Dick ‘protected’ senior officer from the sack
SCOTLAND Yard chief Dame Cressida Dick is accused of colluding with a deputy to shield one of the Met’s most controversial officers from the sack, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Dame Cressida and close ally Helen Ball, Assistant Commissioner for professionalism, are alleged to have delayed disciplinary action against Deputy Assistant commissioner Matt Horne.
The senior officer, formerly head of the Met’s professional standards unit, is accused of illegally accessing confidential information to undermine a police bullying probe, for which he is awaiting a decision on potential criminal charges.
The actions of Dame Cressida and Ms Ball are said to have led to a failure by the Yard to respond appropriately to an October police watchdog report concerning Mr Horne.
The commissioner is also said to have inappropriately offered her backing to the officer with public statements of support during a parliamentary committee hearing earlier this year.
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has been referred by the London Mayor’s Office to the police watchdog over the accusations. It comes weeks after a report into the 1987 murder of private detective Daniel Morgan directly criticised Dame Cressida for hampering the government inquiry.
The watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, is assessing the complaint to decide whether to launch a misconduct probe into Dame Cressida while Scotland Yard is handling the complaint against Ms Ball.
A Met spokesman confirmed the force had ‘received a complaint in relation to Commissioner Cressida Dick and AC Helen Ball’ and that it was in the process of responding.