WITHOUT A TRACE

TO LIVE OUTSIDE THE LAW YOU HAVE TO BE HONEST

Printed in the UK for HMSO. Dd.6682613 1, 300M 7/87 7093

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INTRODUCTIONThis book is intended to go some way towardsevening the balance between us and thepolice. It is not an in-depth study, more acommonsense guide to looking after yourself.The police try to get us to believe that theyare all-powerful and all-knowing. Cobblers! Ifwe use our heads we can run rings aroundthem. I hope that you find this informationuseful, and that there is something new in itfor you. If you think more things could beincluded, or said better, feel free to producea version of your own. There is no copyright.Good luck and take care,

Moriarty.

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Introduction, contents.General Traces, Fingerprints.Glass Traces, Dust Traces, Wood Traces, Soil & Plant Traces, Hair Traces.Blood Traces, Textile Traces, Shoe Traces.Tool Traces, Glove Traces, Body Secretion Traces, Vehicle Traces.Arson & Fire Traces, Ballistic & Firearms Traces.Voice Identification, Face Identification, Responsibility Notes.Typewriters, Traces In Printing, Making Impressions Visible Again.Video Surveillance: How Does It Affect You? How To Deal With Video Surveillance,Video & The Police, Video & The Private Sector.Police Helicopters & Their Video Capacity.Journalists, Cop Cars & How To Spot Them.How To Spot A Plainclothes Cop, Demo's, Pickets, Riots.Raids, Telephones, Are You Being Followed?Blend In & Get Away, What To Do When Arrested.Who's Watching Who, Local Intelligence.The Special Branch.MI6.MI6, Private Security Agencies, The PNC.An Interview With An ALF Activist.Cop Communications & How To Understand Them, Network System, Section One.Section Two, Regional Call Signs.UnitCall Signs,MobileUnitCall Signs,Newspeak One, WarningFlags.Conclusion.

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GENERAL TRACESFINGERPRINTS

The science of fingerprint examination iscalled dactyloscopy. We are born with ourfingerprints, and we'll never be able tochange them or get rid of them. Wheneveryou touch something with your fingertips youleave behind your calling card. The policewill have a varying degree of difficulty inreproducing your prints depending on thesurface upon which it lies. Obviously surfacessuch as glass, marble, chrome etc, will be theeasiest, whilst it is almost impossible to liftprints from brickwork or untreated wood. Afingerprint is basically the fatty,acidic residueleft on a surface in the exact shape ofthe ridgelines ofyour fingertips. Because a fingerprintis composed of sweat, which is an acid, insome instances it qwill etch itself onto metal.This is most likely to occur with crowbars,hammers, chisels, etc, and can be erased byrubbing down said tools with coarse wirewool after use. The police are continuallyperfecting their methods of print detection,because they are such a foolproof piece ofpersonal identity. They can take prints fromskin (if they really try), from tightly wovenfabrics, especially synthetic ones, and paper.To convict, the police need to show 12

matching features ofa fingerprint. In practice,these can be found on just one squarecentimeter of skin area. Fingerprints are fairlyhard to destroy, and even immersion inwaterwill not do the job completely, so if you aregoing to throw something over the bridge,don't forget to wipe it down first. Unless anobject is totally consumed, fire is also not asure method of erasing prints, as a layer ofcarbon can cover them, and keep themrecognisable. The older a print becomes, theharder it is to reproduce, although, in theory,it will last forever, as long as it has not beendisfigured. Fingerprints are kept on the PNCin the form of encoded data, and as such, donot need to be visually checked to be foundto match. A specialist will analyse thefingerprint and turn it into a series of four digitnumbers. These numbers are then enteredinto the PNC, which will return the locationof any matching fingerprints held by theFingerprint Bureau at New Scotland Yard.These matches will be examined further indetail to see ifany ofthe candidates presentedby the PNC exactly matches those found at thescene of crime. The PNC fingerprint index is

used roughly 300,000 times a year. A newsystem of fingerprint recognition has beendeveloped which involves hyper-computers,and which can visually translate a single printinto unique and complex computer data, thusmaking positive I.D. from a partial found printpossible. This system is not yet in use, butshould be in a few years.The police show a great deal of interest in

everyones prints, to the extent that babies arenow being fingerprinted at birth in somecountries, in case they should get'lost'. Howtouching! In the station, the police will alwaystry and take your prints. Since the introductionof the CriminalEvidence Act, they have moreor less complete freedom to do so, withouthaving to go to a magistrate anymore. Intheory, it 1S possible to smudge or blur ourfingerprints. One way is to leave plenty ofsoap on your hands, after you've been madeto wash them, and another is to try and 'help'the police. The idea is that you relax yourfingers while they roll them over the sheet. Ifyou apply too much pressure, or slide abouta bit, you might smudge a couple. On theother hand, they might just tear them up andstart again, or even tear you up and start again!

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GLASS TRACESDefinitely one of the most important areas offorensics for people like us to know about.Every time that glass is smashed tiny shardsof the stuff fly everywhere. For practicalpurposes it is wisest to assume that anyoneeven remotely near to breaking glass iscovered in the stuff.It sticks to things like shitto a blanket, especially loose fibred cloth,such as woolen hats. The only way to get ridof it is to throwaway anything that you mayhave been wearing. Glass also likes to getembedded in the soles of shoes. The policecan identify different makes and types ofglass, and therefore can put you at a certainplace at a certain time. Fine, broken glasspowder will stick to the smooth surfaces oftools, and fibres from your clothing will stickto the sharp edges of broken glass. The bestway to break glass without covering yourselfin traces is from a very long distance, usinga powerful slingshot and marbles, or fortoughened bank windows, steel ball bearings.Both ball bearings and marbles retain yourprints well!Orwhy not try glass etching fluid?You can get it in craft shops, and with it youcan write a message on a window that cannever be removed, bar replacing the wholething. N.B.In certain hard hit towns you haveto sign for etching fluid, and in some instancesshopkeepers report sales to the police.

DUST TRACESFor the police to convict you on the basis ofdust traces takes a great deal ofwork on theirpart, involving painstaking work withpowerful microscopes. The composition ofdust in your clothes can tell them where youmay have been (e.g. a metal foundry) and atwhat time of the year (by identifying thespores of seasonal plants). By just washingyour clothes thoroughly you can get rid ofmost of these traces, but as always, the safestthing is to ditch them. It is unusual, though notunknown for the police to use dust traces toconvict. These traces are more useful as a lastresort for clues, when other avenues havefailed. They are chiefly used to find out whereand for how long something has been;e.g.guns, bodies, stolen goods.In brief, the investigation of these traces is

only likely to corne up in a serious case, andshould you start to worry about traces this tiny,then paranoia is taking over from sensibleprecaution. If the police threaten to use themagainst you, then it indicates that they mostlikely have nothing better to go on.

WOOD TRACESWood will yield some information to theforensic investigator. It is possible forhim/her/it to match species of wood to eachother, even fromsamples as small as sawdustor splinters. If someone has been introducingyour local fascists head to a piece of 2 be 4,then a match can be made to the piece fromwhich it was cut/sawed. When they removesaid lump from your fascists head, it will bechecked for foreign bodies, such as textilefibres, paint flakes, hairs, and otherincriminating evidence. Ifa baseball bat wereto be used instead, and it is not disposed of,then it can be linked to the 'crime' bycomparison with the splinters it has left in theskull as well as traces ofvarnish or resin, andthe bat itself will carry traces of skin, hair,blood, not to mention matching dents! Thereis no point in keeping such weapons oncethey have been used.

SOIL AND PLANT TRACESA forensic scientist can tell roughly where you -have been from the composition of the dirtand soil that you will have picked up on yourtravels. If, let's say, you've been keepingwarm by standing next to a burningportacabin on a Laings building site, thentraces of sand, cement; gypsum, gravel, lime,etc, will have collected on your shoes andclothes. Bythe same token, if you have beenwatching Lord Anthony Wedgewood Benn'sstately ancestral horne burn to the ground,then traces of earth from his garden will beupon you, as will traces of plant life, such aspollen from the rare gladiolae that you mayhave brushed against. Once again, it is bestto dispose of any clothing.These traces are used to put you at a certain

place, and in some instances, at a certain time.As with dust traces, don't let the police bluffa confession out of you by saying that thesetraces are cast iron evidence; they arecertainly not and can be disputed in court.

HAIR TRACESWe all shed hair, and we shed it all the time.Ifwe stay in one place for any length of time,than it is certain that we will leave samples ofour hair in the vicinity. It is most likely to belodged in the clothing ofsomeone withwhomwe have had close contact (i.e. the bishop youjust throttled). Hairwill tell the forensic expert

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many things; where it came fromon the body(scalp; beard, crotch, eyebrows nosearmpit), how long your hair is, wheth~r it ha~been cut recently, whether you have shavedrecently, ifyou have been using any specificchemicals on it, such as dyes, oil, lotions,sprays, pommades, DOT,etc. They can alsotell if you fall into the racial categories ofNeqroid, Caucasion or Mongoloid, or evenmixtures of the three. They can tell your sexand blood type.It is harder to tell the colour of your hair as

individual strands differ in hue from e~chother. It becomes easier if they possess morehai:~·s.Th.eg?od news is that conclusive proofof identity IS NOT possible, BUT they canprove your innocence, inmuch the same waythat parentage can only be disproved throughblood tests. On the other hand, if they havea sample ofyour hair and it is 2 footlong, dyedgreen, and you've used superglue on it tokeep your mohawk upright, than I'd imaginethat they'd have a fair case for positive 10-Wear a tight fitting hat.

SHOE TRACES

There are thousands of styles and sizes offootwear and each one is distinctive, evenmore so when it has been worn fora while andpicked up individual marks ofwear and tear.Basically, a clear footprint is as useful to aforensic expert as a fingerprint. However, youcan always throw away your shoes!On hard surfaces, such as lino or marble- ,

shoe prints will be left behind. On softsurfaces, such as mud, earth, dog shit, etc,shoe impressions will be left behind. Fromthese marks identification can be made, andare watertight evidence if a comparison ismade. The only sensible thing to do is to wearold shoes and to throw them a long way awayimmediately afterwards. Shoes will also carrytraces away with them, such as oil, petrol,glass splinters and other such giveaways.Don't wear them in your home.Tracker dogs willbe able to followthe smell

from your shoes, but not for more than 10 to12 hours afterwards, and then only infavourable conditions. Roads that smell ofexhaust fumes, petrol and rubber will maskyour smell. The best conditions for trackerdogs are unspoilt meadows during moist andcool weather.

BLOOD TRACESI can think of several instances where bloodmay be spilt, and for this reason it makessense to know as much about it as possible.Blood is very hard to get rid of once it has goton you or on your clothing. Even dry cleaningwill not remove it thoroughly. Should you benear to someone who has been punched inthe nose or stabbed, you will be covered ina fine spray of blood droplets.A forensic scientist can detect, retrieve and

examine the minutest traces ofblood, and theamount of information to be gathereddepends on the circumstances. In thelaboratory a fresh, warm pint of blood can~how the type, the sex of the donor, anyillnesses peculiar to the donor, any drugs ormedication taken recently. In practice,however, the smaller the quantity and theolder the sample, the harder the task.Importantly, a blood sample cannot be provedto be positively yours, although it can beproven that it isn't.A new developement in the examinations

has just been made in britain and it is ratherworrying. It is called 'genetic fingerprinting'and has been perfected by a private companybut has already been used once by the police.The use of this method in blood sampleexamination is supposed to be able topositively identify a person from a matchingblood sample. It seems as if it will be severalyears before this is in general use, but it is theshape of things to come.

TEXTILE TRACESThere is not a lot to say about these traces thatis not common sense .....just think of your?lot~iIl:ga~ blottinq paper that will soak upmcn~matmg evidence like crazy! Dust, soil,chemicals, blood, petrol, paint, the list isendless. Clothing will also leave behindparticles of their fabric, and as with gloveswill leave impressions should you sit or lea~on anything soft. Traces of fibre and debrisfromyour own environment willbe carried byyour clothes aand left at scene. For instancethe fibres from your sofa, carpet, ca;furnishing, etc, will be carried by yourtrousers (say), and may be left wherever yougo. To circumvent this, wear old clothes anddiscard them afterwards. Remember, if youwear them back home, you will also becarrying back traces fromwherever you mayhave been.

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TOOL TRACESIn much the same way that a bullet will retainscratches from the barrel of the gun fromwhich it was fired, then tools such as chiselspliers, bolt cutters, knives, screwdrivers, etc:will leave identifying marks at the scene of aninvestigation. These marks can be matchedto the tool at a later date using comparison orstereo microscopes. Most obviously, theshear marks on a cut padlock can be linkedto the cutters that were used on the job. If thesame pair of boltcutters has been going therounds, and you find yourself nicked with itthen you might find yourself being heldresponsible for any number of previouslyunsolved 'crimes'. If such to"ls have beenused to break into the Ministry of Defence,then it is courting disaster to hold on to them.For less dodgy instances, the working edgesof tools can be given a new 'face' by filing orre-sharpening, but only if the tool is in goodcondition, and not badly pitted or scarred.Tools are not onlymade ofmetal; objects suchas robe, string, tape, etc,are just asincriminatory, and lend themselves tocomparitive analysis.

GLOVE TRACESAlthough it is always wiser to wear gloves toavoid the risk of leaving any fingerprintsbehind, we should be aware that gloves cansometimes leave just as much information.Basically, gloves will almost certainly leavetraces of the fabric fromwhich they are madeon anything they touch, especially brokenglass, fencing, masonry, and rough wood. Ifgloves are not thrown away after use, thenpositive links can be made in the form oftextile analysis. Plastic gloves, rubber gloveswill keep your prints on the inside and somevery thin surgical gloves will still allow yourprintirnpressions to show up on hard or shinysurfaces. Ifyour discarded gloves are found,than traces ofyour sweat will be present (seeBody Secretion Traces), as well as comparitivetraces such as wood splinters, paint flakesglass splinters, etc from the scene of crime:Remember also that you are going to lookdead suspicious if you are found wearinggloves in mild weather, or even if you have~hem in your possession, especially if thereIS more thasn one of you, and you are allwearing them.

BODY SECRETION TRACESThe human body produces various fluids and

secretions apart from blood. These arenamely; spit, sweat, tears, earwax, urine,faeces and snot. Samples of these mayor willbe left at a scene of investiqation, They don'ttell the police a hell ofa lot, but, as with bloodtraces, they help build up an overall picture.For the most part, body secretion traces willshow blood type. In some instances theinformation can be more exact. From yoursnot and spit they will know if you smoke, orif you have a specific occupation ( e.g.miner:black lung, docker: asbestosis, etc).From your urine, sweat and faeces, anyillnesses that you have may be apparent.(Hepatitis, anaemia, NSU, etc) and anymedication or drugs that you may have taken.From your shit they will be able to tell whatyou've had to eat.For example, the analysis ofurine at a scene

of crime might show blood type A, presence .of Hepatitis, and presence of Methadone.They already have a list of registeredmethadone users, therefore they already havea list of suspects.

VEHICLE TRACESVehicle traces refer to any parts of forensicevidence that may be left by motor transport.Firstly, the tyre tracks; these are usually left

in soft ground, and not on hard top roads,alt~ough they may be found in soft tar, dogshit, etc, and In the case of a collision. 'sometimes on the flesh of the victim(s).Thesetraces will identify the make of tyre, and inmost instances will prove unique to one tyre,due to the characteristic wear. The distancebetween tyre tracks will indicate axle widthand chassis length, thus indicating the type?f car. ~ome cars carry unique tyres, forInstance Imported, or small production runs.Transfer traces are those which are left on

the scene due to collision or contact. Mostcommonly this involves paint flakes. Theseare always left in the case of any contact. Aswell as indicating the exact colour of thevehicle, when studied microscopically they

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will identify the brand of car, and very oftenthe model. This is due to the fact that autopaint can consist of over 14layers of primer,paint, laquer, etc, which are unique todifferent manufacturers. Forensic expertscarry detailed catalogues of paint samples.From one paint flake it is theoreticallypossible to know the make, the model, colour,previous colour(s), and the year ofmanufacture of a given car. Due to theextensive registration of vehicles this meansthat the police have a large amount ofinformation to work on.Other types of transfer traces chiefly consist

of trim that may have been dislodged, suchas hubcaps, bits of windscreen, light covers,door handles, those stupid rubber earth stripsthat hang off the rear bumper, aerials, coontails, furry dice, etc. All these things lendthemselves to comparitive analysis.The direction and speed ofa vehicle can be

estimated from the direction of brake tracks,dripping oil, debris, etc.In conclusion, as vehicles are so closely

monitored in this country (M.O.T., license,insurance, tax, etc), the police have a gooddeal of evidence to work on already, beforeany crime has been committed, and this givesthem the edge when it comes to trackingdown cars. In practice, it is not a good ideato use your own car foranything dodgy. Itmaybe spotted by the video cameras on petrolstation forecourts, traffic control videos onmotorways, or be checked on the PNCby thepolice without your knowledge. The stopproportionately more red cars than any othercolour. Dull, fairlynew fleet cars get stoppedless, neutrally coloured and respectablelooking are safest. A man and a woman getstopped less than single drivers, and flashsports cars succumb to the 'envy factor' incoppers, especially ifdriven by someone whois not an aryan true blue male brito

ARSON AND FIRE TRACESThe assumption that evidence is destroyed byfire is incorrect. The Fire Investigation Unitwill turn up if the origins of a fire aresuspicious. They possess a large degree ofskill and are able to determine the flashpointof a fire and what caused it, (electrical fault,cigarette, candle, spontaneous combustion,deliberate arson etc). They also can tell theflammable substance which was used to startthe fire (gasoline, paraffin,tallow,paper, etc.).Chemicals used to start a fire will almost

automatically end up on the person andclothing of the person(s) who started it.

Particles of soot willalso lodge in the clothingand hair.Many arsonists have been caught because

they wanted to come back and watch. .

p. C. BLAKELOCK WALkSON WATE~····1,--",.,....,,=

BALLISTIC AND FIREARMTRACES

In Britain, which has such a small number ofprivate firearms, the forensic investigation ofballistics is considered of paramountimportance. For this reason, extreme caremust be taken when getting involved withthem.Firstly,the potential of the projectile (bullet).

If it is recovered in good condition, then itwillreveal the calibre of the weapon, the type, andoften the manufacturer. A bullet willl remainin good condition if it enters flesh or any othersoft material. If it hits thick metal or concrete,etc, it will be disfigured, but will still retainmany of its identifying characteristics. Certaintypes of bullets are designed to fragment oncontact. These are bullets such as DumDum,Mercury Tip, Hollow Point or Explosive.Whilst this makes the job of the forensicinvestigator harder, it doesn't stop it. Nomatter what sort of bullet has been used, it isalways safer to assume that it has left enoughcharacteristic marks to make itidentifyable. As we all know fromwatchingKojak, the barrel of a gun imparts uniquemarkings to the surface of the bullet, whichcan be matched to specimens when viewedthrough a stereo microscope. What perhapswe don't know is that the shell casing orcartridge also carries unique markings, fromthe impact of the hammer or bolt,and fromtheejection and breech mechanisms. Automatichand guns, machine pistols, many rifles andsome shotguns automaticallyeject their shells.A cage or trap fitted around the eject portenables these to be caught.The police of every country keep a pictorial

file of allbullets and weapons used previously

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(and countries cooperate with each other!),and should you be caught with a weapon ofdubious ancestry, you could find yourselfhaving to explain a lot.When a gun is fired, particles of gas and

powder will DEFINITELYlodge themselvesin any exposed skin and clothing. Theseparticles can be found by a forensic examinerby the takinq of ether swabs. In amerika anaerosol has been developed which can besprayed on the hands and will show up as acoloured dye immediately should it come intocontact with these particles. It is used toquickly eliminate suspects after (say) anassassination attempt. Gloves!Once a gun has been used it is courting

disaster to keep it. It should be thoroughlycleaned and dismantled and distributed intoa deep lake, not forgetting that fingerprintscan be preserved under water, especially ifcovered with a layer of gun oil.In conclusion, firearms are an area in which

forensics are advanced and extensive, thusgiving the police the edge. Definitely not anarea to get involved in without knowing whatyou're doing.

VOICE INDENTIFICATIONIt is possible froma tape recording of a voiceto compare it with another voice, and decidewhether they are one and the same. This isbecause each persons voice is a combinationof frequencies which can be analysed usinga sound spectrograph. This is most likely tobe called into use for anonymous phonecallings, and to this end it should be assumedthat all telephone lines are not secure. Mostnewspapers have facilities for immediatelyrecording calls, and all emergency servicecalls are automatically taped. Changing yourvoice, dialect, or pitch won't make a hell ofalot of difference to your 'voice print'.Speaking throuqh a handkerchief hasabsolutely no effect!Ifyou do have to use yourvoice over the phone, try everything frompinching your nose, stuffing your mouth withtissues and speaking with a Ukrainianaccent.Perhaps the best way to phone in a messageis to edit on tape together the words of famouspersonalities, in the same way as ransom notesare made from cut up mewspapers justimagine:-"This is Terry Wogan claimingresponsibilty on behalf of the ALF...."

FACE IDENTIFICATIONWe have all seen Identikit pictures, and on thewhole they just serve to give the roughest ideaof some ones face. Obviously, certain things

are of more help than others ....scars, moles,broken noses, tattoos, etc. The latestdevelopement is from Sweden, where acomputer takes a basic Indetikit picture andblurs the edge over, finally producing acomputer generated image similar to aphotograph. The police also use professionalartists to make sketches from a witnessesdescription. It is hard to change the featureson your face, but certain things help. Glasses,changes ofhairstyle, haircolour, etc. Womencan use a mountain of make up, heightencheekbones, etc. Men can grow or shavefacial hair. A man with very short hair and amoustache looks radically different from thesame man cleanshaven with long hair.

RESPONSIBILITY NOTESThese are bit of an ego trip and just give thepolice more evidence to work on. In fact, itmight be the onlyevidence the police willhave, so why give it to them? However, ifyoudo have to send them, there are some thingsyou should be aware of.Your blood type and other details can be

taken from the spit used to moisten the stampand the envelope flap.(See 'Body SecretionTraces').Paper does cany fingerprints. Whenhandwriting use stylized block capitals:

~lJ5T LII<E '-HISOnly ever write on one sheet of paper at atime ,preferably on a flat,hard surface such asglass or formica, which will not take theimpression ofwhat you are writing. Don't usesheets torn from a notebook, as comparisonscan be made from the tear and from the typeof notebook. Also, something innocuousalready written in the notebook can bealready transferred to the sheet you're using,providing more comparisons. Preferably useenvelopes and writing paper of a verycommon brand, e.g. bought fromWoolworths. Only write on one sheet at atime. Destroy any remaining sheets orenvelopes. Don't keep any stamps from thesame block. Don't post anything in your area.Be aware that minute traces of hair and fibrecan easily be trapped in the glue of the flapand the stamp, especially ifthe letter has beenin your pocket. This is even more likely ifyouhave been cuuting up newspaper words andsticking them down. When doing this, don'tkeep the glue, the scissors or the papers.When using a pen, use a 'Bic' ballpoint, as thisis the most common, or use a felt pen, whichis less like to leave an impression on sheetsbelow. See also 'Typewriter Traces.'

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TYPEWRITERSEvery typewriter carries its own uniqueidentifying marks. Firstlythese come fromthekeys themselves, which when enlarged, showindividual peculiarities of style and wear.Secondly, the pressure that the keys havemade upon the paper. Thirdly, the alignment(or lack of it) of the letters, both horizontalllyand vertically upon the page. It is furtherpossible to have an idea of the typist, fromthepressure emphasis ofcertain letters. E.g 'huntand peck' versus touch typing. This is mostobvious on manual typewriters.To avoid all this trouble, it easiest to use a

machine with a seperate type element, suchas a daisy wheel or golfball. These can bethrown away after use. Never type on todouble sheets, as the entire text will appearas an impression on the bottom sheet. Carbonsheets also will retain the text, as will theribbon, whether carbon or cotton. All thingsof this nature should be destroyed. (Don'tforget erasion ribbons!)The best way to avoid all this palaver is to

buy a second-hand typewriter from a fleamarket. It should only cost a fiver.Use it onceand then chuck it, not forgetting that yourprints will be on every key!Withmodem dot matrixcomputer print outs

you can program your own typefaces.Perhaps this is worth trying out.

MAKING IMPRESSIONSVISIBLE AGAIN

It is sometimes believed that it is possible toremove identifying serial numbers by filingordrilling them off.The numbers stamped ontothe frames of motor vehcles, guns and otherme!al objects ?an be made visible again byvarious forensic processes. This is becausethe initialstamping has changed the structureofthe metalbeneath the surface. The best wayto obscure chassis numbers is to utilise thisfactor, by filing off the numbers and thenbanging hell out of the area with a hammerand cold chisel, before re-stamping.Many gove~nment and business agencies,

as well as pnvate householders mark theirproperty with an ultra-violet pen that isinvisible to the naked eye. Ultra violet bulbscan be bought from specialist electricalshops, and these will help you read anynumbers or marks.

TRACES IN PRINTINGWhen printing 'subversive' pamphlets, books,

posters, etc, there are various processes~hich lend themselfto forensic comparison.Firstly, the typeface; this is as for typewriters,by studying the individual letters, their

SUPPOSE YOU'RESEARO\lNG FORA NEEDLE IN AHAYSTACK'- ANDTHE. HAYSTACK/5 THE WHOLE

WORLD.

SIR, WHY AI?E YOUDOING THIS? IF -tHISGANG EXISTS ,..,N4DCOMES ArTERtcc-!

allignment, etc, it can be told from whatmachine they came from. This is true formanual or cold type typsetters, but is muchharder when a computer typesetter has beenused, especially when using a very commontypeface. Secondly, the artwork andnegatives. They should be handledconsistently with gloves, and destroyedimmediately after use, as should be theprinting plates. The paper should be of a very?ommon type~!brand and should be boughtm small quantities from retail outlets so as toavoid invoice traces from larg~ papersuppliers. Thirdly, the printing machine(s);they impart individual marks on the paperfrom the gripper edge as they go through.These can be removed at the finishing stagewit~ a guillotine. Fourthly, the guillotine; thecuttmg edge of the blade will uniquely markthe paper, but comparisons can be avoidedby thoroughly re-sharpening the blade unless. . 'rt 1S badly worn, in which case it should bethrown away. Fifthly, the ink; it should be avery common brand (i.e. Pantone processblack) so as to make comparisons useless.Sixthly,the distribution; should be done veryquickly, leaving no stockpiles in embarassingplaces.To avoid the labour of these above

precautions, we typeset, laid out and printedthis book abroad, and it was distributed overone long weekend.

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MISCELLANEOUSJOURNALISTS

Journalists often give the impression that theyare sympathetic to certain causes but the bestadvice is to trust a reporter about as far as youcan throw them. More often than not they'dsell their grandmother for a story. They areusually only interested in the 'scandal' aspectof anystory, and anything they write will onlybe In line with the editorial policy of the paperthey work for, and looking at newspapers inbritain, that isn't exactly uplifting.Ifa journalistworks for the Sun or the Mirror, they willusually say that they are from the Guardian orTelegraph. Journalists spend their whole livescompromising. They are not allowed to writewhat they want, as the editor and owner of thepaper have final say, and basically theyamount to lap dogs. They will be only toohappy to finger you to the Special Branch orthe police, who regularly drop intonewspaper offices. All that stuff about'protecting their sources' is just a load ofHollywood hogwash, they usually come upwith what the police want to hear, and theycan be taken to court if they don't. Basicallythey're lying scum, and it's best to treat themas such. Even 'left wing' ones often have asectarian axe to grind. Keep them at armslength if you do have to deal with them andnever give them your name. '

COP CARS AND HOW TOSPOT THEM

l\;Iostcop cars have orange stripes down theSIdes and revolving blue lights on top whichsort of gives the game away, but the ~neakybastards do ride around in unmarked carsfrom ti.me to time, under the quaintassumption that no one willnotice them. Sadlyfor them, we can now reveal thedistinguishing features that make anunmarked police car so unique. Firstly thetype. Our patriotic pigs only ride arou~d inbritish made cars. These are of the type thatyou'd expect to see in company 'fleets' andmainly consist of Ford Sierra's VauxhallCavaliers, Ford Fiestas, etc. The q~ality ofthecars improves in direct proportion to rank, ofcourse, and also to the 'glamour' of the unitsinvolved, Le. the Flying Squad. Almost all'civilian' cars, if you look, will have a stickerat the bottom of the rear window advertisingthe supplier. Police cars do not have this.

~hey ,also do not have sunroofs, furry dice,SIlly my other car's a Porsche' stickersnodding dogs, racing trimor whiplash aerials:The aerials are usually short, black stubbyones, although this does vary. The cars comemainly in 'neutral' colours; dun brownchocolate brown, olive green,etc. More vividcolours like red, white and blue do occur butwit~. le:ss frequency. The best way tof~mlllanse yourself WIththese cars is just torup down to the local station and have a lookin the car park. After a while you begin to'sense' them, and spot them amile off,withouteven thinking about it.Other obvious giveaways are the presence

of two white thug types in the front dressed. , .'In casual' style, and, if there are any more inthe back, for some unknown reason one ofthem will have his arms stretched out alongthe seat back. Something to do with rankperhaps, I don't know ....The real giveaway, however, is the number

plates. A ?ars registration will tell you whereItwas reqistered, The letters that indicate thisare the last two in the group of three. InLondon, police cars are registered in WestCentral London and are given the codes UL,UV, UW and UU. So the registrations PUV378R,RUW778W,C891TUUcan all be policeplates. For other parts of the country thelocation codes are given in the back of the AAMembers handbook, or in the back of theInvestigative Reporters Handbook by StuartChristie. '

12

HOW TO SPOT APLAINSCLOTHES COP

Cops in plainsclothes are not always easy tospot, but once you've seen a few it becomes~a~ier.Thankheavens they havn't reached theHill Street Blues' state of affairs where theundercov~r ~o,lice look nothing like cops.Once agam, It s worth going down to thenearest police station and take a look at themfrom a distance. Cops tend to follow fashionso they like wearing stuff like Fred Perry'Galli~i,La.Coste tops etc. Whatever happen~to be m this year, and is comfortable, and youcan buy at Burtonsor Manat C&A.They seemto have a great fondness for stylish leathertops and bomber jackets, although if they areplaying undercover there always seems to be~:mewearing an olive green army surplusJacket. Theywear jeans and slacks and alwayscomfortable. shoes, w~thsoft (noiseless) soles,very oft~nN1keor Ad1dastrainers, forpursuit.Regulation haircuts, maybe a touch longengla~d Cu~ .Squad stylee. Perhaps ~medalhon, definitely a wristwatch somethingflash but sober (Le.not a Swatch).No earrings.99.9% of the time they are white. Agedrouqhly 18 to late thirties, they tend to looklike soul boys or casuals. After a while theybecome pretty obvious.

report, picking out 'ringleaders' etc.Information gathering is all important.Photographers and video crews will attemptto take pictures of everybody, in the hope ofconvicting them or identifying them later.After a riot, there will be the usual shower of'community leaders' and 'communitypolicemen' sifting through all the availablephoto's and news filmfootage. TVcompaniesand papers willingly supply all photo's andfootage to the police, and if they don't theyare ~ade to give them up through the c~urts.D~nng the 1985 Brixton riots anyone foundwith a camera had it stolen or destroyed.Journalists, ~hen discovered, were beaten upand had their notes destroyed. Video crewswere stoned, and kept well back. As a resultof this it was impossible to find a decentpicture of the riots, and all the TV got wassome day after pics of smouldering ruins andsome smoke in the distance. This is definitelythe best way. Although cameras can be usefulfor r.ecording .arrests, they also help tocc;>nv1ct.There 1Sno resason to go to a riot,picket or demo with a camera. Mostphotographers seem just to be looking forcheap action shots, and assume that a cameraround their neck makes them a non-combatant. Perhaps everyone could just leavetheir cameras at home at least then we'd

who were the c

DEMO'S, PICKETS, RIOTS,ETC.

Since the Public Order Act came into effectat the be.ginning of 1987, all publicdemonstrations have come under stricter~ontrol. You can now get from 10years to lifeJust for standinq in the wrong place at thewrong time ..At every political meeting ordemo there 1Sa special branch officer or hisC.l.D. equivalent taking notes and making a

Scarves, hats, sunglasses,etc are all usefulto hide the face, and the germans and dutchprotesters seel? to make a speciality ofweanng motorbike helmets, which serve bothas protection and disguise. Good idea.

13

RAIDSWhen the police or the special branch raid,it is very often on a 'fishing trip'. they willpainstakingly siftthrough your letters, addressbooks, mailing lists, phone books, photoalbums, etc and copy and cross referencethem. They will try to establish 'friendshipnetworks' .....who knows who. it is best to haveany material of this sort hidden somewheresafe and imaginative, and it is aslo good to getinto the habit of keeping things like home-grown, catapults, dodgy LD.'s etc, stashed.Basically, probably every home in thercountry has something illegal in it,whether anoverdue library book, a fiddled meter or a 2inch grass plant. Itwould be sillyto get nickedfor something this small,as it gives them someleverage against you. Ifyou are raided, try tokeep your eyes on the police at all times, andthoroughly search any rooms that they'vebeen left in on their own, for bugs perhaps,but more likely for drugs planted so that theycan come back later and nick you. Tell anyfriends that are in your address/phone bookin case they get a visit as well. Stay calm andcollected while the police are there, and don'tlet them intimidate you. Tell them you're surethey're in the wrong house, be up in armsabout the invasionofprivacy after all, everyenglishmans home is is castle!

TELEPHONrESTelephones are poison. from the very outsetit is wisest to assume that everything said ona telephone is totally public, and thateverything on it can be heard. The americanBell Telephone system is the worlds mostadvanced, and it is slowly beinq introducedto Britain. It involves a Unit Pricing System,which records details of every telephone call;date, time, duration, recipient, town, country,cost, etc. Telephone systems can be made toautomatically monitor all conversations andrecord should key words crop up inconversation. (Such as 'bomb', 'IRA','assassination', etc.) This is already usedextensively in Ulster.It is already possible to tap any phone in

Britain from one command centre. If yourphone is tapped, it is unlikely that you willnotice anything out of the ordinary, althoughit has been known for people to pick up thereceiver and hear their previous conversationplayed back to them! More likely you'll havea clearer line than usual, as this is in thebuggers interest. Phones are tapped at theexchange or from a command centre, so you

are highly unlikely to find a little transmitterin the set itself. Ifthis happens, it's more likelythat you are a victim of industrial espionage.One of the only ways to check if you are

being bugged is to arrange a fake action overthe phone, and see how many coppers turnup! Another way to have fun is to ring up afriend, and at a prearranged signal you bothstart lowering your voices to a whisper. If abugger is listening in, hopefully they'll turnup their headphones to hear better. Yourfriend gets offthe line and you blow a refereeswhistle as hard as you can down the phone.This should shatter the buggers eardrums,only it might not make you too popular! Thisis not usually going to work, as most calls aretaped automatically, still, it's worth it for thenuisance value.The circuit of your phone can be left open,

and whilst it will still work perfectly, themouthpiece turns into a microphone, and canbe used to record whatever is said in theroom. For this reason it is best to keep yourphone in a drawer, or next to a playing radio.Telephones are also used to establish

circles of contact between people, whoknows who, etc.Once again, telephones can never be

secure. If possible, stay away from them, butif you do have to use them, take care.

YOU BEINGFOLLOWED?

When the police follow you on foot, theyoperate in teams of three or over, all in radiocontact, and coordinated froma station or car.They can be very hard to spot, because ifoneof them thinks that you have seen him/herthey will drop behind and let another takeover. Always when being followed, the wayto flush a tail is to do something illogical, suchas jump on a bus and then jump offimmediately. Who follows you? Go up an upescalator, then come down again. Take a liftup and down. Cross a road twice. Use asubway twice. Take a route on the tube thatis more complicated than necessary. Changelines too often. There is no reason for anyoneelse to do these things unless they arefollowing you. Youcould have a friend followyou at a distance over a prearranged route,to see if they can see anyone else following.Geddit? To lose a tail, head for very crowdedplaces, such as the underground, shoppingcentres, high streets, department stores,etcand try and slip in and out of crowds and exits.In a car the same things applies. Car tails

are often done in a 'box', whereby three orfour cars will follow ahead, behind and

ARE

14

parallel to you, so that although you may notsee them, they willalways be where you wantto go. Going round a roundabout more thanonce or taking four consecutive left or rightturns is the classic method of telling ifyou arebeing tailed. Whether on foot or in a car theideal situation is to get to somewhere isolatedso that anyone tailing you will stick out likea sore thumb. Long, empty roads, or areas ofparklands for instance.

BLEND IN AND GET AWAYIt's a good idea to listen to police radiotransmissions and get used to the way theyoperate. Most importantly, how they look forsomeone, and how they phrase descriptions.If you're running away and they're after you,your description will be put over the radio tocars and foot patrols. Firstly, you will be an'Ie' number, which denotes your racialcategory (see 'Radio Speak'). Then yourapproximate height, age, hair colour andclothes will be given, and anything you maybe carrying. Obviously, the police are alert toanyone running or appearing in a hurry ornervous. Ifpossible, RELAXand try and makeyour way towards other people. You're safestin a crowd. Try to appear as if you are goingabout legitimate business. A suit, tie or smartclothes/haircut etc works wonders. Afterdaylight you can pin the collar of a dark suitup around your neck and you willcovered bythe night. If anyone comes along, simply letyour collar down to reveal a white shirt andtie. It's amazing what a suit will let you getaway with. You can carry a briefcase or aclipboard. You have 'to appear to belong inthe area where you are. A punk in a businesscentre and a suit in the slums are obviouslyconspicous. Working clothes e.g. donkeyjacket, overalls, etc give you an air oflegitimacy. Awhite coat could make you a labtechnician/butcher/baker etc. These clothesor overalls can be taken offand discarded toimmediately change your appearance. It isimportant to be able to change your outwardlook in a short time or to be indistinguishablefrom the people around you. To help changehow about a reversable jacket? A hat pulledout of a pocket. What you've been wearingunder your overalls. The intention is to lookinconspicous (Le.drab). Dark trousers or bluejeans are the most common. A dark, neutraltop; brown, black, navy, grey. Bright coloursmake you stand out. A radio description ofyou will mention these. Not many peoplewere red trousers or luminous socks, forexample. Try and see what makes people

stick out in a crowd, and see if you can copythe people who blend in.When trying to get away from a situation, it

is always imperative to know the areabeforehand. Where are the nearest tubeentrances, shopping centres, places you canget lost in the sea ofpeople. Which roads canyou go down. Any dead ends? How will youget away. Amotorbike can get through trafficlike a knife throughbutter.A bicycle can go places where even a policecar can't go, over railway bridges, down atube station, subways, over parks, etc, etc,and they're very quiet! Pick what is best forthe situation.

WHAT TO DO WHENARRESTED

Everyone has their pet theory about this.Somethink it's best to make a fuss and demand yourrights, etc, etc, whilst others think you shouldkeep your mouth shut the whole time. Ob-viou.slya lot depends on the coppers and thecharge, but I think the best thing is to be asquiet as possible, and try and just blend intothe wallpaper. It's easy to give advice, but itcan be very frightening in a station, andeveryone reacts differently. If you're middleclas:s, respectably dressed, and daddy's alawyer, or some such, you can kick up all thefuss:you like and you will probably be treateddifferently by the police. They know who theyhave to keep on the right side of.However, ifyou're scruffy, inarticulate, poor, or conformto any of their many predjudices (i.e.black,gay, squatter, punk, lefty, hippy, etc), you willget short shrift. You will be what the policecan a 'slag', that is, someone they considerbeneath themselves. Most crimes are solvedby 'confessions', so the golden rule is nevermake a statement, and especially never signa statement. Without a signature it can bedisputed in court, with a signature you'refucked. Ifyou do sign a statement, rememberto sign and number every page, and right upto where the writing ends, so that nothing canbe added or slipped in. If more than one ofyou has been arrested, then you will beplayed off against the other "Fred's con-fessed to everything". To avoid this sort ofrulbbish, you all have to aqree to say absolute-ly nothing. Cops are experienced inter-roqators and.they can spot innacuracies andconflicting statements a mile off, so therereallyrn is no point in concocting elaboratealibis and excuses, as eventually you are

15

bound to slip up, and once they know thatyou've lied once, they'll never give up. I per-sonally think the best way to behave is to playthe role they expect ofyou. Beslightly in aweof them, willing, polite, and slightly stupid. Ithink that kicking up a fuss and demandingyour rights will only get you in shit....no onelikes a smartarse. Ifyou do want to know yourrights, however, you can contact the N.C.C.L.who will provide you with all the information.It is useful to know that sort of stuff.I have hadsome succes by pretending to be slightlymentally below average (pretending!). Just letyour mouth hang open and appear to be verydense, one can short of a six-pack. The copsjust assume you're thick and don't push youas hard as they might, as they don't expect toget much sense out of you anyway. Also, theydon't like soilingr their hands onloonies .....they find it demeaning, perhaps.Who knows? Give it a.try sometime.What can I say. Obviously the best thing is

to say absolutely nothing in custody, althoughif you don't give a name and address youcould end up on remand. Ask others whohave been arrested and see what works forthem. Hopefully you'll never have to worryabout it.

WHO'S WA.TCHING WHO?Just because you're paranoid doesn't meanthat they're not watching, and while there'sno point walking round with your head overyour shoulder the whole time, it is worthknowing who's likely to be watching you, forwhat reasons and when.

LOCA.L INTELLIGENCEOn a neighbourhood level information isgathered in many ways, some of themseemingly quite innocent, yet it is intelligencegathering none the less. It is obtained bypolice on patrol, by undercover squadsoperating in secret, by talking to shopkeepersand garage proprietors, from the public, viaNeighbourhood Watch schemes and byformal meetings with other officials whopossess information.Much police intelligencecan be gathered from their own records, andeven factual criminal records can be turnedto intelligence purposes. This is even morethe case for crime reports, which containmany details of persons who becomeinvolved, either as witnesses or victims in thecriminal process.The neighbourhood community copper

does most of the 'spade work', gatheringgossip and slander, and making predjudicialjudgements of their own. This cartoon justabout sums it up.

WHAT IS C0t1HUNIT1PDLICINC;?OOD AFTERNooN MRS.BRowN, ~LAD To

HE.Af yo~ SISft:R 15BE-~. LIKE {HATN£.W ~ NOl"\E. W \1l-\ --nIE.. F IS IHN'1 fU> D.r SE.£ iHP.! N£W L-D! IN NO.17 HA\lE..C;01 Po eND s \1c.K£.~ IN l\-IE.l,e.WINt>O\..0. GOMHllr0IS1S AF<£. (l-{E:.y' ?

All local information is relayed back to thestation where it is processed by the 'collator',who is the intelligence officer (ha ha), for thestation. Many local forces are now equippedwith their own computer system, independantof the PNC, where all local intelligence isstored. However, the local computer systemand the PNC 'talk' to each other, andexchange information. Local intelligence isnotoriously predjudiced; here are someexamples;

THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB

Robert Jones of 14 Crosby Road, Newtown - knownaffectionately to his CB mates as 'Tiny Tot' - paidanother retum visit to our fair Division at 3.30 am on15.7.82 when he was stopped/checked in his niftyyellow Ford Galaxy PYX 838A. Gracefully reclining inthe passenger seat was none other than school breakerand suspected druggie James Richard DACK (30.3.62)(wounding, burglary. theft, damage) whoseunforgettable features are pictured left. (A mugshot of ablack person). OACK, a state benefit subscriber,augments his hard-eamed dole by working on the doorat Talk of the Town, keeping out other undesirables.JONES and OACK are well acquainted with the finerpoints of our division and are worth every stop/checkthey can get.

BIT OF BAD LUCK HE'S HAVING

A slightly dazed Norman THAINING was checkedwearily dragging his feet along Chingford Lane at 1.25am Sunday 12.9.82 carrying all of his worldlybelongings in a plastic carrier bag. Apparently, big sister

16

had cracked him over the head with a bottle of orangesquash and given him marching orders from the famiiymansion at 132 Scarborough Road. THAINING seemedat a lo~s where he would be living for the next fortnight,but .sald that he was due to be given the tenancy of 15Whitby Lane. The next question is how THAININGproposes to fumish his new abode, but no doubt hisform for theft and handhng should stand him in goodstead. (Also a mugshot of the person).

YOUR EVERYWISH

The ever fortunate residents of South Langham OldPeople's Home are currently benefiting from theattemtons of James Michael TRENT (6.4.67) (burglary,theft) of 255 Ridley Road, who is taking part inRickmansworth borstal's community scheme. TRENT'sspeli of duty at the home terminates on 15.11.83.

Andrew James ROSS, a well known druggy has movedinto 75 Stevenson Road together with Michelle SWANand child. As we know SWAN is also on the stuff andthis new combination should prove imeresting. As far aswe know ROSS is still at home in 121 BeaconsfieldAvenue. It will be interesting to see who visits the newcouple.

We should also be aware ofthe type ofpeoplewho are likely to provide intelligence to thestate security forces at a local level. Nomatterwh<;lt the organisation (LocalPohce/CID/Branch/MI5) information isgathered by bribery, intimidation, the'recruitment' of civiliansas spies/neighbours,the local grocer, doctors, solicitorscouncillors, door to door salesman th~~ilkman, postman, local clergy, religiousfrmge groups, access to local and centralgovernment files-taxation, social welfarevehicle licensing, local housing departmentfiles, those of social and community workershealt~ visitors, bank accounts, post office andcredit card company accounts, observationsby gas and electricity meter readers. In short,~h~recr~itment of everyone and anyone whoIt IS believed may be willing to assist thepolice and secret police. School teachers andheadmasters are a particularly attractiveproposition in this respect. The types ofhomework essays set for children can bep~icularly revealing; 'ADayand Night in theLIfeofmyFamily', 'Our FamiliesBestFriends''My Families Likes and Dislikes'. Essays o~holidays and friends, faces and places can allbe qui~e entertaining, or not quite so,dependmg on your perspective motives andobjectives. Is this an exagge;ationl Thinkabout it ..... would you trust your ex-headteacher? Why do people grass eachother up, you may wonder? Usually out of'public spiritedness', or just because they'reimpressed by a badge.

THE SPECIAL BRANCHSpecial Branch is the executive wing of MI5,

or if you prefer, Britains secret police.Nominally they are accountable to the CIDbut operationally they report to MI5 and th~Home Office. Their headquarters are at NewScotland Yard. There are SBofficers attachedto almost every police force in Britain. Theirmain job is the legwork of intelligencegathering that is of interest to MI5,that is, thatconcerns 'internal security'. They have totalaccess to all the information gathered locallyby the police and any that they concentrateon themselves. They use the PNC to a fargreater degree than the police (3 to 4 timesmore often).The branch have various methods of

collecting information and various sources.Surprisingly perhaps, 75%of all informationis publicly available or given away free. Hereare a few examples;1).All the names of political activists whoappear in the press, national and local arenoted and ind~xed. Extraprints of demos: etc,can be squired from the papers , forbackground research, and journalists will beasked to supply additional information, suchas the addresses of those writing left wingletters to the paper.2).All those signing petitions to Parliamenteven in the most innocous cases. '3).Letterscoming to the branch frommembersof the public, giving details about theirneighbours, or pictures of demos namingsomeone they know.4).T~~papers, magazines, pamphlets, etc, ofpohtlC~1 g!OUps. Where possible theysubscribe VIaa box number, or visit left wingbookshops or information centres in plainclothes.5).During raids by both the branch and thepolice the contents of address books, letters,photo albums, cheque stubs, etc are all noteddown and cross indexed to determine'friendship networks'.6).Telephone tapping and mail surveillance.~ll mail can be read without you noticing thatIt has been tampered with.7).Trials of members of political groups arewatched for those who attend and help thedefence. Branch officers are at all entrancest~ the court, and photos are taken covertly,either from a van or window opposite thecourt.8).Approaches for information are made toemployers and state officials of all types, likeDHSSpersonnel, doctors teachers, postmen,etc. During the 1972 school strikeheadmasters were approached for lists ofabsentees.9). A report on every meeting and demo of

17

--- ---- - ----

any political significance is prepared by thebranch or the CID/police in attendance. Thecontents of speeches are noted, 'ringleaders'are identified. Photos are taken , as well asvideo film.10).Grasses, touts, informants. There are fivemain kinds. i),The 'innocent' informer, whotells a branch officerwhat he/she/it considersto be 'common knowledge' (everyone knows)about colleagues a.nd situations in theworkplace or organisation. Also in thiscategory are the reac:tonaries who grass upthose whom they consider to be a threat tosociety, or when they might profit by thredownfall of the victim. Both of these types oftouts are unpaid and act out of a sense ofpublic spiritedness, or because they've beenwatching too much Dempsey and Fuckface.(Incidentally, cop shows are shown moreoften during periods of soci.al unrest,goody /baddy morality lessons). ii)The'innocent' politico/revolutionary who alsotells what 'everybody knows'. Branch officersand coppers are ill informed (read 'thick'), andgiving them any information at all is stupid.iii).Paid informers. Comparitively rare, butsomeone sympathetic to the branch who ispaid small amounts ofmoney for intelligence.iv). 'Paid in kind' informers. More common, asthese are people over whom the branch havesome hold (threat to prosecute, embarrassinginformation, dirty picsetc) and are forced togive out details. v). Undercover branchofficers. There are not very many of these(50+/ -?) who tend to infiltrate organisationsand campaigns which are new or looselybound, where the participants are less likelyto know each other.The special branch keep a close eye on the

left in britain, but their job is not made easierby the abundance of factions and splinters.Recently more groups are ignoring theparliamentary road to socialism andadvocating direct action (how shocking!). Thedisadvantage that this poses the branch is thatwhilst reformist and parliamentary groups aredead easy to watch and categorise, groupswithout leaders and no central commandstructure or organisation are much ha.rder tokeep track of. This also applies to thosedegenerates who squat, live in inner cities,change jobs frequently, don't own a phone,are not on the electoral register, etc.Knowledge is power, and it is the job ofthe

branch to collect, and by its storage and use,prevent the likelihood of revolution orpolitical change (unless right wing).Information is collected on anyone who isradical, liberal, or likely to become either of

those. Into these categories fall UnionOfficials, black activists, persistant squatters,petitioners, letter writers to the Grauniad,CNDmembers, left wing lawyers, journalists,teachers, social workers, the NCCL, etc, etc.Get the picture? The moral is: ifyou stick yourhead up, they'll make a note of it, should theyever have to chop it off.We have to perfectways of doing what we want without being tooconspicous.

MISMI5 is the domestic intelligence serviceresponsible for intelligence, counter-espionage and security within the United (sic)Kingdom. Its main task is the monitoring ofsubversive groups and individuals who mightpose a threat to national security. It alsomonitors the activities of foreign agents (tradereps, overseas students, cultural, scientificand educational exchange visiting lecturers,personnel, businessmen, etc.) and ofdiplomatic staff on location in britain. Inpractice, any group, whether open or covert,must of necessity come to the attention ofMI5,whatever its political, social, spiritual, criminalor subversive aspirations.MI5, officially known as the Security

Service,. has 9 branches; Counter-Espionage,Protective Security, Counter-Sabotage"Counter-Subversion, Intelligence andOperations, Scientific and Support Services,Computer Division, Training and Registry,Administration and Finance. The branches aredivided into 'Sections' and the sections intoSub-Sections or 'Desks'. Here are some of thesections that you may be interested in;

A BranchAl(A)Burglars.(Buggers, thieves, etc).AI(D) Locksmiths, carpenters, etc.A4Watchers (tailtargets, surveillance,

etc).K Branch Studies foreign powers.F BranchF2(C) Communist Party and

'communist front' organisations. i.e.World Peace council.

F2(D)As above.F2(N)Trade Unions.F2(R) Teachers, students, pacifists,

lawyers, journalists, MP's.F3/5 'Hard' terrorist targets (such as

IRAIINLA etc. Arms and Explosivesmovements.

F4/6 Runs the agents infiltrated into'subversive' organisations like CND,the TuftyClub, etc

F7Trots, Maoists, anarchists, Militant,

18

feminists, fascists, black poweractivists, revolutionaries in general.

MI6MI6 is responsible for overseas intelligenceand trouble making. Most likely to run theJames Bond side of British Intelligence (sic).Not much interest to us, unless we want tobook an Intourist holiday. The headquartersofMI6 are at Century House, 100WestminsterBridge Road, SE 1.

PRIVATE SECURITYAGENCIES

This is a growth area in the last few years, andcaters basically for big businesses who feelthat they are not getting the service theyshould fromMrPlod. These agencies will runprivate checks on individuals or groups,usually forthe purposes ofvetting them for jobapplications, but sometimes this is done in theinterests of the 'loony right' who are obsessedwith subversives taking over their green andpleasant land, and want to put in their 2p'sworth to combat it. These groups are notnecessarily NF/BM stylee, more of your'Libertarian Right' types, e.g. the FreedomAssociation, The Adam Smith Institute, TheEconomic League, etc. They are potentiallymore dangerous then the Branch/MIS/Policeintelligence mob, as there are no limitsto theirinvestigative powers, often stepping over thevague boundaries of legality that constrainstate institutions. All these private securityagencies have ex-Police/Branch men on theirpayrolls, and in some instances, ex SASofficers. This is because of the information towhich these people have access. It is fair tosay that ex-branch and police officershave fullaccess to the PNC, and state intelligencematerial even more sensitive, though notnecessarily accurate. This is done through the'old boys' network. There are independantright wing organisations who keep their ownfiles on subversives. This information can goback to the state's intelligence gatheringagencies, and often does, in the form of'barter':- "You show me yours .....I'll show youmine."

THE POLICE NATIONALCOMPUTER

The Police NationalComputer (PNC)has beenoperational since 1986.It supplies details ofcar owners, disqualified drivers and suspectvehicles as well as people with criminalrecords, those due to appear in court and

people wanted for questioning. The policehave amassed nearly 43millionentries on thePNC and make over 31million enquiries peryear.The data in the computer is arranged into

8 indexes:-Vehicle Owners Index, Stolen andSuspect Vehicle Index, StolenChassis/Engine Number Index, CriminalNames Index, Disqualified Drivers Index,Wanted and Missing Persons Index,Fingerprint Index, and Missing PersonsIndex. To get into the PNC a terminal isneeded. Every police force in britain hasthem, with the most being in London. Usuallycoppers have to radio base to access to thecomputer. Police helicopters carry their ownterminal, with a microwave link. In Germanyand other European countries, the policecarry terminals in their cars. Thisdevelopment is likely to reach the U.K.sooneror later. When a name check is put into a PNCindex, it is cross-indexed between all 8indexes. It will also allow for a difference inpronunciation in your name, mispelling andinaccurate date of birth, and will offer up arange ofnearest alternatives. Not everyone islisted on the PNC, so ifyou were stopped andchecked on the street, say, and you had no1.0. on you (always a good idea) then youcould get away with giving a false name andd.o.b. If the name you had given was not inthe PNC then it would come back 'no trace',which in effect means that you are not gulityof or wanted for anything. If you give acommon name however, e.g. Tony Jones,Paula Johnson, they-they will find acorresponding name on record, and whoknows, there might be a warrant out for you!Always use a fairly unusual name. The britpolice are funny about I.D., often acceptinga letter adressed to yourself as sufficient,amongst other simple forms, such as librarycards, bus passes, etc. Britain is the onlycountry in Europe where it is not illegal notto carry an identity card. Also, it is not anoffence to give a false name, as long as thename you give is one 'by which you areknown'. This means in practice that it isunusual for anyone to be charged with usingan alias. For information about the PNC andfingerprints see 'FINGERPRINTS'.

ct!"~~

•~.n

19

AN INTERVIEW WITH ANALF ACTIVIST

Bow do you go about carrying out actions?There are a number of aspects that one hasto take into consideration. First and foremostit's important to look round the region at allthe targets, laboratories, and as many of thefactory farms as one can find, hunt kennels,fur shops, abbatoirs, etc. Ifactions have takenplace already in your home area it's a goodidea to go for the most straightforward,squirting paintstripper from a lemon juicesqueezy, or a washing up liquid squeezybottle over the van(s) of an animal exploiter,gluing up fur shop locks to start with, thenprogress to factory farmswhich generally arenot alarmed (there is the odd one that is,particularly those that belong to the largechain stores). Ifno actions, or only one or twosmall actions have taken place, it may bebeneficial to go fora laboratory, the reasoningbeing that once things start in your area thelabs wil start investing in more securitymeasures. There are still labs with onlyminimal security. The animals are notnecessarily in the labs at all times and thereis usually an animal house in seperate buildingwhere animals are held until needed, or insome cases are bred there. We can usuallyga.inaccess to the grounds, (we're not put offby the usual security fence with with strandsof barbed wire, as these can be climbed withpractice - we use the concrete posts as asupport and wear 2-3 pairs of gloves whenlearning. N.B. Razor wire is much moretricky / dangerous - be careful!), we usuallyfind the buildings with animals have fansoperating, pumping out the stale air and thefresh in. We can smell which one has themwithin.With factory farmunitswe can tellwhat kind

of animals, if any, are in the units, simply byplacing our ears against an air duct on the sideof the unit or at the door, listening andsmelling. Or we try shining a pencil torch,withcoloured plastic held over the end by anelastic band, through any openings. In fact,we double or treble the layers of plastic sothat only the minimumofliqht get through, notonly reducing the chance of anyone elseseeing, but shine a bright light onto batteryhens and they may well make a lot of noise.We always try the door handle, etc, and havebeen pleasantly surprised a couple of timesto find it is unlocked. With experience onecan often tell what animals are held in aparticular unit by its shape, size, and buildingmaterials used.

When looking at potential targets, we don'ttake balaclavas, etc We also make a point ofemptying our pockets of everything,including door keys, discarding matchingjewellery etc. before setting out, in case wedrop anything. Ifwe need to cover our facesa scarf is fine and we wear gloves of course.We also carry bird watching books andbinoculars. Usuallya lad and a girl will go bypublic transport or be dropped off at aprearranged time. We avoid parking a car inan area where a future target is being lookedover, unless it's hidden. We try to limit ourvisits to any target to one or two and we donot leave any trace of our visit. We find wecan make a totally silent look round byremoving our shoes, though this is usuallyunnecessary. During the day we explore theapproaches to the target with the help of anOrdnance Survey (O.S.)map, looking for asuitable dropping offpoint/place to stash thevehicle(s), emergency meeting point ifnecessary, noting any guard dogs at the targetor in the gardens of houses along the routein. After dark we walk the route to ensurethere are no guard dogs, go in and examinethe units, check if there are any animals inthem, can we climb in through an air duct, ifnot, what types of locks will we have to dealwith.If it's a lab, and not straightforward,we need

to know the times of security patrols, thenwe'll do a spot of camping nearby.In our group there are four people and over

a period of time we have equipped ourselveswith ordinary scarves for covering our headsand faces, gloves, two crowbars (one small,roughly a foot long, the other roughly a yard),a large screwdriver, a well oiled brace andI" auger bit (it's a wood boring drill, the typeused to make the hole in your door for theYale lock), two mortar drills (one being extralong), two sledgehammers ( a 14lb one withfull handle and a 10ibone with the handle cutto 20" forworking in a confined space), a pairof boltcutters, two 35mm SLRcameras withflashguns (with diffuser and tilt - occasionallywe can bounce off the ceiling to get naturalshadow). Duracell batteries are used in theflashguns-recharge is then much quicker.We use 400 ASA B+W film in one, and100ASAcolour slides in the other. When wecarried out our first raid there were threepeople with scarves, gloves and a largescrewdriver. We rescued 36hens. Four sackseach, one carried on each shoulder by theirdraw strings and one in each hand, 3 hens ineach sack.We have since found that cardboard boxes

are fine for chicks, etc., ifthe 'items' involved20

are rodents we sometimes find the cages inwhich they are housed are portable and weplace the lot in our boxes or rucksacks. Forhens and rabbits we use fairly large sacks(approx. 24"wide x 36" long)with rope nylondrawstrings in the middle. The rope isthreaded in and out of the sack at 6" to 8"intervals and the length, when knotted to-gether is the same as the circumference of thesack. We seal the double knot of the rope byusing a match and literally lighting the twoends. As the nylon melts we blowout theflames and the resulting black blobs keep thestrands together.Another useful item that we make from a

sack is a guard sack. Two brush poles aresprayed a dark colour, then placed inside thesack, one either side, and stitched securelyinto place. Roughly 6 - 8" of the handlesprotrude. One or two of these act as goodbarriers when you have to deal with a guarddog. The protruding poles are placed underthe armpits and are held as high as possible.If anyone asks what they are they would betold that they are hides for photographingwildlife.The actual day chosen for the raid is

considered well in advance. A fullmoon andno cloud means a well-lit night which isundesirable, as are hot muggy nights whenpeople find it hard to get to sleep. Overcastnights are good, and any rain is verywelcome. With a particularly difficult target,everyone is made aware that we areexpecting 'bad' weather and to expect veryshort notice. It is also important not to workto a pattern (e.g. actions everyFriday /Saturday night). Weekend\eveningsare good because of the amount of peopletravelling to and from pubs/clubs, but fornight raids weekdays are more approriatebecause ofthe amount ofearlymorning traffic.Saturday nights are the worst possible, theroads early Sunday are dead. On the day ofthe raid a planning meeting takes place anda thorough briefing/discussion takes place.Details dealt with include the transport ofequipment of activists, time of raid anddeparture, while studying a plan ofthe target-who willbe responsible for being a lookout,breaking in, taking the animals, holding thesacks/boxes, where to meet up if things gowrong, who will be acting as back up bysitting at a phone, ensuring everyone has afew ten pences and some emergency money-while the raid may go OK,a car could breakdown. Everyone empties their pockets. Wedo take a container ofwater ifthe raid is likelyto take a long time - wearing a mask for

lengthy periods results in dry throats andcoughing.Before the tools are transported everything

is wiped firstwith a rag soaked inwarm soapywater and then again witha dry drag. Thisalsogoes for the cameras (and battery), flashgun(and batteries), everything, even glasses ifworn. A further refinement is to cover ourclothes with something like a boiler suit or oldbaggy clothes over our normal clothes andhave a spare set of footwear. These itemsvirtuallyeliminate the risk ofus carrying traceshome. These items can be discarded whenwe return to the vehicles(s),placedin a blackbin bag it all looks like jumble. Someone hasthe responsibility of thoroughly washing thescarves, gloves, boiler suits/old clothes andshoes immediately upon returning after a raid.This person is not directly involved in theactions and stores the clothes and equipment.In other words we use a 'safe house'.Generally speaking, the arrangements forevents after the action are just as important asthe precautions beforehand.Before setting off we make sure that

everyone has a plausible reason for travellingin that direction or homewards, we consult themusic press to see if there are any concertsapplicable. If a male activist is driving, afemale member will sit behind him. Thepolice have a habit of glancing into cars andmixed company is far less likely to bestopped.Choosing the time for the raid can be

crucial. Ifpossible we carry out the raid mid-evening so that we are home before10:30-11:30pm. Once the pubs dose, andparticularly after midnight there is always thechance ofa spot check by the police lookingfor burglars. If travelling by car (we avoidhired vans, hired cars are OK,the police takeless notice of new cars) we try to arrange forthe tools, and hoods ifused, to be well hiddenin the target area mid-evening by just twopeople, a girl and a lad using public transportifpossible. We take onlythe minimumamountof equipment.The raid may need to be at night. Battery

hens often make quite a din, though we arenot put off by this. Unless we ca.rry out theaction while the house is unoccupied or issome distance awaywe raid the unit at 3-4amwhile everyone is fastasleep. We never travelbetween 12midnight and 6-7amthere or back.We arrive in the evening and hide out in awood (we avoid the local pubs forthe obviousreasons) and time the raid so that we arriveback at the transport after the raid shortlybefore dawn. Generally speakinq, by

21

planning well ahead we tend to concentrateon late evening raids during the summer andnighttime raids during the long nights ofautumn and winter. the transport willoften bea minimum of one mile away from the targetand probably two or three miles away hiddenin a field or wood (we carry a good qualitycompass in case we have to leave in a hurry,though it's generally not required). Vehiclesare never parked in country lanes as thepolice will generally treat them as stolenvehicles that have been dumped, or certainlysuspicious. Anyone sitting in such a vehiclewill certainly be questioned. We push thecar(s) down a track into a wood or similar.Pushing does away with driving with lights onand resultant noise and thus alerting any localsout walking the dog. We have parked in anearby housing estate, leaving the vehicle(s)locked and empty, the drivers returning incouples to pick up the vehicles, and later theraiders. If the target is in an awkward area theraiders can be picked up by vehiclesreturning at a prearranged time or called inby portable C.B.s(againDuracell baterries areused).

If there are a number of cars hidden in afield/wood for an evening raid, depending oncircumstances, it may be prudent for driversto remain hidden nearby and watch that nodog walkersIcourting couples stumble acrossthem. If this were to happen and the dogwlaker/couple take a lot of notice , thevehicles(s) are moved to the emergencymeeting place. When the raid is over oneperson travels ahead and checks that thetransport is o.k.The first thing we do during an actual raid

is for the look out(s) to get into position.Binoculars are a very useful addition that canbe used at night. They may take a little gettingused to, focussing and time for ones eyes toadjust but it's well worth persevering. We findthe usual long, thin straps on binoculars are

unsuitable. They not only leave themdangling, and thus banging on fences beingclimbed, etc, but they are also uncomfortableto wear after a time. We substitute widecamera straps, suitably shortened. IfportableC.B.s are being used they are testedbeforehand to make sure they are in workingorder and tuned in. Because of the noisy staticwhen both units are switched on, the raiderswill have their C.B.s switched on all the timewhile the look-out(s)willhave theirs switchedoff. This gives total silence; if the look-outneeds to reach the raiders, a flickof the switchand it's on and ready to use. However, we donot rely on the C.B.salone as sometimes theywe may be working in a spot that gives poorreception. The look-outsshould be positionedso that they can also warn the raiders directlyand quickly. Usually bleeps are used ratherthan voices on the C.B.s, two bleeps to keepstill and quiet, four for 'all clear' and continousbleeping if it's time to run for it, though we'venot had to use this last sequence so far.We have once or twice locked a gate using

a plastic covered bike lock. This method isboth quick and silent and ensures securityvehicles cannot pursue us.Usually we do not cut the telephone wires

but occasionally this is necessary. Either theyare cut near the house or office, if this is notpossible a piece of brick is tied to a nylonrope and is thrown over the wire between twopoles and two people will pull the wire down.It's usually a struggle and requires two peopleto use all their weight to yank it down. Wiresare not cut at the big commercial labs as theyare likely to have alarms connected via thephone lines to the nearest police station.When entering the target area we usually

have to deal with a fence of some sort. twopeople go forward and deal with it. Theordinary 3 strand barbed wire farm fenceshave the bottom 2 strands cut only. The topone prevents cows or horses following us orstraying in the road. On the other hand,anyone pursuing us will be in for a shock. Ifit's a chain link fence we cut a strand at thevery top, following that strand down throughthe others to about thigh height from theground and cut it again. Then, holding thestrand where it is cut at the bottom we forceit to twist and 'corkscrew' it out. We can thenpart the fence and climb throught he gap. Weleave the bottom part uncut if there are guarddogs, ifdisturbed itwould be harder for themto get out after us, particularly if the top halfis also blocked by one of the guard sacks withthe poles jammed in the netting. The sametwo people then check out the unit and

22

immediate area.When actually breaking in to (say) a factory

farm unit, usually is required is a largescrewdriver and a couple of crowbars to dealwith a Yale lock on the front door(straightforward) or to deal with the insidebolt(s) on the back door. In the case of theback door, if it's a tight fittingone we first pullit from the bottom, we can then judge wherethe inside bolt or firstbolt is.We force the firstscrewdriver roughly 12" from the bolt andforce the opening until the small crowbar canbe inserted. Further force is exerted until thelarge crowbar can be put in by a secondperson, who puts their full weight behind itand rocks it to and fro, forcefully yet gently.the idea is to make the screws which hold thelock/bolt eventually pop out, not to take thedoor off its hinges.For padlocks we may need to use

boltcutters, we ignore the lock and go for thehasp which is often mild steel. With thecutters in place, a wet towel iswrapped roundthe cutters and hasp. This helps to deaden thesharp crack noise. If we are unsure about adoor being alarmed the two people who dealtwith the fence will also break in and thenrejoin the rest of the group for 30-40 minutesto watch for any reaction, from a couple offields away.If the animals being liberated are battery

hens all the group enters very quietly, thencloses the door. A torch covered withcoloured plastic is switched on. The cages areopened. A variety of different types of cagesare used, common sense tells us ifthey unclip,slide up or across. A last resort is simply totear them apart with our hands. Weare not putoff by the noise the hens will be making bynow. Due to the barbaric conditions it's notunusual for fighting to break out so factoryfanners are used to outbreaks ofnoise. Havingclosed the door most of the noise is absorbedby the usual wooden building.Working in twos, one person clasps a hen

(remenbering their wings are quite strong) sothat the head is facing away from us, while theother holds the sack which is rolled down tothe drawstring beforehand which helps tokeep the neck open. The hen goes in headfirst, we don't let go until the bird is sittingcomfortably at the bottom of the sacktwo morefollow. To try and simply drop them into thesack just does not work, they will get their feetcaught up in the sacking and flap their wingsabout. If this happens, it's taken out and theprecedure repeated properly. We are verycareful not to injure the hen. The three henssafely in, the draw string in the middle of the

sack is drawn closed and the resulting loopgoes over the shoulder. We take as manyhens etc as we have good homes for.With experience it's possible to work in

total darkness which usually reduces theamount of noise the hens make. Whenworking in a broiler unit with full grown birdswith move more slowly, otherwise 10-15,000hens may start off.We don't panic if they dothough, it may sound loud in the unit butoutside it's surprising how much the woodenunits deaden the noise.With rabbits we select single mothers with

well-developed young. Large rabbits on theirown often indicates a pregnant female, andfor obvious reasons rabbits with small youngare not disturbed. Rabbits go into the sackback end first because of their large rear feet.Sacks are ideal carriers because the materialis comfortable and keeps the animals warm,and with plenty of fresh air. Following the raidwe ensure the door is closed so that the coldnight air doesn't result in a sharp drop intemperature and discomfort for the animalsleft behind, For buildings that are alarmed wetry to gain direct access into the room holdingthe animals by going through a wall. Using awell oiled brace and mortar drill long enoughto drill out the mortar from around one or twobricks, we then lever them out with a largescrewdriver or small crowbar. We thensimply cut bricks along the mortar with apadsaw and literally cut bricks out. Squirtingwater from a squeezy bottle onto the padsawreduc:es the noise of cutting the mortar (3-4squeezy bottles are usually required).To 90 through a door that may be alarmed

we use our brace to drill a series ofoverlapping holes using a I' auger bit untila square can be removed big enough for usto get in and out of with our boxes etc. Wehave also been able to remove a window froman animal house by taking out the putty usingone of those screwdriver sets that has apointed implement, On another occasion wegainE~daccess to an animal house during theday when the alarms were switched off.During the lunch break we gained accessusinq a skeleton key. We had alreadyestablished on a previous visit at night that itworked, by unlocking the door, but notopening it, then relocking it.Old type alarms can be dealt with by

removinq the bell with a screwdriver orforcing it to one side with a crowbar so thatthat the hammer can be cut offor bent so thatit cannot possibly strike the bell. Anothermethod with the klaxanhorn type is to spraycavity wall insulation fluid (the type that sets

23

in 16minutes) into the horn and through thevents into the alarm box. Once enough timehas elapsed for the animals to be got away it'stime to deal with the labs and offices.As thesepremises may also have alarms we crawlalong the floor. The aim is to quickly smashup enough equipment to put it out of actionor plant incendiary materials to burn it downonce satisfied there are no people or animalsin there and, if possible, to obtain anydocuments relating to the experiments, whosupplied the animals, names and homeadresses of the vivisectors/animal techniciansetc.With the big commercial labs there is

always the chance ofa silent alarm connectedto the local police station. Bygoing througha wall into a room with animalswe usually findthis is no problem, but later when entering theactual labs, to destroy it or rescue animalsundergoing experiments we prefer to go fora smash and grab effort.Sledgehammers thencorne into their own. A 14lbhammer is aimedat the mortice lock repeatedly. We save vitaltime by going through the outside wall firstor smashing in through a window and thendealing wih the internal doors with thesledgehammer. In a confined space a 100bhammer with the handle cut down to about20" is the answer. Crowbars are also of use.In planning this type of action we have to betotally practical. Those fitenough to run somedistance after the raid carrying dogs, etc andrucksacks full of documents will beresponsible for taking the animals, papers, fordestroying equipment and ifpossible, the labitself. For the most part, raiding labs isstraightforward, only a handful of the very biglabs have more elaborate security equipment.We never paint the letters ALFon a unit or

lab, at most we will spray 'Animal Liberation'or 'Animal Belsen'. We paint slogans in darkcolours and where they are visible to anyreporters following up the story-this helpsconfirm the action has taken place when theowner or manager denies it.Where the noiseof a spray can may alert a guard dog a largefelt tip pen is sufficient.If everything goes well we do of course

mention it was an ALFgroup to the media sothat everyone concerned is aware who wasrsponsible.Ifwe have to carry potentially noisy animals,

e.g. dogs, a long distance over fields, etc,particularly after a smash and grab, we carrysome anti-mate (as used by hunt-sabs to puthounds offthe scent offoxes). We give a goodsquirt after crossing a stream, road, etc, forobvious reasons.

When returning to the vehicles on noaccount do we walk along roads at night. Ifsomething went wrong we would at mostwalkin the fields parallel with roads to help directus to the meeting up place.Much of what I've said may appear to be

processes that would take some getting usedto but we found after a while that they becamesecond nature. We've never been discoveredcarrying out a raid and the four of us had noprevious experience. It is simply down tocommon sense.

24

RADIO SPEAKCOPAND

COMMUNICATIONSHOW TO UNDERS-TAND THEM

When listening to the police radio you willnotice that they don't appear to speak anylanguage known to humanity.This is becausea). they want to speed up communications byusing a shortened formofwords, b). they area centralised bureaucracy, overweight and in-hibited by complexity and red tape, andtherefore everything they do is extra com-plicated, and c). it is, after all, illegal to tunein to what they are saying. This guide isdesigned to help you out, but it only coversthe Metropolitan Police area of London, andthere will be regional differences.Some of this section willcontain information

that may be irrelevant for your purposes, butif you do intend to do any serious radiomonitoring, then the best thing to do is to rear-range all these terms into one longalphabetical list. Thiswillreally speed thingsup in a 'crisis', like a riot. When a riot is oc-curring inLondon,the police use their specialfrequency to coordinate things. it is the 'GT'channel (broadcast fromGreenwich TrainingCentre), and it is on the 98.5FMwaveband.You can pick it up on any domestic radio.There are three types ofpolice radio: First-

ly "MASTER"(main cop shop) or "SLAVE"

NETWORK SYSTEM

BE·\T OFFICE)P~NDA CAR

DIRECT

)JOE PUBLIC

SCOTLAND YARD

The Met aim to operate a 4 point system ofcommunication.

consoles in the stations, operating the Divi-sional Personal Radio System and CI0 (seeUNIT CALL SIGNS) link. Secondly"MAINSET" (Cars, vans, motorbikes, etc.),and thirdly portable "PIR". (Each plod hasone, the first thing you should nick). Thesepersonal radios operate on four channels andtransmit any local calls, and receive all localcalls, e.g. roughly in the division. MAINSETtransmit and receive London-widemessagesand beat messages. Otherwavebands operateoutside the frequencies generally availableondomestic radio, such as vehicle trackingtransmitters, MI5surveillance etc. (Formoreinformationon this, see the firstedition of 'TheHackers Handbook'.

N.B.The personal radios usedby the LondonTransport Policein the underground will not beaffected from transmitting orreceiving underground, as theyhave a seperate transmittingsystem, which involves a cablewhich runs round the inside ofall tube tunnels.

SECTION ONENEW SCOTLANDDEPARTMENTAL

SIGNS

YARDCALL

A-(Alpha)2 Duties in divisions, operationalrequirements for policebuildings, supervision, etc.neighbourhood policing.

A3 Administrative matters, Courts,obscene publictions, aliens,deportation.

A4 Firearms, shotguns, liquorlicensing, animals, gaming,radioactive substances index,mental health matters.

AS Mounted branch.A6 M.S.C. (Metropolitan Special

Constables, part time copsdrafted in to deal withemergencies, like riots).

A7 C.R.B. (Community RelationsBranch, deals with communityliaison, neighbourhood watch,etc). Race relations, juveniles,crime prevention.

25

A8

A9

AIDAII/RDPD

B-(Bravo) 1

B2

B3B4B6

B7B8B9BIO&ll

Bl4

Cl

C2C3

C4

C5

C5(2)C5(3)C6(4)C6

Public order, ceremonials,operational support, dogs,Forward Planning Unit, CentralInformation Unit, elections.S.P.G. (Special Patrol Group,District Support UnitlD.S.U.)Whatever they.re called thesedays, they will still be usingrubber bullets,baton rounds,C.S. Gas, etc.Thames Division.Royalty and DiplomaticProtection Department. (Alwayscarry guns).

Traffic Secretariat, street trading,air navigation and schoolcrossing patrols.Traffic management, road safety,accident research, traffic signals,bus and coach routes.Public Carriage OfficeTraffic legislation and process.Communications, command andcontrol;air support;computerliaison.Traffic warden administration.Traffic patrols and car pounds.Central ticket office.Transport and commontransport.Miscellaneous force indices,incudingjuveniles. Operates a'Recidivist' index of childoffenders, thought to be 'beyondredemption' .

S.C.S. (Serious Crimes Squad)Central Drug Squad, counterfeitcurrency, Extradition, illegalimmigrants, passports, perjury,corruption (non police), bribery,complex sexual offences,organised crime squad, hi-jacking (aircraft), central chequesquad, Murder/reserve squad.Stolen motor vehicleinvestigation squad.Case papers, correspondance.Fingerprint, photographic andscenes of crime branch.National IdentificationBureau/Criminal Records Office.Crime policy, secretariat andlegislation; Interpol.Complaints against CID.Legislation.Intelligence Statistics.Metropolitan and City PoliceFraud Squad, deals with Stock

26

C7

C8

CIOCll

C12

C13

D-(Delta) 1D7D8/D9/DlO

Dll

015(1)

DI5(2)

F-(Foxtrot) 1

F2

F3~4

F6F6

Exchange, public corruption, off-shore banking frauds, 'long-firm'frauds, charity fraud.Explosives experts andS.O.C.O.'s. (Scene of CrimeOfficers).Flying Squad (Robbery Squad).Now divided into central, plusArea robbery squads. Deals witharmed robbery.Stolen vehicles.Criminal Intelligence Branch,(including Central DrugsIntelligence Unit).No.9 District Regional CrimeSquad. Works closely withneighbouring forces based inBarkingside and Sydenham.Concentrates on organisedprofessional crime, especiallyarmed robbery.A.T.S. (Anti-Terrorist Squad/Bomb Squad).

Recruitment.Cadet Training.Uniform, Detective and DriverTraining schools respectively.(Peel Centre, Hendon).'War Duties' Blue BeretsFirearms Squad (pistols,shotguns, sub machine guns,baton rounds, C.S. gas, etc).Based at Lippitts Hill.Riot training centre in Houslow,presumably because ..... .is the 'River Way TrainingUnit' by the gasworks onGreenwich Marshes. Riottraining/assembly, testing ofwater cannons and experimentalweapons.

Pay and Conditions, SpecialConstables, 'First PoliceReserve'.Police Powers and Procedure,Criminal Records Office,detective work, complaints.Road Traffic legislation.Home Office/Police liaison thatcoordinates bringing in troops todeal with high scale 'disasters',such as revolution, publicservice strikes, massive riots,natural disasters, etc. andsecurity liaison.Equipment, uniforms, training.Emergency and Police WarPlanning.

SECTION TWO: REGIONALCALL SIGNS

"A"Branch, New Scotland Yard, is one of four'non-civilian' Branches:- Formerly A,B,C, andD. These are now called:-

TerritorialOperations (Call signs are still

'ALPHA').ManagementServices (BRAVO?). Research,

Information,Monitoring complaintsetc.

SpecialistOperations (CHARLIE). Complex

crime, S.P.G.lD.S.U.'s,Administration,National Control, etc.

Personnel andTraining (DELTA).

"A" Branch further divides into 8 Areas,subdividing into 24 Districts and 74 Divisions.

Scotland Yard Headquarters structure

I POLICY COMMITTEE II

I I I I ITERRITORIAL POLICING SPEC IALIST POLIC ING PERSONNEL & TRAINING MANAGEMENT SERVICES INSPECTORATE

ASSISTANT ASSISTANT ASSISTANT ASSISTANT DEPT ASSTCOMMISSIONER COMMISSIONER COMMISSIONER COMMISSIONER COMMISSIONER

DEP.ASST DEP.ASSTCOMMISSIONER COMMISSIONER

(DEPUTY) (DEPUTY)

DAC 1AREA'JOINT'

SPECIAL/SED CRIME PERSONNEL FPU/PAUDAC 2AREA DAC DAC RESEARCH

I POLICY I SPECIAL BRANCH TRAININGDAC 3AREA I LINK I DAC DAC MONITORING

DAC 4AREAL ___ ..J DAC

RDPD MSDDAC 5AREA DAC DIRDAC 6AREA MPLAB INFORMATIONDAC 7 AREA JOINT DIRECTOR DACDAC 8AREA OPERATIONAL ADMINISTRATION COMPLAINTSSUPPORT SEN. PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATION BUREAUCOMMANDER NATIONAL FUNCTIONS DAC

COMMANDER

I RECEIVER

I I ICIVILIANS II FINANCE II CONTRACT

SUPPLIES

Abbreviations: nAC: Deputy Assistant CommissionerRDPD: Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department

MPlAB: Metropolitan Police Forensic LaboratoryFPU/PAU: Force Policy Unit/Policy Analysis Unit

MSD: Management Services Directorate

Notes: Territorial Operations includes most of the branches previouslyin 'A' (operations) and 'B' (traffic). Specialist Operationsincludes those previously in 'C' Department (crime). The futureof all branches is under review. Some may be moved withinheadquarters, devolved to area division or abolished.

27

Each district has a call sign, and they go asfollows;

DISTRICT PHONETIC SIGN

B.REA DIVISIONCALL SIGN

86887622II43I37375456I466

ABCDEFGHJKLMNPQRSTVWXYZAIRPORTA.D.

ALPHABRAVOCHARLIEDELTAECHOFOXTROTGOLFHOTELJULIETKILOLIMAMIKENOVEMBERPAPAQUEBECROMEOSIERRATANGOVICTORWHISKEYX RAYYANKEEZULU

WestminsterKensington & ChelseaWestminsterWestminsterCamdenHammersmithHackneyTower HamletsWaltham Forest & RedbridgeNewbury, Barking & HaveringLambethSouthwarkIslingtonLewisham & BromleyBrentGreenwich & BexleyBarnetHounslow & RichmondKingston & MertonWandsworthEaling & HillingdonHaringey & Enfield •Croydon, Sutton & EpsomHeathrow AirportHeathrow, Staines & Sunbury

Cannon Row, Gerald Row, Rochester Row

Chelsea, Notting Hill

West End Central, Bow Street, Vine Street

Marylebone

Holbom, Hampstead, Kentish Town

Hammersmith, Fulham, Shepherds Bush

Stoke Newington, Hackney

Leman Street, Bethnal Green, Limehouse

Leyton, Chingford, Barkingside, IIford

Romford, Dagenham, East & West Ham

Streatham, Kennington, Clapham, Brixton

Southwark, Peckham, Carter Street

Kings Cross Road, Holloway

Catford, Lewisham, Bromley, Orpington

Kilburn, Wembley, Harrow

Woolwich, Greenwich, Bexleyheath

Barnet, Golders Green, West Hendon

Hounslow, Chiswick, Richmond, Twickenham

Kingston, Wimbledon

Tooting, Wandsworth, Battersea

Ealing, Southall, Ruislip

Tottenham, Homsey, Enfield

Croydon, Norbury, Epsom

West Drayton

I= INDIA, 0 =OSCAR.

rvi~\--;--J~:-\:,

The Metropolitan Police District

A Part, City of WestminsterB Kensington and ChelseaC Part, 'Cit y of WestminsterD Part, City of WestminsterE CamdenF HammersmithG HackneyH Tower Hamletsj Waltham Forest and

Redbridge,Chigwell,Waltham Holy Cross(Essex)

K Haver ing, Barking andNewham

L LambethM SouthwarkN IslingtonP Lewisham and BromleyQ Brent and HarrowR Greenwich and BexleyS Barnet and District Council

of Her rsmere (Hertfordshire)T Richmond upon Thames and

HounslowV Kingston upon Thames,

Merton and Esher (Surrey)W WandsworthX Eaiing and HillingdonY Haringey and Enfield,

Cnesnunt & Nor-thaw (Hefts)Z Croydon and Sutton, Epsom

and Ewell, Banst ead (Surrey)AD Airport District,Heathrow Airport, Stainesand Sunbury (Surrey)

~ __ -.. M"pou"".ro.boyondGlCu ••

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Each division has its own letter call sign,followingthe district letter. For example, Brix-ton, which is a division of Lambeth (Lima)is"Lima Delta". The chief policeman of eachdistrict is referred to simply as "One". (Howauthoritarian!). Therefore the Chief Pig inLambeth is called "Lima One"."Metro", not as in 'M' (which is "Mike"), but

as in 'Metropolitan', is the call sign for NewScotland Yard.

UNIT CALL SIGNS

ADCO

GT

IL

MP

TD

Airports Division.New Scotland Yard(CommissionersOffice).Greenwich TrainingCentre. Riot Channel98.5 FM.Lippitts Hill, helicopterand training centre.New Scotland Yardsincident room.Traffic Division.

MOBILE UNIT CALL SIGNSCARRIER

ECHO

ENGINEERING

ENGINEERINGUNIT 211

OSCAR

SERIAL

(N.B.not C/CHARLIE),District Support Units.Land Rover TrafficCars.Mechanics and otherspecialists.

Mobile video unit.Each division has itsown intelligence andsurveillance unit, inthese days of themicro-chip.Large Rover trafficcars.Large green 'troopcarrier' busses. The'status' of a SERIAListhe number ofinspectors, seargentsand constables onboard ...in that order.E.g. 'Status 111/20' hasone inspector, oneseargent and twentyconstables. SERIALScan be 'enbussed' (intransit), or 'debussed'(ready 'n' waiting),

UNIFORM

QUEBEC

'equipped' (with thewindow meshes, etc.)and 'protected'(sufficiently protectedto 'deal with a riot').S.P.G. (Special PatrolGroup), also known asALPHA9, both termsusually prefixed by"CO" .C.I.D. surveillancevehicles (unmarked).

NEWSPEAK ONE:DESCRIBING OFFENDERS

INDEX CODE

lCONE

ICTWO

IC THREE

tc FOURIC FIVEICSIX

I.C., referring to theskin colour1 racialappearance of subject.White, northerneuropean appearance.White, mediteranneanappearance.West indian'appearance.Asian appearance.Oriental appearance.Arabic, egyptianappearance.

The following terms are used by the WestMidlands Force, and mayor may not be usedby the Metropolitan Police:-

WARNING FLAGSALPBA ONEALPBATWO

ALPBATBREEALPBAFOURALPBAFIVE

ALPBASIX

BRAVO ONE

BRAVO TWOBRAVOTBREEBRAVO FOUR

BRAVO FIVE

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May assault police.May possessweapons.Mentally disturbed.Potential escapee.May possessexplosives.Tell lies about thepolice (?).

Phone in for furhterinfo.May possess drugs.Epileptic.May be in the countryffiegally.May be an alien.(!?*!?).

Self explanatory.Self explanatory.Self explanatory.Self explanatory.Fails to appear(in court).Impersonates females.Impersonates males.CHRONIC alcoholic.Offends whilst onbail.

The above is informationsupplied by the PNCto the local station, and then relayed to theofficers via P/R radio.

DEADAILMENTREFER/FILESUICIDALF/APPEAR

F/IMPERSM/IMPERSALCOHOLICOFF/BJlIL

incident.OPBRATOR ONLY Messages, those that

can be dealt with atthe station (Le. lostdogs, cell deaths, etc.)

EARLY TURN Morning Duty; Barn to2pm.

LATE TURN Afternoon duty; 2pm toIOpm.

NIGHT DUTY Night duty; lOpm toBarn.

OPERATION Same meaning as forADMINISTRATION

VARIOUS ABBREVIATIONSNEWSPEAK TWO-GENERAL APU Accident Prevention

Unit.ADMINISTRATION Deployment of a ATS Anti Terrorist Squad.

Uniform Chief CCU Civil ContingenciesInspector. Unit (Home Office),

AID Sending extra very similar to F4, butcops/vehicles to other more 'upmarket'. (Seedistricts/forces to 'join New Scotland Yardin' on demo's, riots, section).earthquakes, etc. CRO Criminal Records

ALL CARS/ALL Office.UNITS General DCS District Crime Squad

alertIemergency (plain clothes).messages. On DPS Directed Patrolreceiving any alert, System, 'demand'cars 'attending' should orientated beats.verify to control with SOCO Scene of Crimetheir call signs .....often Officers and vehicles.they don't. NRC National Reporting

ASSISTING, Centre, coordinatesATTENDING, police operations on abEALING Putting the boot in. national scale, veryGRADED active in the Miners'RESPONSE Indicating priority of strike.

incidents when PCA Police Complaintsmanpower and lor Authority (hem hem).vehicles are limited. PNC Police National

LEGAL AID Computer, worldsREPORTS A euphemism for Case most boring gossip

File, read also 'Legal column.Death Warrant' or TDP Traffic Divisionsimilar term. Similarly, Garage.various Public IRU Instant Response UnitsRelations pigs are now have 'nipped in theusing the term 'Police bud' literally hundredsService' in preference of riots before theyto 'Police Force', or have a chance tosimply 'The grow; generallyForce' ....they don't fool consist of a protectedanyone. transit or sherpa van

S.O. Section Houses. with 10or so riotRESPONSE equipped police.MESSAGES Those requiring police A CAB Dunno, you got me

presence at an there.

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CONCLUSIONYes, the police do have a very sophisticatedforensic science capability. Butthey have lessthan 200 forensic scientists in the U.K. andtherefore priority is given over to more'serious' crimes. Forensic scientists haveturned out in the past to be bent, or theremethods predjudiced, inexact and ultimatelyfalse. Forensic evidence should always bequestioned. The most significant thing toremember is the most obvious; the policehave to have a body before they can makecomparisons. For this reason, informationandintelligence gathering is the most importantarea of police work. Preferably they wouldlike everybody on file,with their description,fingerprints and political tendencies. Then,when a crime is committed, especially in thepolitical arena, the cops just haul in thelikeliest suspects. For this reason our biggestprecaution is not to get noticed, and ifwe areknown, to do our dark deeds far away fromwhere we live. Ifwe can't be found, we can'tbe caught, and all their fancy technology isuseless. Only a minute percentage of crimesare solved by the use of forensics. Forexample, the metropolitan police's clear uprate is around 17%-less than I in 5crimes aresolved, and of those crimes solved, the vastmajority are solved by either confessions or'informationreceived'. (i.e.grasses). The clearup rate is highest where the individual is likelyto know the offender; for example 53% forsexual assault, whereas burglary is only 10%.So you see, the odds are in our favour, and ifwe manage to keep our mouths shut and stayaway from grasses, then those odds can belengthened. Commonsense and cautionmakeup most of the difference, and who knows,maybe something you've read in this book!What you have toworry about now is bad luckand getting in the act.Well, happy hunting and good luck,

all the best,MOriarty

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