The Metropolitan Police launched Operation Peyzac in 2008 on a housing estate in north London. The background was a series of violent crimes, including five murders. Officers posed as music producers and ran a recording studio called Boombox to gather intelligence on gang crime, drug and weapons offenses.
The studio offered aspiring musicians access to recording equipment and mentoring – for many a rare opportunity in a deprived neighborhood. Eighteen years later, opinions on the ethics of this tactic are deeply divided. Human rights activists and some of those convicted accuse the police of crossing ethical lines. The officers themselves stress that the operation prevented further bloodshed and stopped serious crimes.
The new HBO and Discovery+ documentary ‘Boom Box: Beats and Betrayal’ tells the story from the perspective of the young men who visited the studio as well as from the undercover investigators. Several convicts claim they felt pressured by the officers to procure firearms and drugs – out of fear of losing access to the studio and its supposed support.
The renewed attention is now leading to demands for Operation Peyzac to be examined by the ongoing UK spycops inquiry. That inquiry deals with the use of undercover officers and possible legal violations.
Source: www.theguardian.com
