Boom Box documentary casts spotlight on unethical tactics of undercover policing

Several people convicted as a result of Operation Peyzac said they felt pressured by officers to acquire firearms and drugs, fearing they would lose access to the recording studio if they refused. Photograph: HBO View image in fullscreen Several people convicted as a result of Operation Peyzac said they felt pressured by officers to acquire firearms and drugs, fearing they would lose access to the recording studio if they refused. Photograph: HBO Boom Box documentary casts spotlight on unethical tactics of undercover policing Four-part TV documentary examines the aftermath of Operation Peyzac, where officers posed as music industry figures to gather intelligence on crime I t was the undercover police operation that led to 37 people being jailed for more than 400 years in total after officers set up a fake recording studio and record shop on a north London housing estate. Now, a four-part television documentary has brought Operation Peyzac back under the spotlight, prompting renewed scrutiny of the tactics used by undercover officers and calls for the operation to be examined by the UK’s ongoing spycops inquiry. After a spate of violence, including five murders in the area, the Metropolitan police launched the operation in 2008, tasking officers to pose as music industry figures in a recording studio called Boombox to gather intelligence on gang crime, drugs and firearms offences. The studio offered aspiring musicians access to recording facilities and mentorship, creating what participants described as a rare opportunity in an area with few resources for young people. Metropolitan police accused of 'creating crime' at honey-trap pawn shop Read more But 18 years on, opinions remain divided over the ethics of the tactics used. Human rights campaigners and some of those convicted argue the operation crossed ethical lines, while officers insist it helped prevent further bloodshed and disrupted serious criminality. The renewed scrutiny comes after the release of Boom Box: Beats and Betrayal, an HBO and Discovery+ documentary that tells the story through the eyes of the young men who attended the studio and also from the perspective of the undercover officers. Several of those convicted claim they felt pressured by officers to acquire firearms and drugs, fearing they would lose access to the recording studio, opportunities in the music industry, and the mentorship they believed was being offered if they refused. Kyron, who did not wish to give his last name and is a lead contributor to the documentary, said participants had described the operation as a form of grooming. “They knew about our financial issues, they knew about our family issues, the breakdown in our communities. They knew all of these things and they used that against us as a tool.” But former officers and the Metropolitan police vehemently reject these allegations. A Met spokesperson said: “The Met strongly rebuts allegations that those convicted as part of this operation were coerced or