Police try to recruit Matilda 'Tilly' Gifford, an environmental campaigner with the direct action group Plane Stupid, as an informant.

Note: low quality recording

Partick police station, Glasgow, 25 March 2009

Officer 1: "See as we said to you earlier, if we could find some way that we could work together – in a sort of a job."

Officer 1: "Or does that bore you?"

[...]

Officer 1: "... for a coffee or something? I don't expect people to work for nothing."

Tilly: "Mmm hmm. And what kind of money would you be talking?"

Officer 1: "Are you still recording?"

Tilly: "Quite possibly. I don't know I haven't looked. It only had half an hour and it's been way past half an hour. Yeah well what kind of money would you be talking?"

Officer 2: "Well we don't discuss money frankly, we don't talk salaries"

Tilly: "Well what do you talk then? You talk coffees?"

Officer 2: "Well let's just say if you were prepared to to meet us, and talk to us, we may be in a position to help you out financially."

Tilly: "But you won't go into how much or anything like that."

Officer 2: "But it's your decision. We can't force you to it, you're free to walk away at any time, you're free to walk away at any other time.

Tilly: "Obviously like 20 or 50 quid isn't going to sort out my problems."

Officer 2: "Sorry?"

Tilly: "Obviously 20 quid, 50 quid isn't going to sort out my problems."

[Inaudible chatter]

Officer 2: "Tilly, we are not concerned about Plane Stupid. We are not concerned about Plane Stupid. We are concerned about individuals within Plane Stupid. That's where the difference is."

Tilly: "Tell me which ones I should look out for, if you're so worried about it."

Officer 1: "Look at the big picture – we work with hundreds of people, believe me, ranging from terrorist organisations right through to whatever. To the others as we like to call them. Environmentalists. We have people who give us information on environmentalism, leftwing extremism, rightwing - you name it, we have the whole spectrum of reporting. The point we're making is: they come to us with the concerns, because within the organisations for which they have strong ideologies and beliefs they are happy to go along with that, but what they will not get involved in is maybe where it's gonna impact someone else. That's when they come to us and say 'by the way, so and so – in my opinion – is maybe getting a wee bit too hotheaded."

Listen to tape 2

Listen to tape 3