Top detective is ‘hounded out of the Yard for his pro-Brexit views’
A SENIOR detective has accused ‘politically correct’ Scotland Yard chiefs of hounding him out of his job after he made pro-Brexit comments on Facebook.
Mick Neville, 49, says he lost his post after a colleague complained about his ‘edgy’ political views.
A three- month disciplinary probe cleared Detective Chief Inspector Neville, head of the Metropolitan Police’s renowned central forensic images team, of any misconduct.
But the married father-of-four, regarded as one of Scotland Yard’s ‘top thief takers’, said he was forced to retire from the job he loved after being ‘frozen out’.
He told the Mail: ‘The Met says it wants to represent everyone. They don’t want people with my political and religious views. They want people with a liberal left attitude.’ Accusing his bosses of being ‘cow- ardly’, he added: ‘My views are probably the views of three-quarters of the country. But I was frozen out, hounded out.
‘The problem with the police is that it is politically correct. It is full of vested interests. They would rather get rid of me than catch criminals.’
As well as expressing support for Ukip and making passionate posts about the EU referendum, Mr Neville also made critical comments about gay marriage – on ‘religious grounds’. His remarks on Facebook make no mention of his police role.
Scotland Yard’s Directorate of Professional Standards began an investigation after being passed intelligence on the detective in the aftermath of the EU referendum on June 23. In one Facebook post, before the vote, Mr Neville said: ‘It is time to take back our country. It is time to reject fear & treachery. It is time to protect our culture for the next generation.’
He added: ‘The same greedy businesses, who wanted us in the ... euro want us in the EU. Nations, culture and loyalty mean nothing to them as long as their pockets are lined with 30 pieces of silver.’
Following the vote he posted: ‘What a wonderful day for Britain. I have a handful of honourable friends, who supported Remain – but in the main, the supporters of such were an unpleasant and odd bunch – the greedy internationalists, corporate business and bankers, some communists, the trendy metropolitan elite, the stupid, who thought you might need a visa to go to Majorca on holiday and the frightened who were afraid of being called “racist” (worse than “murderer” these days)’.
He also reposted an item from a group called To Hell With Political Correctness about migrants being given national insurance. Mr Neville, a former member of the Conservative Party but who now supports Ukip policies, said the complaint about his comments should never have been investigated in the first place.
He added: ‘While my Facebook posts might be edgy, there is no vile language, there is no racist language. I disagree with
‘An unpleasant and odd bunch’
immigration policy, and I don’t agree with gay marriage on religious grounds. They are all lawful views.’ He said bosses thought he had been ‘too forceful’ on Facebook and asked if he knew the force’s media policy – even though he had no intention of airing his views on TV or radio.
Following ‘words of advice’ about his posts in a letter from bosses in December, the former officer retired earlier this month after 28 years of exemplary service.
‘I would say I was forced out,’ he added. ‘I faced the situation where I was put on gardening leave. It was like constructive dismissal. I would still be doing [my] job, but for political correctness at the Yard. It’s a shabby end to a career I loved.’
Former Scotland Yard Chief Superintendent Kevin Hurley said Mr Neville had been part of ground-breaking work using a unit of ‘super recognisers’ – police with the ability to spot criminals in blurry photographs and fleeting CCTV images.
Scotland Yard said: ‘The Met does not comment on the service records of serving or retired staff.’