Met Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson quits

[Biker Biggles]

And another---John Yates goes as well.

Its not just about who got hired by whom,theres plenty of stuff about little perks being offered and accepted such as extended stays at very expensive health farms with no doubt much more to come.Its about a culture of executive largess that is being exposed,not entirely unlike the MP expenses thing.Watch this space.

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/s...-201107184085/

[Red Herring]

I think a few individuals need a reality check. I have absolutely no doubt some influential figures accepted some perks here, did some favours in return and probably broke a few rules along the way. This is the real world we live in and businessmen, politicians, senior police officers and just about any other profession you care to name have always greased a few palms to either get their job done more effectively or to make their life a bit easier. The real issue is have any of them done anything on this occasion that was criminally dishonest or in some way compromised their position or the safety of the public. I'm fairly confident that the end losers here will be the british public, especially the residents of London, as no matter what you might say about these two officers they were both pretty effective at doing their jobs and London was a safer place for it.

Politicians are just about the most untrustworthy group of individuals you will find, they say whatever it takes to get themselves elected and then fail to deliver when faced with the reality of government, but that's OK because whilst there they will set themselves up for their early retirement, and we continually oblige them by voting them in one minute and out the next as the mood takes us. Are you sure you want senior police officers to start following suit? What the Met needed here was strong leadership and a boss that was prepared to tell his critics to sod off and concentrate on their own jobs instead of trying to tell him how to do his. I think it's a real shame he didn't feel he had the support to do it. The kids are now running the kindergarten....

Originally Posted by davepreston

power corupts

absolute power curupts absolutly

You must be feeling uber-powerful today DP - it's corrupted your spelling already!

[Bri w]

Originally Posted by Red Herring

I think a few individuals need a reality check. I have absolutely no doubt some influential figures accepted some perks here, did some favours in return and probably broke a few rules along the way. This is the real world we live in and businessmen, politicians, senior police officers and just about any other profession you care to name have always greased a few palms to either get their job done more effectively or to make their life a bit easier. The real issue is have any of them done anything on this occasion that was criminally dishonest or in some way compromised their position or the safety of the public. I'm fairly confident that the end losers here will be the british public, especially the residents of London, as no matter what you might say about these two officers they were both pretty effective at doing their jobs and London was a safer place for it.

Politicians are just about the most untrustworthy group of individuals you will find, they say whatever it takes to get themselves elected and then fail to deliver when faced with the reality of government, but that's OK because whilst there they will set themselves up for their early retirement, and we continually oblige them by voting them in one minute and out the next as the mood takes us. Are you sure you want senior police officers to start following suit? What the Met needed here was strong leadership and a boss that was prepared to tell his critics to sod off and concentrate on their own jobs instead of trying to tell him how to do his. I think it's a real shame he didn't feel he had the support to do it. The kids are now running the kindergarten....

I hate it when posts turn into lets knock the Police, and there is always a danger whenever threads are posted specifically highlighting (potential) failings that that will be the road that it goes down but...

De Menezes, and then a newspaper seller in the wrong place, and this current sad episode which in reality stretches back years. And those are just the high profile failings... what about the day to day rubbish?

Whether Stephenson and Yates were the right people to drive the Met forward we'll now never know but whatever happens I do hope that what appears to be turning into an institutionalised mess is tidied up sooner rather than later. I've never subscribed to jumping on "what do you expect, they're the Police..." but Jeez what a bl00dy mess.

As for Dodgy Dave, more like Dodging Dave. Continually absent during this mess just so he doesn't have to lie when awkward questions arise. Is there such a thing as a good politician?

[Biker Biggles]

Originally Posted by Red Herring

I think a few individuals need a reality check. I have absolutely no doubt some influential figures accepted some perks here, did some favours in return and probably broke a few rules along the way. This is the real world we live in and businessmen, politicians, senior police officers and just about any other profession you care to name have always greased a few palms to either get their job done more effectively or to make their life a bit easier. The real issue is have any of them done anything on this occasion that was criminally dishonest or in some way compromised their position or the safety of the public. I'm fairly confident that the end losers here will be the british public, especially the residents of London, as no matter what you might say about these two officers they were both pretty effective at doing their jobs and London was a safer place for it.

Politicians are just about the most untrustworthy group of individuals you will find, they say whatever it takes to get themselves elected and then fail to deliver when faced with the reality of government, but that's OK because whilst there they will set themselves up for their early retirement, and we continually oblige them by voting them in one minute and out the next as the mood takes us. Are you sure you want senior police officers to start following suit? What the Met needed here was strong leadership and a boss that was prepared to tell his critics to sod off and concentrate on their own jobs instead of trying to tell him how to do his. I think it's a real shame he didn't feel he had the support to do it. The kids are now running the kindergarten....

Reality check or not you seem to want to have your cake and eat it.Either palms were greased and favours exchanged and that's the way things are in the real world or these two were good guys who were better than that,unlike the politicians.You seem to be saying they were both of the above.I think that accepting a freeby stay in a health farm from an "interested party"is corruption in ordinary people"s language,especially if you are already on a salary of more than £250K.I have no idea what else will come out,but if you think a few sacrificial foot soldiers getting done for taking a bung for a phone number will satisfy the calls for a clean up I think you are not getting it.

[Red Herring]

OK, so he accepted a freebie stay on a health farm but how is that corrupt? You say it was from an interested party but my understanding from an article in The Times is that the cost of the stay was paid for both by the Met, and the MD of the clinic who was a personal friend. The fact that the PR advisor for the clinic was also the bloke involved in this hacking scandal seems to have been taken slightly out of context and twisted to suggest that he provided the Commissioner with the stay in exchange for him not being investigated.

As for me wanting my cake and eat it.....I'm not saying they were the good guys, I'm saying they were senior police officers who knew a thing or two about keeping London safe. Personally I'd rather have an effective villain guarding me than an ineffective saint. Oh course an effective saint would be nice, but we seem to be a bit short of them these days, unless you're offering?

Well looks like some them have got lucky there!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14194623

Doctor David Kelly all over again?

[Biker Biggles]

How convenient.I'm absolutely %100 sure beyond any shadow of doubt that nothing remotely suspicious will be found to have happened.Not a bit.Nothing.Zilch.Nothing to see here.Move along.

[Red Herring]

Conspiracy theories will no doubt start flying.... perhaps he just plain regretted what he had started?