TRS
5th October 2009, 06:45
Forward Intelligence Teams (or FIT for short) are a relativly new type of Police now used across Britain.
I can't link yet as I have >25 posts, but search them on wikipedia for more info.
History:
FIT where formally created in the Early 90s as part of CO11 (a met police subsection based on intelligence gathering against activists). Initially they where deployed against Hunt Sabotours and Football Hooligans. In 1996 they started to be used against political protestors.
More recently, they have been used against "anti-social" youths, and their tactics have become more extreme and repressive, and hence they have become far more widely known.
How to spot a FIT Cop:
Currently, FIT are hard to spot, especially before a protest, during the planning phase. Most on duty FIT cops wear the normal High-Vis police blazer, with a blue strip along the top and over the shoulder. However, this is occasionally obscured by a bullet-proof vest. At some protest, FIT cops may distain the use of a high-vis jacket entirly, and wear just plain black. If the copper has a camera, its highly likely that they're FIT. Generally, FIT Cops won't get involved in actual fighting, prefering to direct the riot squad using "intelligence" they've gathered on their little cameras. For this reason they often head up Snatch Squads. If they do wade into the dirty work, they use characteristically long and thin, extendable batons, much like regular "bobbies on the beat".
FIT Tactics prior to protests:
Often, FIT Cops try to gather info on Protestors prior to a demo. Two recent examples of this occured in Brighton. Back in Feburary of this year, A squad of FIT Cops swooped on the Cowely Club (a radical social club) and photographed local Earth First members going about their buisness. Local MP David Lepper described this as "a deliberate attempt to scare patrons". Two months later, and suitably chastized, the FIT cops once more arrived outside the cowely club, this time to view people attending an anti-militarist conference, the day before a big Smash-EDO demo. However, having seen the error of their previous ways, this time they simply took down protestors descriptions in a notebook, and engaged in ludicrous attempts to hide round corners to avoid being seen.
Why do they do this? Well, the obvious reason is to find the identities of repeated political activists, so they can harras and intimidate them at protests. Another way they could use this info is: if they nick you at a protest, and they have fotage of you at the protest meeting the day before, they can nail you for premeditation on top of whatever you where nicked for.
FIT Tactics during protests:
FIT tactics at protests are entirely different, and wholey more agressive than before the protest.
At the start of an A-B march, FIT may set up cameras along the route, to film and photograph protestors. They look for high spots and places out of the way of the protest (a recent example from May this year involves FIT police filming from the top deck of a bus).
At standard "mob" style protests, they set up cameras well early, and again, choose high vantange points, away from the throng below.
FIT use their "intelligence gatherings" to head up snatch squads, to grab aggitators out of a crowd. This involves basically singling you out, batoning their way to you, grabbing you, and batoning their way out again. So if you see a FIT cop yelling and pointing at you, RUN! FIT also use helicopers with high powered cameras and the new remote control "camera drone" to photograph protestors from above. Remember, the camera drones are inaudible even if they are only a few meters above you! Stay aware!
FIT on the front line:
FIT police rarely stray near the front line, but on occasions this can't be avoided. In these situations, FIT appear to be the most violent and agressive of coppers. It was a FIT copper who slapped that eco protester at the G20 protests. FIT also appear to be hostile to photographing. Here follows the harrowing story about two women at the 2008 Climate Camp:
"In June 2009, the Guardian released video evidence recorded by a FIT at the 2008 Climate Camp of alleged police brutality against two female members of Fitwatch. The women had asked police officers to reveal their Shoulder numbers, as at least four officers had not displayed them. The women attempted to photograph the police officers for evidence, but were forced to the ground, restrained with handcuffs, and had their legs bound with straps. They were then placed in restraint positions, arrested, charged and held in custody for four days, including three days in Bronzefield Prison, before they were released on bail.The police later retracted all the charges against the women."
Obviously, this highlights FIT's hostility to being photographed, and their unwillingness to display Identification. Most of the charges of removing ID Numbers from their shoulder pads at the G20 Protests this year involve FIT members.
FIT tactics after protests:
OK, so the protest's happened, FIT have filmed you and duffed you up. What's next? Well, FIT teams have been recorded following activists home and/ or arresting them the next morning. All photographs taken, of criminals or not, are stored on Crimint (the UK's criminal database), where they are stored for 5 years currently.
The Resistance:
Disagree with what is going on? The best way to disrupt FIT activities is following the advice on the FITwatch site. They are as follows:
1.Holding large banners in front of photographers. This is particularly effective with double sheets on sticks which can block a camera from a distance. This is the least confrontational way of blocking photography.
2.Taking photos of them. They really don’t like this but it isn’t illegal. With any photos it’s always good to either try and get the cop’s number in the shot, or note it down.
3.Following the FIT. Pick a team and tail them. Turn their tactics onto them – everything time they send a text message look over their shoulder, listen to their phone conversations, look at what they’re writing in their notebooks.
4.Watch out for group huddles, especially with senior officers and go and unobtrusively stand by them. This disrupts their briefings and there’s always the possibility you might learn some useful information.
5.Upload any information gathered about the FIT to fitwatch website or email them to us.
6.Put yourself physically in the way of the camera men by standing constantly in front of the camera and constantly shadow them. This has been the most confrontational tactic used so far and has therefore been the one people have been arrested for. However it has also been possible to do this without arrest, especially if there are larger numbers doings this.
I can't link yet as I have >25 posts, but search them on wikipedia for more info.
History:
FIT where formally created in the Early 90s as part of CO11 (a met police subsection based on intelligence gathering against activists). Initially they where deployed against Hunt Sabotours and Football Hooligans. In 1996 they started to be used against political protestors.
More recently, they have been used against "anti-social" youths, and their tactics have become more extreme and repressive, and hence they have become far more widely known.
How to spot a FIT Cop:
Currently, FIT are hard to spot, especially before a protest, during the planning phase. Most on duty FIT cops wear the normal High-Vis police blazer, with a blue strip along the top and over the shoulder. However, this is occasionally obscured by a bullet-proof vest. At some protest, FIT cops may distain the use of a high-vis jacket entirly, and wear just plain black. If the copper has a camera, its highly likely that they're FIT. Generally, FIT Cops won't get involved in actual fighting, prefering to direct the riot squad using "intelligence" they've gathered on their little cameras. For this reason they often head up Snatch Squads. If they do wade into the dirty work, they use characteristically long and thin, extendable batons, much like regular "bobbies on the beat".
FIT Tactics prior to protests:
Often, FIT Cops try to gather info on Protestors prior to a demo. Two recent examples of this occured in Brighton. Back in Feburary of this year, A squad of FIT Cops swooped on the Cowely Club (a radical social club) and photographed local Earth First members going about their buisness. Local MP David Lepper described this as "a deliberate attempt to scare patrons". Two months later, and suitably chastized, the FIT cops once more arrived outside the cowely club, this time to view people attending an anti-militarist conference, the day before a big Smash-EDO demo. However, having seen the error of their previous ways, this time they simply took down protestors descriptions in a notebook, and engaged in ludicrous attempts to hide round corners to avoid being seen.
Why do they do this? Well, the obvious reason is to find the identities of repeated political activists, so they can harras and intimidate them at protests. Another way they could use this info is: if they nick you at a protest, and they have fotage of you at the protest meeting the day before, they can nail you for premeditation on top of whatever you where nicked for.
FIT Tactics during protests:
FIT tactics at protests are entirely different, and wholey more agressive than before the protest.
At the start of an A-B march, FIT may set up cameras along the route, to film and photograph protestors. They look for high spots and places out of the way of the protest (a recent example from May this year involves FIT police filming from the top deck of a bus).
At standard "mob" style protests, they set up cameras well early, and again, choose high vantange points, away from the throng below.
FIT use their "intelligence gatherings" to head up snatch squads, to grab aggitators out of a crowd. This involves basically singling you out, batoning their way to you, grabbing you, and batoning their way out again. So if you see a FIT cop yelling and pointing at you, RUN! FIT also use helicopers with high powered cameras and the new remote control "camera drone" to photograph protestors from above. Remember, the camera drones are inaudible even if they are only a few meters above you! Stay aware!
FIT on the front line:
FIT police rarely stray near the front line, but on occasions this can't be avoided. In these situations, FIT appear to be the most violent and agressive of coppers. It was a FIT copper who slapped that eco protester at the G20 protests. FIT also appear to be hostile to photographing. Here follows the harrowing story about two women at the 2008 Climate Camp:
"In June 2009, the Guardian released video evidence recorded by a FIT at the 2008 Climate Camp of alleged police brutality against two female members of Fitwatch. The women had asked police officers to reveal their Shoulder numbers, as at least four officers had not displayed them. The women attempted to photograph the police officers for evidence, but were forced to the ground, restrained with handcuffs, and had their legs bound with straps. They were then placed in restraint positions, arrested, charged and held in custody for four days, including three days in Bronzefield Prison, before they were released on bail.The police later retracted all the charges against the women."
Obviously, this highlights FIT's hostility to being photographed, and their unwillingness to display Identification. Most of the charges of removing ID Numbers from their shoulder pads at the G20 Protests this year involve FIT members.
FIT tactics after protests:
OK, so the protest's happened, FIT have filmed you and duffed you up. What's next? Well, FIT teams have been recorded following activists home and/ or arresting them the next morning. All photographs taken, of criminals or not, are stored on Crimint (the UK's criminal database), where they are stored for 5 years currently.
The Resistance:
Disagree with what is going on? The best way to disrupt FIT activities is following the advice on the FITwatch site. They are as follows:
1.Holding large banners in front of photographers. This is particularly effective with double sheets on sticks which can block a camera from a distance. This is the least confrontational way of blocking photography.
2.Taking photos of them. They really don’t like this but it isn’t illegal. With any photos it’s always good to either try and get the cop’s number in the shot, or note it down.
3.Following the FIT. Pick a team and tail them. Turn their tactics onto them – everything time they send a text message look over their shoulder, listen to their phone conversations, look at what they’re writing in their notebooks.
4.Watch out for group huddles, especially with senior officers and go and unobtrusively stand by them. This disrupts their briefings and there’s always the possibility you might learn some useful information.
5.Upload any information gathered about the FIT to fitwatch website or email them to us.
6.Put yourself physically in the way of the camera men by standing constantly in front of the camera and constantly shadow them. This has been the most confrontational tactic used so far and has therefore been the one people have been arrested for. However it has also been possible to do this without arrest, especially if there are larger numbers doings this.