It
was a year ago today that
I discovered Bexley council’s obscene blog after someone, I would guess a Conservative
Bexley councillor, impersonated me with an account in my name at Google blogspot.
It should have been an easy crime for the police to solve. Straight on to their Cybercrime
unit to get the source details from Google, interview Teresa O’Neill to see what she knew
about it, seize a computer or two and feel a collar. But the police did none of that; they
twiddled their thumbs for ten weeks and then wrote to say
the trail had gone
cold. They owed their friends at the Civic Centre nothing less.
When the police were asked what they had done or not done they said it wasn’t in
the public
interest to tell us. However my MP, Teresa Pearce, and Elwyn Bryant’s MP, James
Brokenshire, both leaned on the then Borough Commander Dave Stringer and
on 10th
February we met him only to be told almost nothing except that we should be
patient. We are still being patient.
At the Metropolitan Police Commissioner’s
Road Show in Sidcup two weeks ago, Elwyn Bryant raised the subject with the new boss, Bernard Hogan-Howe. He
listened attentively and asked Elwyn to have a word with the new Borough
Commander, Victor Olisa, after the show. The Commissioner said that if Elwyn was
still not satisfied a week later he should refer the matter back to himself.
By the end of the meeting Elwyn was pleased with the interest Victor Olisa’s
took in his story. He took away Olisa’s personal card bearing his new telephone
number. After hearing nothing in 12 days he decided it was time to write to the
Commissioner but to give the Commander one final chance he rang the number Olisa
gave him. It provided the Unobtainable Tone. Via the main switchboard he managed to
get through to Olisa’s secretary. She said he would call Elwyn back. He didn’t.
It looks like Hogan-Howe may be getting a letter.
Although I didn’t go to the Commissioner’s Road Show I am in occasional contact
with a policeman who knows something about the case. I would say it is not yet
formally dead but is sick and in its terminal stage.
If there is anyone left who is unfamiliar with the content of Bexley council’s blog,
go here and use the provided user name and password.