26 February (Part 2) - Even if not corrupt, they like to put on a show
It was not a totally good week for hitting back at the dubious, almost
certainly corrupt, relationship that exists between Bexley Council and the police.
The officers
Elwyn and I met last Thursday were very supportive of such views but after
more than a week of dithering the same Directorate of Professional Standards
has decided that it is entirely appropriate for Bexley police to investigate
themselves. Not just the borough force investigating one of its own officers but
the very same officer against whom the complaint was made has been given
responsibility for investigating himself.
This is
the Massey harassment business
which took the police seven months to decide wasn’t harassment at all. I argued that nothing I wrote was anywhere near to
being harassment and Bexley police were unable to show otherwise, so to my mind it
has to be either incompetence or corruption again that caused them
to send the Old Bill to my door.
Unless they can show that I was close to overstepping the mark - and advice from
professional journalists is that they won’t be able to - all this latest decision
does is to delay matters and demonstrate that the police like being seen as corrupt.
Maybe Bexley police will put their hands up and bring the matter to a swift end, but much
more likely is that their excuses will be referred to the IPCC.