Day 249 - 14 May 96 - Page 38

     
     1
     2   Q.   What about the rest of McDonald's?
     3        A.  I would not know.
     4
     5   Q.   You were in charge of security, did it happen at all at
     6        that time?
     7        A.  I do not know.  I am in charge of security but I do not
     8        ask who their contacts are.  All the security department
     9        have many, many contacts in the police service, they are
    10        all ex-policemen; I would not ask them who their contacts
    11        were.
    12
    13   Q.   That is one of the sources of information about protesters?
    14        A.  Sorry?
    15
    16   Q.   The security department and their contacts in the police
    17        force?
    18        A.  Are what, sorry?
    19
    20   Q.   One of the sources of information about protesters for
         McDonald's?
    22        A.  No.  I would not know, no.  There is nothing formal in
    23        the relationship between them.  They may get information
    24        about protesters.  Certainly, I mean, you would not
    25        normally go to Special Branch to get any kind of
    26        information because you know you cannot use it.
    27
    28   Q.   So, normally you would just go to, sort of, ordinary
    29        police?
    30        A.  If I wanted to know something about someone, I would
    31        almost certainly make contact with the local crimes beat
    32        officer, the local CID officer, the local collator.
    33
    34   Q.   And officers who you used to work with?
    35        A.  And officers I used to work with, certainly.
    36
    37   Q.   Why can you not use information from the Special Branch?
    38        A.  Special Branch officers are extremely reluctant to
    39        disclose their identity, disclose the fact that they are
    40        Special Branch officers, and dislike intensely having to
         attend court.  They are an information gathering
    42        organisation who are involved in a lot of under-cover
    43        working.  They do not like a high image, and I would not
    44        ask them.
    45
    46   Q.   The information that you got from other police officers who
    47        you worked with, or the local beat officer or whoever you
    48        were referring to a moment ago, information about
    49        protesters around the country, that was information which
    50        you used in ---- 
    51        A.  No. 
    52 
    53   Q.   -- in preparation for this case and determining who ----
    54        A.  No, not at all.  I never approached any police officers
    55        at any time about any person concerned in this operation.
    56
    57   Q.   Right.  What about...  We heard from Mr. Carroll about
    58        determining whether or not it was a locally-based protest
    59        or whether it was central, and people sending out -- you
    60        know, people from London going to Hull to do pickets, and