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Britain's top police officer....
From todays Guardian.
Britain's top police officer, Sir Ian Blair, was under fresh pressure yesterday after he admitted that he had covertly recorded a telephone conversation he had with the attorney general about counter terrorism. The recording was made without the permission of the government's most senior law officer, a spokesperson for the attorney general said.
Sir Ian, commissioner of the Metropolitan police, secretly recorded Lord Goldsmith during a call in which the two men discussed whether a ban on evidence gathered from intercepts being admissible in court should be lifted. A Whitehall source, close to the attorney general, made clear the anger at the Met commissioner. The source said Lord Goldsmith was "incredibly cross and very disappointed" by the revelations, which he viewed as "very serious", adding that Sir Ian's conduct was "unethical and discourteous" and the incident raised questions about his judgment.
Sir Ian is reported to have used a digital recorder set up in his offices at New Scotland Yard to covertly tape Lord Goldsmith in September 2005.
The same Whitehall source told the Guardian that Lord Goldsmith had spoken to Charles Clarke, the home secretary, yesterday to tell of his anger at Sir Ian's conduct, and an explanation was expected. Mr Clarke is expected to press Sir Ian for answers for his behaviour.
The bafflement and shock at Sir Ian's conduct was not just limited to the attorney general. The admissions led to a call from the civil rights group Liberty for the commissioner to quit and two senior Met officers to conclude that Sir Ian was out of control.
In a sign of the potential seriousness of the affair, Len Duval, the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, will today hold an emergency meeting with senior figures at Scotland Yard to discuss the row.
Sir Ian is still recovering from the criticism he faced after saying that he did not understand the media and public fuss made after the murder of the 10-year-old girls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells by the Soham caretaker Ian Huntley.
Scotland Yard also said yesterday that Sir Ian had secretly recorded telephone calls he had with senior officials from the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is investigating the Stockwell tube station killing and his personal conduct. The force offered no explanation for the actions of Sir Ian, who is on holiday.
A spokesperson for Lord Goldsmith said: "The conversation was recorded without the knowledge or permission of the attorney general. It was a confidential discussion about the admissibility of intercept evidence in court."
Secret recordings made by police are covered by laws including the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. A senior police officer experienced in operating under the act said that if someone were acting as a police officer, then they would need written pre-authorisation to record a telephone call.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of the civil rights group Liberty, said Sir Ian was out of control and had to resign: "A government that has given the police a blank cheque, now finds themselves on the receiving end of the abuse of police powers. This is unlawful under article eight of the European convention on human rights, which covers the right to privacy, and possibly under domestic law. His position is untenable; how can we have confidence he respects the rule of law?"
A source close to Mr Clarke said: "The home secretary still retains full confidence in Sir Ian Blair."
The Met was also criticised yesterday after it confirmed to a tabloid newspaper that it had received an allegation from a woman who claimed that she had been raped by Charles de Menezes, the man shot dead at Stockwell tube station after being mistaken for a terrorist. Mr de Menezes's cousin, Allessandro Pereira, said: "The family are furious at the latest attempt to smear the name of Jean Charles de Menezes to draw attention away from the truth about his brutal death at the hands of police officers on 22 July 2005."
Britain's top police officer, Sir Ian Blair, was under fresh pressure yesterday after he admitted that he had covertly recorded a telephone conversation he had with the attorney general about counter terrorism. The recording was made without the permission of the government's most senior law officer, a spokesperson for the attorney general said.
Sir Ian, commissioner of the Metropolitan police, secretly recorded Lord Goldsmith during a call in which the two men discussed whether a ban on evidence gathered from intercepts being admissible in court should be lifted. A Whitehall source, close to the attorney general, made clear the anger at the Met commissioner. The source said Lord Goldsmith was "incredibly cross and very disappointed" by the revelations, which he viewed as "very serious", adding that Sir Ian's conduct was "unethical and discourteous" and the incident raised questions about his judgment.
Sir Ian is reported to have used a digital recorder set up in his offices at New Scotland Yard to covertly tape Lord Goldsmith in September 2005.
The same Whitehall source told the Guardian that Lord Goldsmith had spoken to Charles Clarke, the home secretary, yesterday to tell of his anger at Sir Ian's conduct, and an explanation was expected. Mr Clarke is expected to press Sir Ian for answers for his behaviour.
The bafflement and shock at Sir Ian's conduct was not just limited to the attorney general. The admissions led to a call from the civil rights group Liberty for the commissioner to quit and two senior Met officers to conclude that Sir Ian was out of control.
In a sign of the potential seriousness of the affair, Len Duval, the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, will today hold an emergency meeting with senior figures at Scotland Yard to discuss the row.
Sir Ian is still recovering from the criticism he faced after saying that he did not understand the media and public fuss made after the murder of the 10-year-old girls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells by the Soham caretaker Ian Huntley.
Scotland Yard also said yesterday that Sir Ian had secretly recorded telephone calls he had with senior officials from the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is investigating the Stockwell tube station killing and his personal conduct. The force offered no explanation for the actions of Sir Ian, who is on holiday.
A spokesperson for Lord Goldsmith said: "The conversation was recorded without the knowledge or permission of the attorney general. It was a confidential discussion about the admissibility of intercept evidence in court."
Secret recordings made by police are covered by laws including the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. A senior police officer experienced in operating under the act said that if someone were acting as a police officer, then they would need written pre-authorisation to record a telephone call.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of the civil rights group Liberty, said Sir Ian was out of control and had to resign: "A government that has given the police a blank cheque, now finds themselves on the receiving end of the abuse of police powers. This is unlawful under article eight of the European convention on human rights, which covers the right to privacy, and possibly under domestic law. His position is untenable; how can we have confidence he respects the rule of law?"
A source close to Mr Clarke said: "The home secretary still retains full confidence in Sir Ian Blair."
The Met was also criticised yesterday after it confirmed to a tabloid newspaper that it had received an allegation from a woman who claimed that she had been raped by Charles de Menezes, the man shot dead at Stockwell tube station after being mistaken for a terrorist. Mr de Menezes's cousin, Allessandro Pereira, said: "The family are furious at the latest attempt to smear the name of Jean Charles de Menezes to draw attention away from the truth about his brutal death at the hands of police officers on 22 July 2005."
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