The relevance of the ‘informer’

The controversial role of the ‘snitch' being used by security agencies will come under the spotlight at an Edge Hill University event.

Dr Steve Hewitt, a Senior Lecturer in American and Canadian Studies at the University of Birmingham, will deliver a talk entitled Informing Controversy: The Renewed Relevance of Informers to Counter Terrorism Operations and the Controversy Surrounding Their Use on Thursday 16^th February.

Since the September 11 attacks, there has been recognition from Western intelligence agencies and the police that technological surveillance has limitations when dealing with close-knit groups of foreign nationals and their language barriers and cultural practices. The use of informers, which has grown in both the US and UK in recent years, presents challenges of its own, particularly with relations between security agencies and ‘suspect communities'.

In his public lecture he will examine the renewed emphasis and use of informers in counter-terrorism intelligence. His talk will include the historical context, reasons for their expanded use, and the implications surrounding this technique.

His talk is the fourth in a series of guest lectures on the topic (In)Security, Surveillance and the State to explore the politics of ‘insecurity' by examining some of the most controversial events in today's society. The programme has been organised by the University's Department of Social Sciences and supported by the Power, Conflict and Justice Research Group and the Faculty of Arts & Sciences.

The series welcomes internationally-renowned commentators and academics investigate in detail major key events and, as a result, some of the most critical, controversial and divisive issues that confront us today.

Mark McGovern, Professor of Sociology and who has coordinated the series, said: "In this fourth event in the series, Dr Hewitt will argue that despite the useful role he feels informers can play in being the eyes and ears of what he would see as extremism issues, there is also a need to look at the controversy surrounding their role in the war on terror."

Dr Hewitt is author of Snitch: A History of the Modern Intelligence Informer (Continuum, 2010) and The British War on Terror: Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism on the Home Front since 9-11 (Continuum, 2008).

The lecture is free to attend and spaces are limited. To book your place, email corporateevents@edgehill.ac.uk. Arrival is 5.30pm with refreshments, ready for a 6.30pm start and refreshments and networking afterwards.

For news, videos and podcasts log on to www.edgehill.ac.uk/insecuritylectures.