports.
212. p.a.: 'passed along', term written on Special Branch intelligence reports to indicate it has been sent to relevant ‘clients’.
213. PC: Police Constable – see under Constable.
214. Pegasus (Operation): name given by the NPOIU to the deployment of EN12 Mark Kennedy as the undercover 'Mark Stone'.
215. Penguin (Operation): NPOIU operational name for the first year of deployment of EN12 Mark Kennedy 'Mark Stone' into Nottingham, 2003-2004. Later renamed Operation Pegasus.
216. Personal File / Personal Identifier (MI5): MI5's numbering and naming system for those it monitors.
217. p.i.w.: 'possibly identical with', term written on Special Branch intelligence reports when a person is thought to be known by another identity.
218. Police Spies Out of Lives (PSOOL): campaign group supporting women deceived into relationships by undercover police.
219. POPS: see under Public Order Policing Section.
220. Product: jargon for intelligence collected from an infiltration or other surveillance.
221. PSOOL– see under Police Spies Out of Lives.
222. Public Order Branch (A8 / TO20): oversaw management and guidance for significant public order events by the Metropolitan Police and providing intelligence to local police divisions; a significant customer of Special Branch and hence SDS intelligence.
223. Public Order Policing Section (POPS): part of the National Public Order Intelligence Unit which overtly monitored protests and campaign events; national equivalent to the Forward Intelligence Team.
224. Psycho Dream (Operation): name given to deployment of spycop HN14 Jim Boyling ‘Jim Sutton’.

R

221. R Squad: division of Metropolitan Police Special Branch which conducted research and provided analysis to senior managers.
222. Randwick (Operation): Operation Herne investigation into alleged sexual relationships involving HN106 ‘Barry Tompkins’.
223. Recognised Legal Representative (RLR): term used within the Undercover Policing Inquiry for a lawyer of core participants and witnesses.
224. Redaction: the censoring of documents normally by ‘blacking out’ parts of its contents; done by the UCPI to hide sensitive information on individuals or policing tactics.
225. Red Herring (Operation): name given to the SDS operation deploying HN3 ‘Jason Bishop’ as an undercover.
226. Registry File (RF) – see under Special Branch Registry.
227. Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA): since 2000 this statute has governed the use of surveillance, both technical and human, and created the legal framework for the deployment of undercover officers.
228. Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (RoOA): the 1974 legislation that allowed certain criminal convictions to be considered 'spent' after a period of time so that offenders need not mention them in future life. In the Inquiry, it has affected how police may refer to crimes committed by those they spied on.
229. Reporting Restriction Order (RRO): an order in the Undercover Policing Inquiry that while information might be said in an evidential hearing, further transmission of it outside the hearing room was not permitted.
230. Restriction Order (RO): an order granted by the Inquiry Chair to restrict information from being heard in public or otherwise released by the Inquiry; extensively used to restrict both the real and cover names of undercovers and other information that would undermine the order.
231. Reuben (Operation): the name given to the investigation by Operation Herne into a complaint that material gathered by undercover police had ended up in the files of the construction industry blacklist.
232. RF – see under Special Branch Registry.
233. RFN nominals: these nominals are given to officers with anonymity who fall into Tranche 5 of the Undercover Policing Inquiry, that is officers who were involved in undercover work other than with the Special Demonstration Squad or National Public Order Intelligence Unit.
234. RIPA – see under Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.
235. Riverwood (Operation): the investigation by Operation Herne into the theft of a dead child's identity by undercover officer HN596/EN32 ‘Rod Richardson’.
236. RLR – see under Recognised Legal Representative.
237. RO – see under Restriction Order.
238. Road Bridge (Operation): name given to the SDS operation deploying HN26 ‘Christine Green’ as an undercover.
239. RoOA – see under Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.
240. Rose Report: the report by Chief Surveillance Commissioner Sir Christopher Rose into the Crown Prosecution Service for its failures regarding the disclosure of the role of undercover Mark Kennedy in the arrest of 114 climate change activists in April 2009 (Operation Aeroscope) and the subsequent collapse of a case against six of them and the quashing of the convictions of a further 20 (the Ratcliffe-on-Soar cases).
241. RRO – see under Reporting Restriction Order.
242. Ruling / Order: a ruling sets out a final decision on a matter by the Inquiry Chair; it is often accompanied by an Order which puts the ruling into action.
243. Rule 9 questions: questions provided by the Undercover Policing Inquiry to potential witnesses setting out the issues which the Inquiry wants them to address in a written statement.
244. Rule 10 questions: the process by which core participants are able to request that the Counsel to the Inquiry asks questions of witnesses.

S

244. S Squad: division of Metropolitan Police Special Branch which had responsibility for surveillance and technical matters; the Special Demonstration Squad came under aegis for a large part of its history.
245. SB – see under Special Branch.
246. SBR – see under Special Branch Registry.
247. Safe house / flat: properties rented by the SDS as meeting place for managers and undercovers to avoid them coming to the main SDS offices. There were often two of them at any given time.
248. Sanitised: when information is removed from an intelligence report to protect the source of it, or to prevent revelation of sensitive tactics.
249. SDS – see under Special Demonstration Squad.
250. Secret – see under Security Classifications.
251. ‘Secret and Reliable Source': used at top of intelligence reports to indicate that the source was an undercover police officer.
252. Security classifications: UK government security classifications applied to documents restricting access to them; different systems were used at different times but often included the stamps Secret, Top Secret, or Confidential.
253. Security Service (SyS, MI5): branch of government responsible for UK-based security issues, counter-terrorism and, until the 1990s, counter-subversion. A major client of SDS intelligence. Often referred to as Box 500 or just Box, from their internal government postal address.
254. Senior management: ranking officers in a squad, branch or division of the police, usually of rank Superintendent or higher, depending on context.
255. Sergeant (Sgt, DSgt, DS): second lowest rank of police officer. SDS back office staff and some undercovers were of this rank. Officers in CID or Special Branch were entitled to be known as Detective Sergeants.
256. Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA): national policing agency formed in 2006 from the merger of several squads such as NCS and NCIS; subsequently replaced by the National Crime Agency.
257. Sgt - see under Sergeant.
258. SIO: Senior Investigating Officer.
259. SIU – see under Southern Intelligence Unit.
260. SLIR – see under Stephen Lawrence Independent Review.
261. SNU: policing term standing for 'surname unknown'.
262. Soisson (Operation): original name for Operation Herne.
263. SO - see under Special Operations.
264. SO10: covert unit within Metropolitan Police with responsibility for mainstream undercover policing.
265. SO11: Directorate of Intelligence within the Metropolitan Police Service.
266. SO12 – see under Metropolitan Police Special Branch.
267. SO13 – see under Anti-Terrorism Branch.
268. SO15 – see under Counter Terrorism Command.
269. SOCA – see under Serious Organised Crime Agency.
270. SOS - see under Special Operations Squad.
271. Southern Intelligence Unit (SIU): a policing unit focused on travellers and free party scene which was merged into National Public Order Intelligence Unit.
272. Sparkler (Operation) – see under Nitrogen (Operation).
273. Special Branch: name given to police units which have responsibility for (national) security, monitoring of political groups, counter-terrorism, VIP protection and intelligence gathering; size and responsibilities vary considerably across police forces.
274. Special Branch Guidelines: a series of documents issued by the Home Office and partner agencies setting out the aims and objectives of a Special Branch.
275. Special Branch Registry (SBR): the central repository within the Metropolitan Police Special Branch of intelligence files on groups and individuals subjected to its intelligence gathering operations.
276. Special Demonstration Squad (SDS): the undercover unit within the Metropolitan Police Special Branch 1968 to 2008, the main subject of investigation by the Undercover Policing Inquiry.
277. Special Duties Squad (SDS): an alternative name for Special Demonstration Squad, adopted in 1997 until it ceased to exist in 2008.
278. Special measures: procedures and techniques put in place by the Undercover Policing Inquiry to protect the identities of witnesses.
279. Special Operations (SO): a division within the Metropolitan Police which replaced the old Criminal Intelligence Department; it had oversight of the various specialist and central policing units as well counter-terrorism issues, which made it distinct from territorial / uniformed policing; its head was known as the Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations (ACSO).
280. Special Operations Squad (SOS): the original name for the Special Demonstration Squad, used 1968 to 1972.
281. Special Patrol Group (SPG): a specialist group within the Metropolitan Police designed to react to public order issues or other operations which were not localised; notorious for its officers murdering Blair Peach in 1979.
282. SPG – see under Special Patrol Group.
283. Spycop – see under Undercover (police) officer.
284. Squad: a unit of policing with a specific function or responsibility; can be any size.
285. State core participants: core participants (individuals and bodies) within the Undercover Policing Inquiry who are involved due to their policing or governmental roles.
286. Stephen Lawrence Independent Review (SLIR, Ellison Review): the investigation by Mark Ellison KC into the spying on Stephen Lawrence's family by the Metropolitan Police, which published its report in 2014.
287. Street meeting: policing term for a public demonstration, used until the early 1970s.
288. Submissions: arguments made by lawyers or core participants which set out their position around an issue; they highlight various points which may then be dealt with at a hearing.
289. Subversion: ambiguous term applied to groups that were considered by police and the Security Service to ‘threaten the safety or well-being of the state, and which are intended to undermine or overthrow parliamentary democracy by political, industrial or violent means’. Given as a reason justifying reporting on political groups.
290. Superintendent (Supt, DSupt): mid-level policing rank, often acting as deputy to a Chief Superintendent.
291. Surveillance Commissioner: the Office of Surveillance Commissioners (OSC) was established by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act to oversee the use of covert surveillance techniques, including covert human intelligence sources.
292. SyS – see under Security Service.

T-Z

288. Taylor Report: 2015 report of Stephen Taylor looking at institutional knowledge of the Special Demonstration Squad within the Home Office, prior to the establishment of the Inquiry.
289. TCA – see under Consulting Association.
290. Terms of Reference: the document setting out the terms and scope of a public inquiry.
291. Terrorism and Allied Matters Committee (ACPO TAM): the ‘business area’ within ACPO responsible for counter-terrorism and domestic extremism policy within UK policing, it appointed the National Co-ordinator for Domestic Extremism and founded the NPOIU and NDET.
292. TN nominals: Temporary Nominals, cyphers applied to names by the Undercover Policing Inquiry, usually to protect the privacy of police officers.
293. TO20 - see Public Order Branch.
294. Top Secret – see under Security Classifications.
295. ToR – see under Terms of Reference.
296. Touchy Subject (Operation): name given to the SDS operation deploying HN15 Mark Jenner ‘Mark Cassidy’ as an undercover.
297. Tradecraft: a term used to describe the techniques, methods and technologies used in undercover policing, surveillance and other forms of intelligence gathering.
298. Tradecraft Manual: the Special Demonstration Squad’s folder of instructions, tips and observations, amassed from the experience of numerous undercover officers.
299. Tranche: the Undercover Policing Inquiry has divided up the areas of its investigation into six parts, which it calls Tranches. These are:
     Tranche 1: SDS 1968-1982
     Tranche 2: SDS 1983-1992
     Tranche 3: SDS 1993-2007
     Tranche 4. NPOIU 1999-2011
     Tranches 5 and 6: Other undercover policing
300. Trinity (Operation): the 2014 report by Operation Herne into the allegations of SDS whistleblower HN43 Peter Francis 'Peter Daley / Johnson / Black'.
301. UCO – see under Undercover (Police) Officer.
302. UCPI – see under Undercover Policing Inquiry
303. Undercover (police) officer (UCO): an officer who adopts a different name, background and appearance in order to infiltrate a group. Those who targeted political or protest groups, such as the SDS or NPOIU, have been given the name ‘spycops’ by campaigners.
304. Undercover Policing Inquiry (UCPI): the judge-led investigation into the spycops scandal, created by the Home Office to make recommendations.
305. Undercover Research Group (URG): activist researchers documenting undercover policing, particularly its political aspects, as well as the overlap with the world of corporate spies. Creators of this site.
306. Undertaking – see under the Attorney General Undertaking.
307. URG – see Undercover Research Group.
308. URN: unique reference number (policing term).
309. Vasco (Operation): name given to the Operation Herne investigation into spycop HN1 ‘Matt Rayner’.
310. Vincent Square: one of the addresses of the main Special Demonstration Squad office after it moved from New Scotland Yard.
311. Wearies: informal term used by SDS undercovers for those they were targeting.
312. Windmill Tilter (Operation): name given to the SDS operation deploying HN81 ‘Dave Hagan’ as an undercover.
313. Witness: someone who provides evidence, either written or in live testimony, or both, on matters relating to the Inquiry.
314. WPC: Woman Police Constable – see under Constable.