The Met Police have made a formal apology to Hampshire Constabulary regarding a controversial undercover operation from the 1990s involving an officer known as ‘Christine Green’. This officer infiltrated animal rights groups and was authorised to take part in a raid that freed hundreds of mink from a fur farm in Hampshire.
Christine Green worked undercover with the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) between 1994 and 1999, posing as an animal rights activist. She infiltrated groups including the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and London Animal Action. New evidence reveals she was authorised—potentially by a senior detective chief superintendent—to assist in breaking the law during a raid on Crow Hill Farm in Ringwood, Hampshire, on 8 August 1998.
During this raid, activists from ALF released a large number of mink. However, the SDS did not disclose the full extent of Christine Green’s involvement to Hampshire police at the time, which hindered the criminal investigation.
The Met Police only revealed Christine Green’s true role to Hampshire Constabulary in 2014, many years after the raid. The delay was due to concerns that disclosing her identity might compromise ongoing operations. The Met has stated there is no evidence that she participated in a second mink release two weeks later. Christine Green left the Met in August 2000.
The Public Inquiry into Undercover Policing has since been informed about the incident. Following an order by Public Inquiry Chairman Sir John Mitting to release her cover name, the Met agreed to disclose this information in the interest of public transparency.
Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball, who oversees professionalism at the Met, said: “The Met has apologised to Hampshire police for how these decisions affected their ability to bring offenders to justice. The decision to allow an undercover officer to break the law would never happen in today’s force. The SDS believed allowing this criminal act would prevent more serious crime later, but the scale of the mink release shocked everyone.”
She added: “Even after realising the damage, the SDS did not tell Hampshire police about Christine Green’s role. We understand this will cause concern to those affected. Undercover policing today is tightly supervised to protect public trust and act ethically.”
In 2014, the case was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). Operation Herne conducted a local investigation led by Derbyshire Chief Constable Mick Creedon. A file was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in December 2015. By February 2016, the CPS decided there was insufficient evidence to prosecute. Operation Herne’s investigation remains ongoing.
The Public Inquiry published Christine Green’s cover name on 20 February 2024, while her real name remains restricted. This revelation highlights serious concerns about past undercover policing practices and raises questions about the limits and ethical considerations of undercover operations.
Originally published by UKNIP.
