Scotland Yard's undercover SDS was disbanded for unjustified surveillance of peaceful groups, inquiry hears

Jon Boutcher told the spycops inquiry on 2 August 2026 that he disbanded the Special Demonstration Squad because it spied on peaceful groups that "posed no threat to public order, let alone democracy," while few undercover officers targeted actual terrorist threats. The unit, once called a "jewel in the crown" of Scotland Yard, had run covert operations for 40 years.