Police watchdog probes claim that Met officers used hackers in India to read activists' emails

Hackers were said to have accessed activists' and journalists' emails
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Eleanor Rose11 May 2017

The police watch dog has launched a probe into claims that the Met Police used hackers in India to access the emails of journalists and environmental activists.

A tip-off from an anonymous letter sparked the investigation into the Metropolitan Police's National Domestic Extremism and Disorder Intelligence Unit (NDEDIU), the Independent Police Complaints Commission said.

The letter alleged that covert anti-extremism officers from the unit contacted Indian officers for help to enlist the services of hackers.

They are then said to have illegally accessed the email accounts of members of political and environmental pressure groups and journalists.

The watchdog has appealed for the author of the letter, believed to be a serving or retired police officer, or anyone with information on the allegations, to contact investigators.

IPCC deputy chairman Sarah Green said: "These are clearly serious allegations and the IPCC is conducting a comprehensive investigation into the matters raised.

"This will be a complex investigation given the potential involvement of foreign participants."

The Met Police said: "The IPCC made the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) aware of anonymous allegations concerning the access of personal data and requested the matter referred to them by the MPS. This has been done."

It added that it was aware of and assisting the IPCC's investigation.

Additional reporting by Press Association

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