Spotlight falls on senior vigil officer
THE senior officer in charge of policing Saturday’s vigil is also responsible for the Met’s response to its disastrous VIP child abuse probe.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist was Gold Commander for the operation in Clapham, meaning he had overall command of the officers on the ground and set its ‘overarching strategy’.
Mr Twist (pictured) also leads Operation Larimar, which was set up to implement recommendations made by retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques following the £2.5million inquiry into false claims of a murderous Establishment paedophile ring. Sir Richard identified 43 mistakes by the Met and made 25 urgent recommendations.
The investigation was launched in 2014 following false allegations made by fantasist Carl Beech of rape and murder involving Establishment figures. No officer has been held to account for the mistakes, with Steve Rodhouse, who was in overall charge, allowed to take up a £250,000-a-year job with the National Crime Agency. Mr Twist also led a review into Scotland Yard’s use of handcuffs after Team GB sprinter Bianca Williams was subjected to a stop-and-search last July. This led to new rules for officers, who must now justify any use of handcuffs. He also leads Scotland Yard’s response to the pandemic and has promised harsh punishments for those who do not stick to lockdown rules. In January he said officers had been told to be quicker to issue fines, adding that rule breakers would meet a ‘strong response.’