British police claim to be paying hundreds of informants within environmental groups in a bid to get better intelligence about their activities and protests, The Guardian reported Saturday.
The newspaper said it had been given nearly three hours of footage secretly filmed by an activist for Plane Stupid, which is against airport expansion, who said she was approached by officers from a Scottish police force offering money in exchange for information about the campaigning group's activities.
Strathclyde Police confirmed to the daily that officers had meetings with activists from Plane Stupid, with a senior officer telling the paper that the force had "a responsibility to gather intelligence".
During the footage, captured by 24-year-old Matilda Gifford, the officers reportedly indicated they could pay her tens of thousands of pounds (euros, dollars) in exchange for information about Plane Stupid activists.
They also claimed they had several hundred other informants infiltrated within other protest groups and "big groupings" on all parts of the political spectrum.
The two meetings took place in Glasgow last month and on Tuesday, Gifford told The Guardian.
"Officers from Strathclyde Police have been in contact with a number of protesters who were involved with the Plane Stupid protests," Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton told the newspaper.
"The purpose of this contact has been to ensure that any future protest activity is carried out within the law and in a manner which represents the rights of all concerned."
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