Here is a tragic case in which an officer lost his life in Toronto, Canada

I dont want to go into the specifics of the case as they already have been before a court. However the case raises important questions for policing as a whole namely What is undercover policing?

Unfortunately, many police officers think that just because they are wearing jeans and a t-shirt that they are working undercover. There is real confusion about what is and what is not undercover police work. Unless things are clear and the risks managed accordingly then tragedy is a real posibility.

Few would think a detective wearing a suit was undercover so why do we think wearing jeans makes us undercover. There are a few reasons why this happens and none of them stand up to scrutiny.

Working undercover is about a specific task and using a trained officer to do that task. Plain clothes patrolling is different and there are different risks and different control measures needed to address the risks.

If you want to know the difference get in touch . Are new book Managing Risk in Undercover Operations will appear on Amazon soon. Check it out.

In the meantime, if you want to run about in your jeans claiming your undercover - just know you’re not.