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News and Comment July 2011

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8 July - Bent cops. Bent hacks. Bent council?

Dirty cops, bent justice and racism in Scotland Yard It’s a pity this book is now out of print for it contains amazing details of how the police can be bent. The two Guardian journalists who wrote it were never sued for libel even though it names many high ranking police officers, drug dealers and corrupt private eyes, some of whom you have been hearing about on TV and radio today because of the News of the World phone hacking scandal. The book details how some of the people now in the news were involved in crimes including murder up to nearly 25 years ago. A policeman in charge of the original phone hacking investigation, the one that made little progress, left the police force over allegedly false expense claims and inappropriate behaviour with female staff. He promptly got a new job with News International.

The book reveals that when the so called Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was set up after the murder of Stephen Lawrence it was stuffed full of ex-policemen. Only 16% of its staff were genuinely independent, the remainder came from the police plus a few from the investigation departments of HM Customs etc. The boss of the IPCC was from the Met and was mentioned on 87 pages of the 500 page book on police corruption - and no he wasn’t the ‘good cop’ and as I said, the two authors didn’t find themselves in court for libel.

This is a long-winded and perhaps self-indulgent explanation of why I have no great faith in the IPCC but it is all there is and today I have written to them about Bexleyheath police’s total failure to respond to my enquiries following their issuing of a Harassment Letter last April. They seem to think it is acceptable to threaten me with arrest for writing about Bexley council and refusing to tell me what I have done wrong or revealing who I am supposed to have harassed. A leak from an insider said it was because I was threatening physical violence which if the leaker was well informed is a complete lie.

The Met’s Directorate of Professional Services told me in writing on 14th May 2011 that I would be contacted by Bexleyheath police “shortly” but nothing happened so I phoned the DPS on 14th June (I was referred to their South East Division, which is in Croydon if the phone number is anything to go by) and it was confirmed that Bexleyheath police had not done anything and I was told they would send an email asking what was going on. I rang again today to say there had been no progress and the SE DPS told me that Bexleyheath police had not responded to their email either. Hence my letter to the IPCC, the DPS appears to be polite but toothless.

While catching up with my correspondence I noticed that my Subject Access Request (SAR) to Bexley council which should reveal something about the Harassment Letter and the obscene blog should be answered very soon. As Freedom of Information (FOI) requests designed to shed light on the Harassment Letter have been unlawfully left unanswered two months past their due dates I thought I should warn the unfortunate individual who has the unenviable job of answering for Bexley council’s many sins…


“As it is now approaching 40 days since I made my Subject Access Request I have been wondering if you are now close to completing it. I am concerned that the two Freedom of Information requests submitted by Mr. Barnbrook on related subjects (11/337 and 11/338) are now close to two months overdue which looks as though Bexley council is yet again contemptuous of the law and of residents. I do not wish my Request to take a similar path.

Mr. Barnbrook has shown remarkable patience in not reporting Bexley council’s failure to comply with the law to the Information Commissioner but I feel I should formally let you know that I do not possess all his fine qualities. Once the 40 days has expired, if I feel that Bexley council is breaking the law again without good reason, I shall make a full report to the Commissioner.

Yours sincerely,”

 

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