A SENIOR police manager responsible for supervising at least four undercover officers who stole the identities of dead children claimed yesterday that he was unaware of the practice being used. 

Derek Brice was one of the early managers of the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), a secret Metropolitan Police unit formed in 1968 that infiltrated largely left-wing protest groups. 

Dozens of officers serving in the unit appropriated the identities of dead children to shore up their cover identities, applying for passports and other documents under the assumed name.