Britain's Top Policeman Resigns

Britain's Top Policeman Resigns

news.bbc.co.uk

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair has announced his resignation after three years in the job.

Sir Ian said he had lost the backing of London mayor Boris Johnson, who took over as chairman of the police authority on Wednesday.

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So, its finally happened. After nearly 4 years of bodge jobs and fob-off style excuses, its finally happened.

Not only did his policies result in innocent deaths (Jean Charles de Menezes being a prime example), he has now been found to have dished out force contracts to a company owned by a friend of his - the 'Cash for Cronies' scam.

Your thoughts?

news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

About bloody time - it seems to me as though this was a "jump before pushed" moment.

A quick list of his "achievements"

October 2008
More claims emerge about Blair awarding work to his close friend Andy Miller. This time it relates to payments of £15,000, allegedly paid to Miller's company, Impact Plus, to "sharpen" Blair's image. A press conference is called by Scotland Yard.

September 2008
After weeks of speculation Britain's top Asian policeman, assistant commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, launched a £1.2million racial discrimination claim against Blair. In the same month Blair denied there was a Home Office plot to oust him, and vows not to quit.

July 2008
Blair faced corruption claims in the press after it was revealed £3m in Scotland Yard contracts were awarded to a personal friend, Andy Miller.

February 2008
Blair was embroiled in another bugging scandal after Labour MP Sadiq Khan said his prison conversations with prisoner Babar Ahmad were recorded in 2005 and 2006. Downing Street said police had not broken any rules.

November 2007
The Met Police were found guilty under health and safety rules for the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes. They were fined £175,000, with a £385,000 bill for legal costs.

Following the decision, Blair survived an unprecedented no-confidence vote after members of the Metropolitan Police Authority backed him. Members of the London Assembly called the vote.

In the same month it was revealed a corruption probe was underway at the Met over expenses run up by officers on Amex cards.

October 2007
An Old Bailey trial heard that "catastrophic" errors were made by the police in the fatal shooting of de Menezes.

May 2007
The de Menezes family accuse the Met of "getting away with murder" after the Independent Police Complaints Commission announce 11 officers will not be punished over his death.

July 2006
The Crown Prosecution Service announced it was to prosecute the Metropolitan Police under health and safety laws, but no individual police officers will be charged over the Stockwell shooting.

March 2006
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick threatened to sue his own force for libel after it issued a statement saying that his evidence to the Independent Police Complaints Commission - reportedly, that an officer in Sir Ian's private office knew six hours after the shooting that the Brazilian had no connection with terrorism - was untrue.

March 2006
Blair fights for his job after it emerged that he secretly taped a phone conversation with a senior minister. Questions were raised over Blair's judgement after he took the extraordinary step of recording a 10-minute call from Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, the top law officer.

October 2005
The de Menezes family make an official complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, alleging misinformation had been allowed to circulate about the circumstances of the shooting. They also complain about comments by Sir Ian Blair.

July 2005
Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian national living in London, was shot dead at Stockwell tube station on the London Underground by unnamed Metropolitan Police officers. He was mistaken for a terrorist. Scotland Yard confirms Mr de Menezes was not connected to terrorist activity.

source

This is a man who stands for everything new labour does - croneyism, cheating, scandals, lawbreaking, fraud and probably much more.

Perhaps Boris ain't so bad after all.....

reply to post by budski


Wow.
Seeing all them in one places makes me wonder why it took so bloody long. It's something that has been a long time coming. Funny how everyones favourite political clown Boris Johnson was the one person with decent authority who actually called for this, instead of bending over forwards and doing whatever this week's Home Secretary wishes.

-- edit for spelling, and a bit of grammar

[edit on 2-10-2008 by selfisolated]

Exactly.

There are some changes for the better happending right now and I think his resignation is one of them.
Boris may be regarded as a clown, but he's got the 'Reagan' effect and knows how to use it for the power of good
I wonder who the Commissioners replacement will be?

Maybe 6 months ago, I'd have been genuinely happy to hear this. However, due to the general political and economic climate, any such positivity is dampened. My feelings are exactly the same with the current government; they need to go, but I'm frightened to death about what could possibly be around the corner.

I literally have no faith at all in anything any more.

[edit on 2-10-2008 by Merriman Weir]

July 2005
Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian national living in London illegally and running away from police officers who told him to stop after they mistook him for a suicide bomber they where looking for should have been the description

[edit on 2-10-2008 by fatdad]

uk.reuters.com...

And hes just leaving now?
He should have left back then.