HN148 John Anthony Howley

HN148 John Anthony Howley was a Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner from April 1992 to July 1996 (the rank has been abolished since). 

In that role, he had oversight responsibilities for the  SDS.

In 1994, Howley publicly announced a major shift in Special Branch intelligence priorities. Following the de-escalation of the Cold War and a temporary lull in IRA violence, he re-allocated security resources to target 'extreme' environmental activists. He specifically cited intense public protests over the M11 link road in east London and Twyford Down in Hampshire as reasons for this pivot.

Full profile to follow.