It is in the nature of a government and its agencies to think that they are on the side of good and those who are against them are not. Sometimes this allows the end to justify the means. The Metropolitan Police is an essential and mainly benign institution. Individual police officers, such as those who guard the Houses of Parliament, are of the highest calibre, professional, friendly and courageous. Yet it is not an organisation that likes to admit to mistakes, hence the alleged disgraceful treatment of the Lawrence family. This has shown that even those who have nothing to hide have something to fear from state intrusion. The only way to control this is to limit the powers that are available and make intrusion subject to external warrants. These ought to come from Justices of the Peace, the lay-magistry taken from our fellow citizens or in the most serious cases from senior politicians who are accountable to Parliament for their actions. Who guards the guards themselves? It can only be the people.