Fracking's eye in the sky

Last October I wrote to Julia Mulligan, the North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner regarding a potential conflict of interest between North Yorkshire Police (NYP) and the developers of a fracking site near the village of Kirby Misperton. This followed Ms Mulligan's website claim that she was intent on ensuring that no finance for the policing operation ("Operation Kingfisher") should come from the developers lest it was perceived as partisan. Fair enough, so far so good. But suspicions were aroused when a friend of mine stopped to take a look at a newly erected CCTV camera, with an Operation Kingfisher notice stuck on it (it's for 'public safety,' that kind of stuff). Within minutes he was approached by blokes in 'security' wear asking him what he was doing, and asking if he was a 'protester.' Clearly information from a police camera had been passed on to private 'security,' presumably in the employ of the developers. Eventually (late December) I got a reply from Ms Mulligan's office, which quoted the Kingfisher commander saying "You can be assured that any information (including images) gathered by North Yorkshire Police for policing purposes can and only would ever be shared if there was a lawful basis and for a policing purpose." Sharing info for a 'policing purpose?' With third party 'security' outfits? Whom the evidence suggests operate off-site to boot? Questions need to be raised about the partnership between the fracking developer's private security force and the police. Public funds are being used to assist them in areas which do not concern them. Private security outfits receiving information from the police - even when no crime is being committed (even if that were a justification) - must give them the false impression that they are in effect co-opted law enforcement agents. It's a legitimacy 'security' types crave. Pointless asking any North Yorkshire MP to take up the issue of course.

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