Spycops - by Raphael Schlembach (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The 'spycops' scandal has laid bare the existence of secretive police units that sent undercover police officers to infiltrate and undermine hundreds of political campaigns and activist groups.

This is the first academic analysis of the activists' experiences and their attempts to find answers and accountability in the Undercover Policing Inquiry. Written from the perspective of the 'policed', the author draws on extensive fieldwork and his first-hand experience of police infiltration through his participation in climate campaigns.

Review Quotes

"In this excellent, vital work, Schlembach shows that, despite strenuous state efforts to keep its murkiest secrets hidden, activists can make public inquiries an important 'site of struggle' and resistance." Mark McGovern, Edge Hill University

"Schlembach goes beyond the profound harms at the core of the spy cops political policing scandal to analyze the contradictions contained within the 'black box' process of public inquiries; challenging both academics and political activists to critically assess our relationships to them." Alex Vitale, Brooklyn College

"The undercover policing of left-wing activists was unjustified and anti-democratic. Raphael Schlembach meticulously documents the victims' fight for answers and accountability. In revealing police strategies to conceal and obstruct, his book is an indispensable part of this fight." Jenny Jones, Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb

"This book is an essential resource for understanding one of the most significant policing scandals in recent history and the broader implications for justice and human rights. This timely book unmasks the extent to which the police are, in every political context, the state police." Erasmus Research

About the Author

Raphael Schlembach is Principal Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Brighton.