The Met has managed to draw enough of its firearms officers back into the fold after the 300-strong Kaba walkout over the weekend. The Home Office had asked the army to step in as a contingency…
The Met is now saying that “discussions have been taking place with those officers” over the weekend and London couterterrorism duties can be fulfilled by the Met’s own firearms officers. At ease…
Read the Met’s full statement below:
Guido understands the Metropolitan Police’s investigation into the Jenkins’ lockdown-breaking drinks party is proceeding with the Special Enquiry Team, who are contacting potential sources and witnesses this week. The Met launched their probe back in June, announcing they were “assessing information and new material” in light of alleged breaches in Parliament, including – as Guido first reported – the party held by Eleanor Laing to celebrate Anne Jenkin’s birthday in December 2020. Bernard Jenkin is still keeping schtum…
Guido hears detectives are now gathering new supplementary evidence, including WhatsApp transcripts. Ello, ello, ello…
A London-wide manhunt is currently underway for a terror suspect, and Met Commissioner Mark Rowley took it as the perfect opportunity to admit plans to dodge scrutiny from elected representatives. Speaking to the Greater London Authority, Rowley said “I do question the amount of these appearances”, referring to their regular Q&A sessions. Rowley’s excuse is that his time for scrutiny will be taken up by for the new policing board – comprised of Sadiq and his bureaucratic appointees. The commissioner said:
“I do question the amount of these appearances, in terms of the Q&A sessions… and so we’re going to need to look at that balance as we see the final details of the frequency of meetings et cetera. But it may well mean end up in fewer of these appearances from myself and the senior team”
He’s looking for a get out jail free card…
In response, one Senior London assembly member didn’t hold back:
“Democratic oversight of the Met Police died before our eyes… Senior Met officers have been scrutinised every fortnight of the year by the Assembly with a monthly public meeting with the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner. My confidence in the Met, like many Londoners, has died.”
Careful. Wouldn’t want to give the Met another case of “threatening and abusive words” to investigate.
Just Stop Oil’s protests have cost the taxpayer more than £7.7 million in Met Police funding over the last 13 weeks, with 150 officers a day having to respond to their pointless stunts. Met Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist revealed the equivalent of a whopping 23,500 officer shifts had been wasted on attending to the eco-loons – even though the officers have often just stood around idly as the unwashed tribe glue themselves to the road…
Twist told LBC:
“…When you get into deliberately causing serious disruption to the public of London, stopping people from going about their daily business, disrupting people from going to work or hospital or taking their children to school then that tips over into crime… One of the challenges we have with Just Stop Oil is they don’t tell us where they’re going to protest, they don’t tell us when they’re going to take action.”
£7.7 million could pay the salaries of around 200 officers…
A painfully awkward moment in the London Assembly today, as LibDem Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon quizzed Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley on the investigation into the “Shaun Bailey for London Holiday Party“… while Bailey himself, who remains a member of City Hall’s Police and Crime committee, was sitting just a few rows away from her.
Pidgeon was clearly in a mood to ruffle feathers, reminding Rowley about the new incriminating evidence of the “jingle and mingle save the date” invitations and a leaked video of the raucous event. Bailey said nothing, ashen faced as Caroline threw the cat among the pigeons…
Metropolitan Police Chief Sir Mark Rowley has just told the London Assembly his force will be poring through CCTV footage and photo evidence as part of their new probe into Bernard Jenkin’s lockdown drinks party in 2020. They’ll also be quizzing the partygoers. He pointed out just how many fines were issued last time…
“We’ve decided we are going to go forward with investigations, and so that will follow the same course as last time. We’ll collect all the evidence we can do, the CCTV, photos, et cetera. It will probably involve statements and questionnaires, and we’ll work our way through. And we’ll come to whatever the right judgements are in terms of tickets or prosecutions if necessary. As you’ll recall, the previous investigations… led to eighty-something people receiving tickets and fixed penalty notices.”
Ello, ello, ello…
