A former commissioner of the Metropolitan Police has acknowledged that the surveillance of Stephen Lawrence’s family by undercover officers in the 1990s was institutionally racist. Paul Condon, who led the Met during that period, made the admission while giving evidence to the ongoing spycops public inquiry.

The covert monitoring targeted the family as they campaigned for a thorough police investigation into Lawrence’s murder, a racially motivated killing in 1993. Officers assigned to the special demonstration squad (SDS), an undercover unit, observed and reported on private aspects of the family’s lives, including the separation of Lawrence’s parents, Doreen and Neville.

Condon described the surveillance as fitting “very well the parameters of institutional racism,” acknowledging the broader failure of the police force to appropriately handle the case. The inadequate investigation into Lawrence’s death severely damaged the reputation of the country’s largest police force and remains one of the most contentious law enforcement failures in recent UK history.

Addressing the misconduct of the SDS more generally, Condon characterized the unit’s actions over several decades as “horrendous,” citing abuses against tens of thousands of political activists. He condemned the unit’s culture, where officers were reportedly instructed to “lie, cheat and deceive as a way of life,” and criticized the Metropolitan Police for a systemic failure in oversight. Condon emphasized that the lack of ethical boundaries and supervision left officers vulnerable to corruption, even those with strong personal morals.

Despite these acknowledgments, Condon maintained that during his tenure as commissioner from 1993 to 2000, he was unaware of the specific abuses committed by the SDS and did not authorize or endorse the surveillance activities targeting the Lawrence family. He described it as unrealistic to expect him to be informed about the day-to-day operations of such a secretive and small unit.

Condon, now a member of the House of Lords, issued a personal apology to those harmed by the SDS’s actions. He expressed deep regret for the “horrendous things that went wrong” and acknowledged both individual misconduct and institutional failings within the Metropolitan Police over decades.

The spycops inquiry, led by retired judge Sir John Mitting, was established following revelations about the SDS’s surveillance practices. It continues to investigate wide-ranging misconduct, including the monitoring of grieving families and campaigners seeking justice or exposing police malpractice. Condon is the highest-ranking former officer to provide evidence at the inquiry, which aims to uncover the full extent of abuses carried out by undercover officers over many years.