15 June - It’s official. Institutional corruption
After years of proclaiming the Metropolitan Police to be corrupt I am feeling vindicated but I must try not to gloat. It is now official.
DMIP Chair Baroness O’Loan was unafraid to say so
and if you see some weak minded news media referring to “A form of corruption” you can be
assured that far more forthright versions of that phrase were used. It was at
least twice made clear that the corruption was ongoing and Commissioner Cressida
Dick was credited with hanging on to vital documents until as recently as last
March as well as being responsible for suppressing documents from when the
Daniel Morgan Independent Panel first began work eight years ago.
As
Photo 1 indicates no one has yet had enough time to digest its 1,250 pages with
not an Index to be seen. Its progenitor Theresa May MP dropped in to collect her
copy which is just as well because I was able to nick her media box to carry mine home.
Photo 2 was taken after the formalities ended and while journalists filed their reports.
The Baroness did not pull her punches during press questions. Yes the Met had
been obstructive and corrupt. Yes they have treated the Morgan family abysmally and yes
they have cost taxpayers a large proportion of the £16 million the report cost by deliberately restricting access to police IT systems and documents.
The police were labelled “venal”.
Yes Cressida Dick should consider her position said Daniel’s brother Alastair
who has spent half a lifetime pursuing crooked police officers. It has taken a
terrible toll on him and he is no longer the man I first met 30 years ago.
Daniel’s widow was visibly upset by the proceedings; another life, along with her
two children’s wrecked by bent cops; bent right up to Commissioner level.
The Panel members went out of their way to be kind and sympathetic to the Morgan family,
it is not often that one gets to shake hands with a Baroness.
Her formal 30 minute address to the media was measured and I was at first prepared for a
whitewash but as she went on and especially when answering questions that was far from being the case.
In answer to a press question Alastair Morgan confirmed that not once has Home
Secretary Priti Patel been in touch with him. That is a worse record than even
Theresa May’s Labour predecessors who were at least prepared to discuss the
family’s concerns even if they did dismiss them all after being reassured by police lies.
The report is available from the DMIP’s website.