SpycopsResearch.info makes the material released during the Undercover Policing Inquiry (UCPI) accessible to all.
The site consists of two major parts, the disclosure database and a growing collection of profiles and analyses. Due to the large volume of documents and articles, we have created various ways to make it accessible depending on your need.
This is not an entry level site and we assume that you already have some understanding of the issues. If you are new to the spycops scandal, check out the excellent spycops.co.uk.
What to expect?
The Spring 2025 launch presents the documents of the Special Demonstration Squad from when it started in 1968 up to 1982. To put these in context, there is an interlinked collection of articles - profiles of the undercovers, their managers and analyses of issues. For now these cover only the first period of the unit, 1968 to 1972.
We are continually expanding this in sequential order, as the Inquiry releases more information.
How to use this site
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There are two main ways to access the material:
- If you want to explore it by subject - by particular undercovers, tradecraft, relationships, Inquiry procedures or other issues, we have created a wiki-style network of pages. The articles present the disclosure and procedural documents in a clear way, set out the issues and give an explainer of how the Inquiry works..
- If you are more interested in specific classes of documents, then the place to start is the Document Database.
Each section has a dropdown explaining what to expect - that can be closed after reading.
Articles
On our main page you will see a collection of tiles, each of which goes to an article.
Depending on what you are looking for you can search in all articles, or filter down into one of the categories, described below. When you do a filter, any further search is narrowed to only that selection of articles.
Spycops contains detailed individual profiles of the officers and their supervisors. The tiles also indicate if spycops served as a manager as well, or had roles further up the hierarchy.
You can either search in the entire spycops collection of articles by using all, or opt for a specific category by filtering further to UCO, manager or other officer and narrow down the results.
The category ‘other officer’ is for police connected to the spycops units, but not as an undercover or manager.
Targets provides short overviews of the groups infiltrated or ‘just’ reported on, according to the material disclosed.
Police covers the different units that were involved with the spycops operations, either in the hierarchy, overseeing or investigating them. No individual officers in this selection.
Inquiry is an extensive section explaining the complicated procedural workings of the Inquiry. It also provides core participants and witnesses an in-depth understanding of what might be expected of them.
Articles explained
Each article of any type has a second tab listing the associated documents, divided in several sections. If exhibits were submitted with a statement, this is indicated by a three dots button to display them in a dropdown. When there is an index associated with a transcript, it is presented in the same way.
Some pieces of analysis will have a third tab presenting the raw data that underpin the findings. The left-hand column has a clickable contents for the article, and the read more about suggesting closely related pages of interest.
Each officer profile has a set of details about their deployment or involvement with the secret unit at the top of the page, including targets for spycops.
Within the articles you'll find three different kinds of icons, either providing links to relevant profiles, giving references or helpful footnotes. Close them by clicking on the icon once more.
The Document Database
The document database presents all documents released by the UCPI, plus a library of background material. It displays documents by date, the latest first.
The material is organised into four groups: disclosure, statements & transcripts, procedural and library.
They can be searched by keyword in the left-hand column, and further filtered by date, tranche, spycop, originator, group, and more. Each filter narrows the number of documents you search in. And if you don't find a document in one, then it may be found in another - click through the tabs.
Disclosure is where you will find all files released by the Inquiry as part of its investigations. This includes the contemporaneous reports of spycops, related managerial correspondence and notes of meetings with MI5.
Statements and transcripts has all witness statements, and opening and closing statements, as well as the transcripts of the hearings. The exhibits submitted with a statement, and the index of documents mentioned in the transcripts are part of this database too. Whether you are looking for a specific statement or transcript, or a collection of particular ones, this is the best place to start.
Procedural includes all documents from the moment the Inquiry started in 2015 that relate to procedural matters. These include anonymity applications, conduct of hearings and the framework for the tranches and the inquiries own investigations.
Library is a collection of background material to understand the spycops scandal - essentially relevant reading sourced outside the Inquiry. This includes the various early official reviews of undercover policing.
The filtering fields follow the material: date, author, type, originator/publisher.
The hamburger menu
In the top-right corner of any page, you'll find three horizontal stripes - the so-called hamburger menu. It offers you a way back home, a link to the document database, an introduction About the Spycop Research project as well as some background to its makers, the Undercover Research Group.
Most importantly though, the menu links to the Glossary and Acronyms - an extensive list explaining the alphabet soup used at the website and the many police and legal terms, to prevent you from getting lost.
How to move around
The search box in the upper banner can be used to search in all articles at any time.
From any article, you can go straight to the document database via the hamburger menu.
- To get back to the home page, just click on the green banner saying SPYCOPS RESEARCH.