"The undercover officers responsible for this intrusion were from the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), a covert unit within the Met Police. They infiltrated the campaigns of a number of families, including the family of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence, who had spoken out against their treatment by the force. Mr Reel's mother Sukhdev Reel said she felt violated by what the police did and "needed answers to get peace"."
"Met Police documents, handwritten notes and intelligence reports showed how intelligence was gathered on the Reel family by an SDS undercover officer called David Hagen - also known as "HN81". He infiltrated their campaigning, gathering information about the family, their supporters and their protests. Undercover Policing Inquiry According to Mr Reel's sister, Tish, theirs was "a peaceful campaign and everything we did was public and lawful. "There was no need to be covertly monitored.""
Lakhvinder Ricky Singh Reel died aged 20 in October 1997 after an attack; his body was found in the River Thames a week after he went missing. The family believed he was murdered and accused the police of racism and negligence, launching a campaign called Justice for Ricky Reel. Metropolitan Police documents show that the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) infiltrated the family's campaigning through an undercover officer, David Hagen (HN81), who gathered intelligence on the family, supporters and protests. Other grieving Black and Asian families, including Stephen Lawrence's family, experienced similar covert monitoring. The Reel family described learning about the surveillance as re-traumatising and said they felt violated.
Read at www.bbc.com
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