David Bickford

Associate Editor

David Bickford was asked to take over as Legal Director of MI5 and MI6 to
sort out the problems in the Agencies particularly those left by the
Bettaney and Peter Wright scandals. Starting in 1986 he was instrumental in
putting the Intelligence Agencies on a legal footing, introducing oversight
and opening relations with the media. Following this, he introduced ongoing
legal advice into intelligence operations. For the first time intelligence
was used to prosecute terrorists, resulting in a series of high line
convictions. He opposed the then Government¹s insistence on blanket secrecy
for intelligence work and was singled out by Sir Richard Scott in the Arms
to Iraq Inquiry for his work in ending this practice. Before finishing his
work in the Agencies, he introduced practices to control informants and
further legal procedures to convert intelligence into evidence to enable the
Agencies to counter international organised crime and money laundering. He
was appointed CB for his work.

He left the Agencies in 1995 to go to the United States. Working at
Cleveland State and Case Western Universities he liaised with the US
Government to develop forward thinking on the dangers of international
terrorism and organised crime, appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee and the White House Review of Aviation Security and lecturing
extensively. 

He set up Bickford Associates in 1996 and advises Governments on countering
international organised crime and terrorist money laundering. His experience
and his views are continually sought on intelligence issues, in particular
by Parliamentary Select Committees and most recently the Privy Council
Review of the Anti Terrorism legislation. He regularly appears and is quoted
in the media, currently discussing the issue of international co-operation
to defeat terrorism.

Prior to joining the Intelligence Agencies he was Legal Counsellor to the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office specialising on defence, NATO, UN and
international narcotics trafficking issues. He spent three years in Berlin
during the Cold War as Legal Adviser to the British Military Government.

In 2004 he wrote the best-selling book - The Face of Tomorrow - available
from Eye Spy 


links http://www.davidbickfordcb.com