You heard me right. English science blogger Bishop Hill contacted the police unit in charge of the CRU investigation to get an update on their investigation. The response that he received was jaw-dropping:
Norfolk Constabulary continues its investigations into criminal offences in relation to a data breach at the University of East Anglia. During the enquiry officers have been working in liaison with the Office of the Information Commissioner and with officers from the National Domestic Extremism Team. The UEA continues to co-operate with the enquiry however major investigations of this nature are of necessity very detailed and as a consequence can take time to reach a conclusion. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.
That on its face seems rather odd; what does this have to do with “extremism”? Well, a quick look at Wiki fills in who the National Domestic Extremism Team is:
The National Domestic Extremism Team (NDET) is a UK police unit set up to provide a dedicated response to tackling domestic extremism. This team co-ordinates operations and investigations nationally, working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service which has set up a complementary network of prosecutors with specialist expertise in domestic extremism.
Well, that just talks in circles. However, turn over a few rocks, and we find this:
The National Extremism Tactical Coordination Unit (NETCU) along with its sister unit the National Domestic Extremism Team (NDET) are promoting the positive policing of unlawful street collections nationally as a continuation of the successful MPS Operation Redmill.
So let’s go back to Wiki and find out who this “sister organization” is:
NETCU answers to the Association of Chief Police Officers‘ (ACPO) Terrorism and Allied Matters Committee, and in particular to ACPO’s National Co-Ordinator for Domestic Extremism, Assistant Chief Constable Anton Setchell. It works with the Home Office, and the National Public Order Intelligence Unit.
So they’re a subsidiary of the National Extremism Tactical Co-ordination Unit. And NETCU’s mission is:
NETCU reports through the National Coordinator for Domestic Extremism (NCDE) to the Association of Chief Police Officers Terrorism and Allied Matters – ACPO(TAM) committee.
Curiously, they were founded originally to fight…well…read it yourself:
The unit was created in or around May 2004 to coordinate police action in relation to animal rights campaigns. It is based in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, which has been a focal point for animal rights activism as a result of the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty campaign.[5]
Apart from animal rights groups, it has also investigated the UK Life League, a direct action pro-life group that protests outside abortion clinics.
Which implies that abortion protests are also acts of terrorism. And if you think this is lovely so far, it gets even worse:
Because the ACPO is not a public body but rather a private limited company, NETCU is exempt from freedom of information laws and other kinds of public accountability, even though they are funded by the Home Office and deploy police officers from regional forces.
This couldn’t possibly happen here, right? But then again:
Nobody expects the National Domestic Extremism Team!!!
Extra: It appears that MI5 has a description of Domestic Extremism:
There are a number of UK-based extremist groups motivated by domestic causes other than the Northern Ireland situation.
Aftermath of the Brick Lane bombing of April 1999At various times in the recent past, groups that have fallen into this category have included violent Scottish and Welsh nationalists, right- and left-wing extremists, animal rights extremists and other militant single-issue protesters.
[…]
In 2004, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) established the National Extremism Tactical Coordination Unit (NETCU) (new window) as part of the national policing response to domestic extremism.
Yeah. I want to hear Cheyanne* spin this.
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*Cheyanne = English woman’s name meaning “little red talker”, a.k.a the person writing at the little red green something website these days.
