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