SHAMING OF POLICE WATCHDOG
Anger as it clears VIP sex probe officers But £180k boss says: I won’t resign
THE police watchdog was in the dock last night over its inquiry which cleared five key detectives of misconduct in the bungled VIP child sex abuse investigation.
It faced widespread condemnation over its astonishing report exonerating the officers of misleading a judge to get search warrants to raid homes, including that of former armed forces chief Lord Bramall.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) examined four specific allegations of misconduct in Operation Midland and a separate inquiry into a bogus rape claim made against former Tory home secretary Leon Brittan. In each case, it found no evidence of misconduct.
Its stance put it on a collision course with retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques, who in a 2016 inquiry identified 43 major errors by detectives on Operation Midland, the multi-million pound inquiry sparked by the lies of ‘Nick’, real name Carl Beech.
In yesterday’s Daily Mail, Sir Richard attacked the ‘flawed’ IOPC inquiry, accused the watchdog of ‘lack of knowledge of criminal procedure’ and highlighted ‘gross and inexcusable delays’. Yesterday Downing Street refused to back the IOPC’s handling of the ‘deeply troubling’ case.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: ‘It has raised a number of serious issues. That is why the Home Secretary has asked HM Inspectorate of Constabulary to inspect the Met. It is vital the public have confidence that the police not only exercise their powers in a correct and proportionate way but that they are properly held to account.’
The spokesman said the Prime Minister retained ‘full confidence’ in the head of Scotland Yard, Dame Cressida Dick, who oversaw the setting up of Operation Midland.
But asked to give similar backing to the IOPC, he twice refused.
Last night IOPC director general Michael Lockwood told the Daily Mail that while he had learned from the inquiry into the ‘ Nick’ case, he felt he had done a good job and was staying in his role.
Speaking near his home in Surrey, the former council chief – who is on £180,000 a year – said: ‘We had to establish the facts and that’s what we have done.
‘In my view the investigation was a thorough one. We looked at nearly 2,000 documents and 300 statements. We looked at just four allegations and came to a view. We didn’t believe the line had been reached in terms of misconduct. We did feel there had been mistakes and lessons to be learned.’
The watchdog said it had found ‘shortcomings and organisational failings’, with 16 recommendations made to change policing practice.
Mr Lockwood added: ‘The biggest one for me is this “culture of belief”. There was this great frenzy about paedophile rings and a great desire for the police to prosecute, a media frenzy, and this practice for police forces that you should believe the victim. We think that was an important factor.’
But former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, falsely accused of being a serial child killer, said: ‘The so- called investigation is simply a whitewash. This report shows the IOPC is worse than useless.
‘The Home Secretary should remove the IOPC director general, and the IOPC must be abolished and replaced by experts who are genuinely qualified to assess and to criticise police failings.’
He added: ‘We now know the police watchdog is blind.’
Daniel Janner QC, whose late father Lord Janner was also accused by Beech, said the IOPC had ‘overlooked clear evidence of serious failings and negligence’.
The watchdog said detectives could not remember why certain decisions were made. It was not clear if those in command knew of an earlier complaint from Beech to Wiltshire police, which had inconsistencies compared to what he told the Met two years later.
The IOPC inquiry began after the Met referred five officers who had been involved in Operation Midland to the police watchdog. Only one – Detective Chief Inspector Diane Tudway – answered questions face-to-face.
Four officers have retired, while the fifth, Steve Rodhouse, has been promoted to a £240,000 a year job at the National Crime Agency. He was cleared after four months without being interviewed. Tory MP Tim Loughton called for the Commons home affairs committee, of which he is a member, to probe the matter. He told the BBC: ‘It’s been called a whitewash, I think that’s putting it very mildly. I think it’s a cover-up.
‘I think it’s feeble, it’s toothless, it’s shoddy, it’s unconvincing and it’s pretty incompetent. This whole report is not fit for purpose.’
Earlier, Dame Cressida issued a statement on the ‘Nick’ scandal – but ignored growing calls to give details about her involvement.
She said: ‘I am deeply sorry for the mistakes that were made during our investigations into the appalling lies spun by Carl Beech.
‘They simply should not have happened.’
Mr Proctor called Dame Cressida’s statement ‘extraordinary’. He said: ‘It did not address her own crucial role. She has shown a complete lack of transparency.’
Beech was jailed for 18 years in July for perverting the course of justice and other offences.
‘We now know the police watchdog is blind’