Being Watched: The Aftermath of Covert Policing
Martina Feilzer, University of Bangor
Benjamin Goold, University of British Columbia
Bethan Loftus, University of Bangor
Notes & Changes
Please note that this event will be recorded, if you do not wish to be part of the recording, please feel free to turn your cameras off once the talk begins. The talk will be made available on the Criminology website and YouTube channel at a later date.
Registration closes at midday on Wednesday 19th February. The Teams link will be sent to you that afternoon.
Abstract
The ongoing Undercover Policing Inquiry (UCPI) is largely a response to a stream of national media scan dals that exposed the illegal and unethical behaviour of undercover police officers in two secretive units. The testimony of those who were the targets of undercover operations has further exposed the human costs stemming from the personalised and highly invasive surveillance undertaken by anonymous state agents. In this paper, we reflect upon the existing research on covert policing and identify new areas for conceptual and methodological engagement, with a view to better understanding the harms that these secretive operations can generate. Attending to the inherent and inescapable intimacy of covert policing offers a much-needed opportunity to explore the effects of a unique state practice that can radically alter the lives of individual surveillance subjects, and which tests our conventional understandings of the legitimacy and limits of force, coercion and police power.
Bio's:
Martina Feilzer is Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Bangor University. Her main interests lie in organisational practices in policing and probation including the use of new technologies as enablers of pervasive state surveillance
Dr Benjamin Goold is a Professor at the University of British Columbia Peter A. Allard School of Law. His major research interests include privacy rights, the use of surveillance technologies by the police and intelligence communities, and the governance of international borders.
Dr Bethan Loftus is Reader in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Bangor University. Her major research interests include police cultures and covert/undercover policing.