Paul Condon, who was the head of London's Metropolitan Police from 1993 to 2000, admitted on 21 July 2026 that the force failed for decades to properly control its undercover spy unit, called the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS). Condon is the highest-ranked officer to speak at the inquiry, which is led by retired judge Sir John Mitting (The Guardian).

Condon apologized personally to every person harmed by what the SDS did. He also said he knew nothing about the unit's wrongdoing while he was in charge. After his police career, Condon became a member of the House of Lords. He appeared as a witness during the latest phase of the inquiry's hearings, which started on 15 June 2026.

The SDS ran from 1968 to 2008. Its officers took on fake identities to secretly join and monitor mostly leftwing political groups. Each officer typically stayed undercover for about four years. The unit's activities are the focus of the inquiry's long-running investigation into undercover policing methods used by the Met over a forty-year period.

Condon's written statement was mentioned during the inquiry on 22 June 2026, the sixth day of these hearings. The next day, 23 June 2026, the inquiry referred to an interview Condon gave for a separate investigation called the Ellison review (UCPI). That review's findings about SDS misconduct came before the current inquiry was set up.

The broader context here is about how the system was built. The SDS had already been running for twenty-five years before Condon's time as commissioner, and it kept going for eight years after he left. His admission that the Met failed to control the unit over decades means the problem spanned several leaders, not just one. The key question is whether any police chief could have realistically overseen a unit that depended on secrecy to function, or whether the reporting structure was designed so that no one person could see the full picture. Condon's testimony suggests the SDS worked within a system that intentionally kept top leaders at a distance.

The current phase of the inquiry, which began on 15 June 2026, is looking at how undercover policing was managed during a period that includes Condon's time as commissioner. As the most senior officer to testify, his appearance puts the question of institutional responsibility directly in front of the inquiry. Sir John Mitting will need to separate what Condon personally knew from what the institution itself should be accountable for.

For the people who were spied on by the SDS, including those tricked into long-term relationships with officers using fake identities, Condon's apology is the first from someone at the top level of the police. Whether that apology carries official weight or remains a personal gesture is something the inquiry's final findings will need to sort out. The SDS was shut down in 2008, but the inquiry is still working to uncover the full extent of what the unit did and how the chain of command allowed it to happen.