Special Demonstration Squad

Not to be confused with Students for a Democratic Society.

The Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) was an undercover unit of Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service (MPS or the Met), set up in 1968 with the approval of the Wilson government,[1] to infiltrate British protest groups.[2][3][4] It was part of the Special Branch, and worked closely with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).[5] It operated from 1968 to 2008.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference guardian-20201112 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Anti-Vietnam War Protest". Friends of the Metropolitan Police Historical Collection. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  3. ^ Lewis, Paul; Evans, Rob (20 December 2011). "Undercover operations 'totally outside the bounds of a civilised society' – lawyer". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  4. ^ Lewis, Paul; Evans, Rob (19 December 2011). "Former girlfriends of undercover policemen appear to stand good chance of winning". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  5. ^ Lewis, Paul; Evans, Rob (7 June 2011). "Mark Kennedy case: CPS accused of suppressing key evidence". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  6. ^ Lewis, Paul; Evans, Rob (17 May 2013). "Police spies' use of dead children's identities was common, MPs told". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2013.