Misplaced Pages

#700299

118-556: Operation Midland was a criminal investigation which the London Metropolitan Police carried out between November 2014 and March 2016 in response to false allegations of historic child abuse made by Carl Beech. The operation focused on investigation of several high-profile British citizens—politicians, military officers and heads of security—over claims of historic child sexual abuse and murder. The 18-month operation failed to find sufficient evidence to support

236-458: A Sikh officer whose beard was cut. The report also found that officers of minority ethnic backgrounds were more likely to be disciplined and leave the force. The report was criticised by the charity Galop for not investigating transphobia. Five former officers admitted in court in 2023 to sending racist messages, the targets of which included the Duchess of Sussex , and a sixth was convicted after

354-452: A claim of abuse to Wiltshire Police in 2012, in the wake of the Savile scandal: his claim at the time alleged that his stepfather, along with Jimmy Savile and a group of unidentified men, had abused him considerably. Detectives who investigated these allegations eventually concluded them to be unfounded, based on certain facts, which included his family situation in particular: his stepfather

472-426: A colonel in the military. Superintendents usually exercise the role of commanding officers of district commands or the role of second-in-command in the metropolitan and regional commands. The rank insignia of a superintendent consists of a dark blue epaulet with two crossed horsewhips inside a laurel wreath and three PSP stars arranged in an inverted triangle. Each PSP star consists of a six-point silver star with

590-566: A crown over a pip (the rank badge formerly worn by superintendents). This lasted until 1974, when superintendent once more became a single rank, wearing a crown on the epaulettes. From January 1954 there was one superintendent grade I and one chief inspector in each sub-division, one chief superintendent, one superintendent grade II and one detective superintendent grade I in each division, and one commander , one deputy commander , one detective chief superintendent, and one detective superintendent grade II in each district. A detective chief inspector

708-572: A crown, the same rank badge as a lieutenant-colonel and wear police caps with a laurel wreath across the brim to indicate seniority. In Canada , the rank of superintendent is usually the next senior rank up from inspector . Some police forces also have the higher rank of staff superintendent (senior staff superintendent) or regional superintendent. Quebec-based police forces (e.g. Sureté du Québec , Service de police de la Ville de Montréal , Quebec City Police Service ) do not use this rank or rank structure. Hong Kong Police Force ranks are based on

826-511: A full check of the evidence he had supplied to the Metropolitan Police, and requested access to his school and medical records. Their findings confirmed that the serious allegations that Beech had made were completely false, and had wasted police time and resources: unpublished works of fantasy he had written showed that Beech was a fantasist who amused himself by playing out fantasies of being a victim of violent child abuse, enjoying

944-588: A higher volume of protests and events than any other British police force , with 3,500 such events in 2016. The force, by officer numbers, ranks as the largest police force within the United Kingdom and among the largest globally. Excluding its national roles, the Met oversees the eighth-smallest primary geographic area ( police area ) compared to other territorial police forces in the UK. The force operates under

1062-463: A historic nature, reported by victims either directly to officers, or through interviews with journalists. Growing national public outcry over the possibility of there being more VIP serial abusers concealing their actions, and political campaigns demanding greater action to investigate cases of historic abuse, greatly affected the need for police to step up their efforts. In 2014, journalist Mark Conrad came across an online blog containing allegations of

1180-467: A joke to begin with; and the claims had been supplied by "two well-known campaigners" he had met. Concerned that police would falsely charge people for actions they had not committed based on his false accusations, "David" voiced the belief that the origins of the investigation needed to be double-checked alongside a re-examination of any case based on elements that "aren't even true". Fourteen months after Operation Midland began, detectives concluded there

1298-433: A large child abuse ring. Much of Beech's co-operation itself was conducted with subtle deceptions on his part: in one case, a detective unwittingly kept Beech apprised of the ongoing raids made against some of the accused after Beech had lied to them that Exaro was working on another piece connected to child abuse. In another case, detectives unknowingly passed to Beech questions he was to have answered in their inquiries, in

SECTION 10

#1732792965701

1416-475: A paedophile, child abuser, child murderer." He also added that for those affected, it had been the "worst things that can be said of a human being." Watson himself had to apologise to Lady Brittan for his comments against her husband, while police were forced to apologise to Martin Allen's family for mistakenly claiming that he had been murdered by the group based upon Beech's false claims. Despite Hogan-Howe backing

1534-636: A possible cover-up amongst the British establishment, including the disappearance of significant documents concerning potential abuse cases. Not knowing Beech's dismissed claim of 2012 in Wiltshire meant that detectives unwittingly supported Beech in making a fraudulent claim for compensation in connection to the Savile scandal, Beech received around £22,000 from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority . Toward

1652-490: A potential case of historic abuse, created by Carl Beech – a Wiltshire man born Carl Stephen Gass in 1968, who assumed the surname of his stepfather, a military officer, after his parents divorced and his mother remarried. Conrad made contact with Beech to discuss his blog and its contents, in which he was given detailed allegations by Beech about abuse he claimed he had suffered from a group of powerful men, including his stepfather, during his youth. During meetings with him, Conrad

1770-400: A report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services said that the Met was rated inadequate or failing regarding crime investigations and managing offenders. It was rated as requiring improvement in five other areas, and as adequate in one. In September 2024, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services issued a report regarding

1888-410: A service life of three to five years; the Met replaces or upgrades between 800 and 1,000 vehicles each year. Vehicles were initially maintained and repaired on contract by Babcock International ; from November 2023, the contract for 3,700 of the Met's 5,200 vehicles was undertaken by Rivus Fleet Solutions for a ten-year period. Rivus fell into administration on 21 June 2024, with a deal being agreed by

2006-485: A statement in response stating, "As the UK's investigative authority for war crimes, counter-terrorism policing – through the Met's war crimes team – has a responsibility to support ICC investigations. The ICC opened an investigation in 2019 into alleged war crimes in Israel and Palestine." The spokesman added that "under the terms of the 1998 Rome Statute, our war crimes team is obliged to support any investigations opened by

2124-475: A third was eliminated to intimidate the other abuse victims – in which he supplied the names of two individuals whom he stated had been murdered by the group: Vishal Mehrotra , whose abduction and the subsequent murder in the early 1980s remained unsolved, and Martin Allen , whose disappearance was documented in the late 1970s. Metropolitan Police deemed Beech's accounts "credible and true", though what he told them turned out to be entirely false. In November 2014,

2242-443: A trial. All six were given suspended jail sentences . On 1 January 2024 the Metropolitan Police were criticised by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson for allegedly demonstrating political bias and double standards in their handling of pro-Hamas demonstrations, and their efforts to support an investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes following Israel's response to terror attacks committed by Hamas on 7 October. The Met released

2360-519: A unique identification number which includes a two-letter BCU (Basic Command Unit) code. Following controversy over assaults by uniformed officers with concealed shoulder identification numbers during the G20 summit , Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said, "the public has a right to be able to identify any uniformed officer whilst performing their duty" by their shoulder identification numbers. The Met uniformed officer rank structure, with epaulette design,

2478-783: Is UK£ 70,1734 rising to £82,881 after five years. These salaries may be affected by regional and competency pay allowances. In the United States , superintendent is the title used for the head of certain police departments, such as the New Jersey State Police , Police Command Staff in New York State Police , Massachusetts State Police , Chicago Police Department , New Orleans Police Department , Ohio State Highway Patrol , Missouri State Highway Patrol , Oregon State Police , and Indiana State Police . In some police departments, superintendent

SECTION 20

#1732792965701

2596-506: Is a chief superintendent or "high headman". Ceannfort is also used for the military rank of "commandant", equivalent to major. Each police district is commanded by a superintendent. Districts are sub-units of divisions, which are commanded by chief superintendents. In the Italian Polizia di Stato , the rank of vicequestore equals a British police superintendent, while the rank of sovrintendente (Italian for superintendent)

2714-581: Is a low-level rank, equal to a British or American police sergeant and also equal to sergeant in the Italian military. In Japan, it is used by the Prefectural police for the officer in command of a smaller police station. It is equivalent to the Japanese army rank of lieutenant colonel . Superintendent general and superintendent are, respectively, the ranks of the commander and deputy commanders of

2832-494: Is as follows (from highest to lowest): The Met also has several active Volunteer Police Cadet units, which maintain their own internal rank structure. The Metropolitan Special Constabulary is a contingent of part-time volunteer police officers and is attached to most Borough Operational Command Units. The Metropolitan Special Constabulary Ranks are as follows (from lowest to highest): The prefix "woman" in front of female officers' ranks has been obsolete since 1999. Members of

2950-726: Is equivalent to DPO [or CPO (City Police Officer) in smaller districts] and can be a CSP recruit belonging to PSP (Police Service of Pakistan) and can also be a ranker. In the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary , the rank of superintendent is above chief inspector and below chief superintendent . In the Philippines , superintendent is a rank in the Philippine National Police , the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology , and

3068-515: Is organised into the following directorates: Each is overseen by an assistant commissioner or, in the case of administrative departments, a director of police staff , which is the equivalent civilian staff grade. The management board is made up of the commissioner, deputy commissioner, assistant commissioners and directors. The Metropolitan Police Service uses the standard British police ranks, indicated by epaulettes, up to chief superintendent , but uniquely has five ranks above that level instead of

3186-739: Is scrutinised by the Police and Crime Committee (also known as a police and crime panel ) of the London Assembly . These structures were created by the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 and replaced the Metropolitan Police Authority -appointed board created in 2000 by Greater London Authority Act 1999 . Before 2000, the Metropolitan Police was under the authority of the Home Secretary ,

3304-567: The Bureau of Fire Protection . It is above chief inspector and below senior superintendent and is regarded as the equivalent of lieutenant colonel in the Philippine Army . In Portugal , superintendent ( Portuguese : superintendente ) is an officer rank in the Public Security Police (PSP) . It is senior to the police rank of intendant and inferior to the rank of chief superintendent, being roughly equivalent to

3422-493: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) up to and including the rank of chief superintendent prefix their ranks with "detective". Detective ranks are equivalent in rank to their uniform counterparts. Other departments, such as Special Branch and Child Protection, award non-detectives "branch detective" status, allowing them to use the "Detective" prefix. None of these detective ranks confer on

3540-549: The Hampstead Heath Constabulary . All of these enjoy powers of arrest without warrant as constables; however, the officers of the last mentioned have full police powers, much like officers of the Metropolitan Police, on the heath, whereas the other parks' police primarily focus on by-law enforcement. Metropolitan Police officers have legal jurisdiction throughout all of England and Wales , including areas that have their own special police forces, such as

3658-581: The Metropolitan Police , is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and crime prevention within Greater London . In addition, it is responsible for specialised tasks throughout the United Kingdom, such as dealing with counter-terrorism throughout the UK , and the protection of certain individuals, including the monarch , royal family , governmental officials , and other designated figures. Commonly referred to as

Operation Midland - Misplaced Pages Continue

3776-613: The Metropolitan Police Act 1829 and on 29 September of that year, the first constables of the service appeared on the streets of London. Ten years later, Metropolitan Police Act 1839 consolidated policing within London by expanding the Metropolitan Police District and either abolishing or amalgamating the various other law enforcement entities within London into the Metropolitan Police such as

3894-592: The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). Based upon these investigations and findings, Beech was arrested, with the NSPCC, in the wake of his arrest, stripping him of his role and commitments to their organisation. Whilst on bail, Beech failed to appear at Worcester Crown Court for trial and fled to Sweden in 2017, evading capture for two months by residing in the far north of

4012-509: The Public Security Police (CPSP) of Macau. The rank of superintendent is senior to the rank of intendent. The CPSP rank insignia follows the generic model of the Portuguese Public Security Police, with the insignia of senior officers consisting of epaulets that contain two crossed horsewhips inside a laurel wreath and PSP stars (six-point silver star with the "SP" monogram in the center) whose number defines

4130-574: The Republic of Ireland the rank of superintendent is between inspector and chief superintendent . There are usually two or three assigned to each division. Detectives use the "detective" prefix. There were 178 superintendents in the Garda Síochána at the beginning of 2006. In the Irish language , a Garda superintendent is a ceannfort , which translates literally as "headman". Ard-Cheannfort

4248-883: The Royal Parks Constabulary , which patrolled a number of Greater London's major parks, was merged with the Metropolitan Police in 2004, and those parks are now policed by the Royal Parks Operational Command Unit . There is also a small park police force, the Kew Constabulary , responsible for the Royal Botanic Gardens , whose officers have full police powers within the park. A few local authorities maintain their own borough park constabularies, including Wandsworth Parks and Events Police , Kensington and Chelsea Parks Police , Havering Parks Constabulary and

4366-594: The Thames River Police and the Bow Street Runners . Since January 2012, the Mayor of London is responsible for the governance of the Metropolitan Police through the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). The mayor is able to appoint someone to act on his behalf. As of April 2019 , the office-holder is the deputy mayor for policing and crime, Sophie Linden . The work of MOPAC

4484-531: The Union of South Africa as the rank of the head of the South African Railways & Harbours Police in 1944. It was equivalent to the military rank of colonel, with the same rank insignia. From 1946, there were three grades: chief superintendent (brigadier), deputy chief superintendent (colonel), and superintendent (lieutenant-colonel). The police titles were replaced by the military titles in

4602-585: The "SP" monogram in the center. In Singapore, the rank is used in both the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) as both use the same rank structure. In the SPF, there are three tiers of superintendent: assistant superintendent of police (ASP); deputy superintendent of police (DSP); and superintendent of police (SUPT). These three ranks fall under

4720-519: The ' jam sandwich ', which was first introduced in 1978 with the delivery of high-performance Rover SD1 traffic cars. Originally, marked vehicles were finished in base white paint; this was changed to silver from 2002 to help improve a vehicle's resale value when it was retired from police use. The National Police Air Service provides helicopter support to the Met. A marine policing unit operates 22 vessels from its base in Wapping . Funding for

4838-534: The 1960s. The title was reinstated for the South African Police Service in 1995. There were two grades: senior superintendent (equivalent to colonel) and superintendent (lieutenant-colonel). The police titles were replaced by the military titles in 2010. In Sri Lanka , superintendent of police (SP) is a senior gazetted officer rank senior to assistant superintendent of police and junior to senior superintendent of police . The latter

Operation Midland - Misplaced Pages Continue

4956-500: The British system: In India , a superintendent of police (SP) heads the police force of a police district or is in charge of a rural area in a district. Their rank badge is the state emblem one star. The rank below it is additional superintendent of police (Addl.SP) or deputy superintendent of police (Dy.SP), while the rank above it is senior superintendent of police (SSP). In the state of Kerala , superintendents of police in charge of districts are called District Police Chiefs. In

5074-527: The Commissioners were also non-warranted right up until 2011), but they now include police community support officers (PCSOs ), designated detention officers (DDOs), and many other non-officer roles. Their numbers are currently: As of 2023 , the Met operates and maintains a fleet of around 5,200 vehicles. In 2018, the fleet covered 46,777,720 miles (75,281,440 km). The fleet comprises numerous vehicles, including: The majority of vehicles have

5192-655: The Home Secretary, on the police". However, the decision by the IOPC to excuse detectives, and thus not prosecute any officer for their mistakes in Operation Midland, were heavily criticised by Proctor and several politicians – they believed the IOPC had failed in not pursuing charges on possible misconduct in order to maintain that detectives acted in "good faith" with their investigations. Henriques himself noted that, despite his findings and general acceptance of

5310-455: The ICC that could involve British subjects" and said the posters were put up to meet that obligation. In April 2024, the Met settled a claim for misfeasance in a public office and false imprisonment by agreeing to pay a five-figure sum as damages to a French publisher who had been arrested and detained under anti-terrorism laws while he was on his way to a book fair in London. In August 2024,

5428-674: The Met , it is also referred to as Scotland Yard or the Yard , after the location of its original headquarters in Great Scotland Yard , Whitehall in the 19th century. The Met is presently headquartered at New Scotland Yard , on the Victoria Embankment . The main geographical area covered by the Met, the Metropolitan Police District , consists of the 32 London boroughs , and excludes

5546-465: The Met had received such allegations from Samantha Ramsay, who is now deceased. The BBC reported that "Samantha’s family say the Met dismissed her claims. They believe that multiple women could have been saved from sexual abuse if the force had acted." The Met claimed that there was no history of Samantha's allegations on their computer system, "but that in 1995 some reports were paper-based and might not have been transferred." Ramsay's sister, Emma, recalled

5664-449: The Met has attempted to save money due to cuts in funding. The MPD is now divided into 12 Basic Command Units (BCUs) made up of two, three or four boroughs. There is criticism of these changes. The City of London (which is not a London borough) is a separate police area and is the responsibility of the separate City of London Police . The Ministry of Defence Police is responsible for policing of Ministry of Defence property throughout

5782-622: The Met, with the assistance of any relevant specialist force, even if they are committed on Ministry of Defence or railway property. A minor incursion into the normal jurisdiction of territorial police officers in England and Wales is that Met officers involved in the protection duties of the Royal Family and other VIPs have full police powers in Scotland and Northern Ireland in connection with those duties. The Metropolitan Police Service

5900-449: The Metropolitan Police announced a large-scale investigation, codenamed Operation Midland, into Beech's claims. The Met recruited a taskforce of detectives and experienced officers, led by Detective Superintendent Kenny McDonald, to handle the investigation, and modelled the operation after Operation Yewtree , a similar investigation conducted by police that had investigated several VIPs over child abuse allegations. Once Operation Midland

6018-412: The Metropolitan Police began to drop the charges against each member of the accused, saying that they would take no further action against them, before eventually shutting down the police operation. With no sufficient evidence being uncovered or credible witnesses being located by detectives working within Operation Midland, and growing criticism that the investigation was becoming a baseless "witch-hunt",

SECTION 50

#1732792965701

6136-438: The Metropolitan Police has been cut due to austerity . Changes in the way the government pays for police pensions will lead to further cuts. Its expenditure for single years, not adjusted for inflation, has been: In addition to the headquarters at New Scotland Yard, there are many police stations in London. These range from large borough headquarters staffed around the clock every day to smaller stations, which may be open to

6254-414: The Metropolitan Police to buy back its maintenance operations, saving 165 jobs. By 2012, the Met was marking all new marked vehicles with Battenburg markings , a highly reflective material on the side of the vehicles, chequered blue and yellow green for the police, and in other colours for other services. The old livery was an orange stripe through the vehicle, with the force's logo, known colloquially as

6372-593: The Met’s handling of the pro-Palestinian protests, saying that the Met had been largely impartial. The report criticised the then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the then Home Secretary Suella Braverman for suggesting otherwise. In November 2024, it was found that the Metropolitan Police were told about allegations of sexual assault against Mohamed Al-Fayed , the late businessman and owner of Harrods, ten years earlier than it had acknowledged. The Met had claimed that it first received such allegations in 2005. However, in 1995,

6490-572: The Ministry of Defence, as do all police officers of territorial police forces . Officers also have limited powers in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Within the MPD, the Met will take over the investigation of any serious crime from the Ministry of Defence Police and to a lesser degree BTP, if it is deemed appropriate. Terrorist incidents and complex murder enquiries will almost always be investigated by

6608-574: The Office of Constable. *include temporary constables from war period ^includes 753 officers policing Woolwich Arsenal and Her Majesty's Dockyards in Chatham , Portsmouth , Pembroke , Devonport and Rosyth . The Met's Police Staff are non-warranted civilians. When the Met was formed in 1829 there were only six of them (the Receiver , his two clerks and the three Commissioners' clerks, although

6726-746: The United Kingdom, including its headquarters in Whitehall and other MoD establishments across the MPD. The British Transport Police (BTP) are responsible for policing of the rail network in Great Britain , including London. Within London, they are also responsible for the policing of the London Underground , London Trams , the London Cable Car and the Docklands Light Railway . The English part of

6844-753: The abuse he claimed he had been subjected to at various locations, including the Elm Guest House , the Dolphin Square apartment block in Pimlico , the Carlton Club , and various other locations in the Home Counties . Most concerning for detectives were Beech's claims that he, alongside a number of other child victims of the group, had been witness to three murders – Beech claimed that two children were killed for sexual pleasure, while

6962-456: The acceptance of a victim's allegations with the objective need to investigate such claims. In response to the findings made in the report, Hogan-Howe admitted that, in his opinion, the mistakes and errors that occurred during Operation Midland stemmed from an over-reaction to "apparent mistakes back in 2012 relating to revelations of very serious and serial child abuse, a mixture of public outrage and propaganda" which "put immense pressure through

7080-815: The accusations against the accused – the homes of both Bramall in Yorkshire and Proctor on the estate of Belvoir Castle , in Leicestershire, were searched in March, while the home of Lord Brittan was raided six weeks after his death, with computers, hard drives and documents removed for examination. Despite a search for abuse victims connected to the allegations made by Beech, no credible individuals could be found by police. Shortly after Beech's claims of abuse were announced by Metropolitan Police, another accuser came forward to make further accusations against Lord Brittan and statements of witnessing two murders committed by

7198-429: The accused, as being "close to evil" based on Beech's accounts. Conservative politician Zac Goldsmith spoke out in support of the allegations against Lord Brittan, while former Labour politician John Mann compiled a dossier of his own, containing allegations against 22 high-profile individuals, which he passed on to police. By 2015, police were conducting extensive searches for documents and articles that could support

SECTION 60

#1732792965701

7316-679: The actions of the Metropolitan Police, and voiced support for, amongst other things, providing anonymity to suspected abusers until sufficient evidence had been found. In regards to those accused and investigated by the police, Henriques made it clear in his findings that the men had been "all victims of false allegations" with it firmly noted that the "presumption of innocence appears to have been set aside." The IOPC made clear that, from these mistakes uncovered, future public accountability and reassurances needed to be addressed by British police, with recommendations for possible audio recordings of court hearings for search warrants and renewed efforts to balance

7434-442: The allegations against them; Proctor himself learnt from his solicitors that the allegation against him included claims that he had stabbed a 12-year-old boy before strangling him to death. He then held a press conference afterwards to give the public details of the police's accounts of the claims, along with the names of those accused on similar charges. Appeals were sent out for further information and witness reports in regards to

7552-470: The allegations of child abuse and possible homicide , alongside any other potential activities of a similar nature that could have taken place near the Houses of Parliament between the 1970s and 1980s. Alleged contemporaneous incidents across London and at military establishments were also placed under investigation. Public support for the case was increased by the influence of Labour politician Tom Watson ,

7670-433: The attention his claims granted him. Jenny Hopkins, the prosecutor in the case, made clear that Beech's actions were those of a man who was not a victim, but rather a "manipulative, prolific, deceitful liar". On 22 July 2019, Beech was found guilty of all charges, and sentenced four days later to 18 years in prison. Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service ( MPS ), formerly and still commonly known as

7788-404: The attention it would bring him, with little heed for the consequences and the damage it would cause. Many of the claims surrounding the abuse Beech had purported to have endured, and the effect it had had on his life, were contradicted by the records accessed by detectives, while many areas of his account were based upon various ongoing and closed abuse cases that he had extensively researched on

7906-443: The belief they were actually talking to a friend of his through an e-mail address Beech had supplied to them. Detectives subsequently found that Beech himself was a prolific child abuser who was already under investigation for a number of child sex offences, including voyeurism and making and possessing indecent images of children. These offences took place whilst he was co-operating with Operation Midland and simultaneously working for

8024-549: The case in September 2015 on grounds of insufficient evidence. Suffolk Police's decision to drop the accusations of "Darren" led to detectives within Operation Midland to question the justification of launching the probe into the twelve men based only on the words of Beech's accusations. Their concerns were further increased after another accuser – hidden under anonymity with the name "David" – admitted to detectives that he had been falsely claiming that he had been abused by some of

8142-432: The case were lifted, allowing him to be publicly identified. In May 2019, Beech was placed on trial at Newcastle Crown Court , but denied the charges against him, continuing to pursue claims that his allegations were true despite the evidence to the contrary. The motives attributed to his actions varied, and were determined to be a mixture of a need for money – Beech had debts due to his spending habits – and his desire for

8260-469: The claims, and an inquiry into the police investigation afterwards concluded that the people involved had been falsely accused, leaving them dealing with considerable damage to their lives and reputations. A report of the inquiry's findings found that detectives and officers within the operation's taskforce had committed several errors during the course of their work, and made calls for more effective checks on allegations and accountability by police. Following

8378-403: The country, using multiple aliases: an extensive manhunt led to his capture and subsequent extradition back to Britain. In July 2018, after extensive interviews with detectives over his unsubstantiated claims, Beech was charged with twelve counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of fraud, alongside the child sex offences he had committed. In December, the reporting restrictions in

8496-404: The day they were reported in 2017 and did not investigate them further. This compares to 13,019 the previous year. 18,093 crimes were closed in 24 hours during the first 5 months of 2018 making it likely that the 2017 total will be exceeded. Crimes not being investigated include sexual assaults and arson, burglaries, thefts and assaults. Some critics believe this shows the effect of austerity on

8614-571: The end of Operation Midland's lifespan, police had begun to doubt Beech's allegations. Beech began to distance himself from the Metropolitan Police, cancelling interviews and withdrawing his further co-operation with detectives. On 2 November 2016, the Metropolitan Police contacted Northumbria Police to investigate Beech over a possible charge of perverting the course of justice. Alongside a search of his home within Newcastle upon Tyne , where he now resided, for documents and evidence, detectives made

8732-699: The findings of Henriques's report into the operation's conduct, including the need for anonymity protection for those accused until sufficient evidence was provided to support allegations against them, charities supporting victims of abuse and British policing voiced clear concerns that Operation Midland had created uncertainty amongst abuse victims, stating that the entire operation's conduct, and its subsequent revelation that it had been based on false information, had left genuine victims likely to question if police would consider their claims credible enough to investigate. Watson remained adamant in support of abuse victims coming out against their abusers, though his own conduct

8850-425: The force's ability to carry out its responsibilities. The Met was controversial even before its formation in 1829. Since the 1970s, such controversies have often centred on institutional racism and institutional sexism within the organisation, along with the right to protest, failures in investigations, and officers belonging to proscribed organisations. In 2023, a report on the Metropolitan Police found that

8968-491: The force's chief financial officer, it was headed by a civilian secretary, who was equivalent in rank to the assistant commissioners. The area policed by the Metropolitan Police Service is known as the Metropolitan Police District (MPD). The Met was divided into 32 Borough Operational Command Units that directly aligned with the 32 London boroughs covered. This situation has changed since 2017, as

9086-406: The future deputy leader , who had campaigned in support of investigations into historic abuse. Watson had met with Beech prior to the start of the operation in regards to his Exaro story, and remained in contact with him as the operation began, showing his support of Beech's allegations by accusing the named men; when interviewed about the matter, Watson publicly spoke out against Lord Brittan, one of

9204-502: The group. Although given anonymity and referenced by detectives under the name of "Darren", the Metropolitan Police questioned the validity of the claims, and eventually determined them to be potentially false. Despite this line of inquiry no longer being feasible to pursue, the claims of "Darren" were passed over to Suffolk police to further investigate. Detectives in Suffolk interviewed six people under caution before eventually dropping

9322-577: The holder any extra pay or supervisory authority compared to their uniformed colleagues. The following is the current released workforce data for the ranks. The chief officers rank covers all senior ranks as well as special constables covering all special constable ranks. A roundel azure, thereon the Royal Cypher of His Majesty King Charles the Third argent within a circlet azure fimbriated and inscribed with words 'Metropolitan Police' in letters argent,

9440-443: The internet: in particular, sketches he supplied to the Metropolitan Police were found to be photocopies of those that had been already published, rather than original drawings, while his murder allegations were influenced by his research of online media stories surrounding the death of Vishal Mehrotra and the disappearance of Martin Allen , which led to published journalistic speculation that these two cases may have been connected to

9558-628: The leadership of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis , directly accountable to the Mayor of London , through the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime and the Home Office. The post of commissioner was first held jointly by Sir Charles Rowan and Sir Richard Mayne , with Sir Mark Rowley currently holding the position since July 2022. The Metropolitan Police Service was founded in 1829 by Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel under

9676-552: The matters being investigated. It is not in my character or my psyche." Public support for the investigation eventually began to wane after Proctor held a press conference to denounce the police's operation and the allegations against himself and the others, and further after the findings of both the Panorama investigation and those conducted by the Daily Mail . Over the course of three months in 2016, between January and March,

9794-441: The media is not going to encourage others to speak out". Proctor called on Hogan-Howe to resign in the midst of the calamitous police operation, stating that Operation Midland "has had a disastrous effect on genuine complaints of child sexual abuse, both present and historical. I think it has been incredibly counterproductive ... And when they established the truth – some time ago I think – they were too afraid of each other and

9912-419: The media to pull the plug." For the Metropolitan Police, the cost of belatedly investigating Beech's allegations was severe. Over the eighteen months that Operation Midland was in effect, detectives spent over £2 million; when it was clear that false allegations had been made, further costs were incurred – the investigation into Beech's allegations, handled by Northumbria Police , added a further £900,000, while

10030-522: The men stated in Beech's accusation, including Lord Brittan. Journalists for the BBC investigation series Panorama , investigating the inquiry, interviewed "David" over his revelation to police, when it came to their attention. The accuser's actions to come clean to police were derived from personal guilt over their false claims – the accuser had never met the people he named; his accusations were made as merely

10148-465: The mistakes made, the inquiries made by the IOPC had been "flawed". The overall impact of Beech's allegations created considerable damage towards the lives of the men investigated by police. For some, the damage ruined their reputations and their trust with the police; in Harvey Proctor 's case, the false claims effectively cost him his home and his job. But the emotional cost of the allegations

10266-619: The oldest operational police stations in London is in Wapping , which opened in 1908. It is the headquarters of the marine policing unit (formerly known as Thames Division), which is responsible for policing the River Thames . It also houses a mortuary and the River Police Museum. Paddington Green Police Station , which is no longer operational, received much publicity for its housing of terrorism suspects in an underground complex prior to its closure in 2017. In 2004, there

10384-461: The only British territorial police force to be administered by central government . The Metropolitan Police Office (MPO), although based at Scotland Yard, was a department of the Home Office created in 1829 and was responsible for the force's day-to-day administration. Under the authority of the receiver , a civilian official who was equivalent in rank to the deputy commissioner and served as

10502-441: The organisation was rife with racism, misogyny, and homophobia, and was corrupt. A 363-page report written by Louise Casey, Baroness Casey of Blackstock was commissioned after the abduction of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens, a police constable. The report stated that 12% of female Met employees had been harassed or attacked, with 33% experiencing sexism. Other incidents include a Muslim officer who had bacon stuffed into his boots and

10620-548: The police as having said at the time: Emma recalls that the police told Samantha: “We’ve added it to a pile of other female names that we’ve got that have made the same complaint against Mohamed Al Fayed.” On 8 November, the Independent Office for Police Conduct announced that they would be investigating the Met over their handling of allegations of sexual misconduct related to the case. Other London emergency services: Detective Superintendent In Australia,

10738-428: The police were forced to compensate both Lord Bramall and Lady Brittan, at a cost of £100,000, for illegally entering their homes for documents and evidence without possessing a legal warrant. Proctor, who had been affected considerably by the investigation, lodged a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Police for compensation over their behaviour against him. One of the significant errors detectives made in Operation Midland

10856-493: The precise rank. The number of stars in the insignia of superintendent general and superintendent are, respectively, four and three. The rank insignia of superintendent general and superintendent are also distinguished in being in red epaulets instead of the dark blue of the other ranks. In New Zealand , the rank of superintendent is above inspector and below assistant commissioner . Superintendents are typically appointed as district commanders or directors of service centres, and

10974-414: The pseudonym of "Nick" to conceal his identity, as is common practice for protecting victims of abuse from their abusers. Conrad's story was picked up by detectives in the Metropolitan Police , who made requests to see his source, and agreed to allow the journalist to attend their initial meeting with Beech upon Conrad arranging for him to come forward. In these meetings, Beech gave full, detailed accounts of

11092-537: The public only during normal business hours, or on certain days of the week. In 2017, there were 73 working front counters open to the public in London. Most police stations can easily be identified from one or more blue lamps located outside the entrance, which were introduced in 1861. The oldest Metropolitan police station, which opened in Bow Street in 1881, closed in 1992 and the adjoining Bow Street Magistrates' Court heard its last case on 14 July 2006. One of

11210-504: The rank is also held by the commandant of the Royal New Zealand Police College . In Pakistan , a senior superintendent of police is the head of the district police. Some districts and police divisions are commanded by superintendents of police. The police service of Pakistan now identifies a new hierarchy including DPO (District Police Officer), CCPO (Capital City Police Officer) etc. Superintendent of Police

11328-460: The rank of superintendent is the next senior rank from chief Inspector and is less senior than a chief superintendent ( Victoria Police , South Australia Police , New South Wales Police , Queensland Police ) or an assistant commissioner ( Western Australia Police ). Some officers also hold the rank of detective chief superintendent (though this is seldom used) and detective superintendent. Superintendents wear an epaulette bearing one pip below

11446-518: The report into Operation Midland, Hogan-Howe was forced to personally apologise to some of the victims of the investigation for their treatment, including Bramall, Lord Brittan's widow, and Proctor. Proctor later commented about the impact of the investigation on those falsely accused stating that: "I do believe it is profoundly un-British and unfair....I believe I have been pilloried and the Met Police service has enabled me to be wrongly depicted as

11564-457: The reporting of the inquiry's findings, the Metropolitan Police were forced to make apologies to those who had been accused and to compensate them financially. The disastrous outcome of the operation further eroded the organisation's reputation, already impacted by government pressure to improve its handling of abuse cases. It was concluded that, as a consequence, genuine victims of abuse might be discouraged from coming forward. The inquiry's handling

11682-772: The senior police officer category. The rank was introduced in 1825, for the head of the Cape Town police. It was discontinued in 1860. It was also used in the short-lived Griqualand Mounted Police from 1873 to 1880 and in the Natal Police from 1894 to 1913, the Transvaal Town Police from 1901 to 1908, the Transvaal Police from 1908 to 1913, and the Orange River Colony Police from 1908 to 1913. The rank reappeared in

11800-524: The square mile of the City of London – a largely non-residential and financial district, overseen by the City of London Police . As the force responsible for the majority of UK's capital, the Met has significant responsibilities and unique challenges, such as protecting 164 foreign embassies and High Commissions , policing London City and Heathrow airports, protecting the Palace of Westminster , and managing

11918-570: The standard three: commander, deputy assistant commissioner, assistant commissioner, deputy commissioner and commissioner. All senior officers of the rank of Commander and above are chief police officers of NPCC (previously ACPO ) rank. The Met approved the use of name badges in October 2003, with new recruits wearing the Velcro badges from September 2004. The badge consists of the wearer's rank, followed by their surname. All officers are assigned

12036-462: The then– Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police , Bernard Hogan-Howe , ordered in February 2016 for an immediate inquiry into the operation to be conducted, a month before its conclusion. Retired judge Sir Richard Henriques headed the inquiry by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to determine the overall conduct of officers and detectives during Operation Midland. An extensive check

12154-622: The whole upon a star of eight major and fifty-six lesser points argent, ensigned by the Royal Crown proper. The Metropolitan Police Service includes full-time, paid officers known as 'regulars', and part-time, voluntary officers from the Metropolitan Special Constabulary . Both regulars and specials enjoy full police powers, wear the same uniform, and carry the same kit. As elsewhere in the UK, 'regulars' are not employees, but rather Crown servants , and holders of

12272-515: Was a call from the Institute for Public Policy Research for more imaginative planning of police stations to aid in improving relations between police forces and the wider community. Crimes reported within the Metropolitan Police District , selected by quarter centuries. The following table shows the percentage detection rates for the Metropolitan Police by offence group for 2010/11. The Metropolitan Police Service "screened out" 34,164 crimes

12390-518: Was added in each division later in 1954. In most other forces, superintendent lay between inspector and assistant chief constable until well into the 20th century. In many smaller forces, the senior superintendent was also the ACC. Some forces had chief inspectors, and some later acquired chief superintendents, but this was by no means universal. Today, however, every force in the country has all three ranks. A superintendent's starting salary, as of 2021 ,

12508-470: Was another change, when the rank was split into superintendent grade I (current superintendents, chief inspectors commanding sub-divisions and detective chief inspectors commanding divisional CIDs) and superintendent grade II (other current chief inspectors), with a redefined rank of chief inspector being created for senior inspectors . Superintendents grade II wore the crown (the rank badge formerly worn by chief inspectors), with superintendents grade I wearing

12626-494: Was commanded by a superintendent. The rank below superintendent was originally inspector until the introduction of chief inspector in 1868. Originally, only the commissioners held a higher rank than superintendent (and they were not sworn police officers). In 1839, Captain William Hay was appointed to the new rank of inspecting superintendent, replaced by assistant commissioner in 1856. The rank of district superintendent

12744-479: Was created in the 1980s. Superintendents are typically appointed as regional commanders of police divisions. The rank of superintendent is senior to chief inspector and junior to chief superintendent . The rank badge is a crown worn on the epaulettes , the same as a major in the British Army . The rank of superintendent was introduced at the foundation of the Metropolitan Police in 1829. Each division

12862-563: Was criticised by some of the accused in Operation Midland. The perpetrator of the false allegations, Carl Beech, later investigated for perverting the course of justice , was himself found to have been a child abuser, and was eventually arrested and charged for his actions. In July 2019, he was found guilty and sentenced to 18 years in prison. In the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal in 2012, police were facing mounting pressure to investigate any and all cases of child abuse, particularly of

12980-399: Was far greater in magnitude, both for the accused and their families, in their fight to deny and defend the accusations against them from both the police and media coverage. For some, the cost was made more severe – some of the accused and relatives of those named, died during the course of the operation, and would never know that the accusations by detectives would be dropped. In the wake of

13098-546: Was insufficient evidence and no credible witnesses to support the continuation of investigations against the accused. The statements of those interviewed by police who had worked with the accused provided no support for the accused having been abusers during the 1970s and 1980s, and subsequent interviews with the accused revealed total denial of the accusations made against them: Proctor denied being part of any "rent-boy ring" or attending sex parties with prominent figures, while Bramall denied having "a connection or anything to do with

13216-714: Was introduced between superintendent and assistant commissioner in 1869, and was renamed chief constable in 1886. The rank of superintendent was also adopted in the Detective Branch (later the Criminal Investigation Department ) from 1868, when Adolphus Williamson , the first head of the branch, was promoted to the rank. In 1949, Metropolitan Police superintendents were regraded to the new rank of chief superintendent, chief inspectors were regraded to superintendent, and sub-divisional inspectors and divisional detective inspectors were regraded to chief inspector (with those ranks being abolished). In September 1953, there

13334-492: Was made into several areas, including how thoroughly police had looked into the allegations they had received from Beech, the treatment detectives had given to those accused by him, and the manner in which evidence had been acquired. Henriques' findings, released in his report in November 2016, uncovered several errors that the Metropolitan Police had made in their investigations, amongst which were: Henriques's report condemned

13452-645: Was married to his mother for only a few months before they divorced, and, shortly afterwards, retired from the army on mental health grounds. Prior to Operation Midland, Beech had continued to put forth claims that he had been abused, including appearing in a short-lived documentary series concerning the possible male victims of Savile's abuse, in order to support his allegations. He then turned to online blogs to spread his false claims: by 2014, he had become obsessed with public attention to potential historic abuse cases and their impact within British society, paying particular attention to rising conspiracy theories surrounding

13570-455: Was placed under considerable doubt after further inquiries deemed that he had pressured officers extensively to investigate Beech's claims without realising that he was being misled. When the Panorama exposé was due to be broadcast in 2015, Metropolitan Police became "worried that this programme and other recent reporting will deter victims and witnesses from coming forward in future. Seeing an individual make allegations and then be targeted by

13688-412: Was taken to various locations and given accounts of what Beech had allegedly been made to endure between 1975 and 1984 at each site. Conrad made further confirmation about his abuser's identities, by supplying photos to Beech for him to identify those he had named. Conrad posted his inquiries into the blog and its allegations in a story for the investigative journalism website Exaro , providing Beech with

13806-400: Was to fully accept the allegations made by Carl Beech without objectively investigating the credibility of his claims. As the operation began to reach its conclusion in March 2016, the taskforce began to re-check the accounts given by Beech, and slowly began to unravel his deception. Unknown to the Metropolitan Police at the time he made his allegations, Beech had previously attempted to submit

13924-751: Was under way, the police began their focus on the men whom Beech had implicated as being members of a VIP child abuse ring – amongst those he had named included the former Members of Parliament Harvey Proctor and Lord Janner , the former Home Secretary Lord Brittan , former Prime Minister Edward Heath , former Chief of the Defence Staff Lord Bramall , the former Director of the Secret Intelligence Service Maurice Oldfield , and former Director-General of MI5 Michael Hanley . All were subsequently informed they were under investigation regarding

#700299