National Extremism Tactical Co-ordination Unit
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The National Extremism Tactical Co-ordination Unit (NETCU) was a British police organisation funded by, and reporting to, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) that coordinated police action against groups in the United Kingdom it described as extremist.
Structure
As of April 2007, it was headed by Superintendent Steve Pearl.[1] Because the ACPO was not a public body but rather a private limited company, NETCU was exempt from freedom of information laws and other kinds of public accountability, even though they were funded by the Home Office and deployed police officers from regional forces.[2]
Background
"NETCU provides tactical advice and guidance on policing single-issue domestic extremism. The unit also supports companies and other organisations that are the targets of domestic extremism campaigns. NETCU reports through the National Coordinator for Domestic Extremism (NCDE) to the Association of Chief Police Officers Terrorism and Allied Matters - ACPO(TAM) committee."[3]
NETCU answered to the Association of Chief Police Officers' (ACPO) Terrorism and Allied Matters Committee, and in particular to ACPO's National Coordinator for Domestic Extremism, Detective Chief Superintendent Adrian Tudway.[4] It worked with the Home Office, and the National Public Order Intelligence Unit.[5]
The unit was created in or around May 2004 to coordinate police action in relation to animal rights campaigns. It was based in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, which had been a focal point for animal rights activism as a result of the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty campaign.[6]
Apart from animal rights groups, it also investigated the UK Life League, a direct action anti-abortion group that protests outside abortion clinics.[7]
Takeover by the Metropolitan Police
In November 2010 it was announced that the three ACPO units commanded by the National Domestic Extremism and Disorder Intelligence Unit would be rebranded as the National Domestic Extremism Unit and brought under the control of the Metropolitan Police by Summer 2011.[8]
The future of NETCU
According to NETCU's own website
- following reviews within ACPO TAM and a HMIC Value for Money Review, it was agreed by the ACPO TAM board to merge the three Domestic Extremism units into single national function under a lead force.[9]
The National Co-ordinator for Domestic Extremism, Detective Chief Superintendent Adrian Tudway, is currently managing the merger said "The three domestic extremism units were set up at different times during a six year period, with the current economic climate and the need to maximise resources it makes sense to merge."
An article in The Guardian on the three "domestic extremism" units working under the direction of Detective Chief Superintendent Adrian Tudway states that
- concerns have been growing about the accountability and subject to agreement they will be taken over by the Met under a "lead force" agreement – the same way the Met has overall command of national counter-terrorism operations.[10]
See also
Notes
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- ↑ Copping, Jasper. "Animal rights extremists target farmers"Script error: No such module "Unsubst".Template:Cbignore, The Sunday Telegraph, 14 April 2007.
- ↑ Monbiot, George. As the political consensus collapses, now all dissenters face suppression. The Guardian. 18 May 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
- ↑ leaked NETCU policing document, photos of leaked document
- ↑ DCS Adrian Tudway appointed new National Coordinator for Domestic Extremism Template:Webarchive, NDEU/NETCU, 15 November 2010, accessed 10 January 2011
- ↑ "ACPO welcomes 'economic damage' amendment to serious organised crime and police bill" Template:Webarchive, press release, Association of Chief Police Officers, 31 January 2005.
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- ↑ Laville, Sandra. "Anti-abortionists turn sights on schools and hospitals in US-style campaign", The Guardian, 27 March 2006.
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Further reading
- NETCU website archived at the Internet Archive
- Glover, Julian; Adam, David; and Ward, David. "Anger over 'victory' for animal rights campaign", The Guardian, 24 August 2005
- "Animal rights protesters", Hansard, 20 May 2004
- Cox, Simon and Vadon, Richard. "How animal rights took on the world", BBC Radio 4, 18 November 2004.
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