Met police: Racist, corrupt, and now dirty tricks

On so many levels, the way the police behaved after the murder of Stephen Lawrence back in 1993 shocked the Black community: The known suspects were not questioned for days after the murder; material evidence was either not collected or corrupted; some investigating officers were well known to be in collusion with crime families connected to the suspects. And even after a massive Public inquiry, the report concluded that police cultural attitudes towards Stephen Lawrence and his friend Duwayne Brookes, along bungling police activities, suggested the Met police were institutionally racist only by default.

Today’s revelations change all that.

Peter Francis, a former undercover police officer-turned-whistleblower, said his superiors wanted him to find "dirt" that could be used against members of the Lawrence family, in the period shortly after Lawrence's racist murder in April 1993.

If this is true, and there is little reason to deny it, then senior police officers willfully conspired to ‘find dirt’ to undermine the Lawrence family and their campaign for justice. This is about as shocking as gets: Our state police force, which is there to protect the public, were not only failing in their duty to investigate a brutal racist murder, but were deploying the state apparatus to taint the mother, father, friends and associates of the murdered student. In effect they were acting like a militia, a police force out of control.

In response, the Prime Minister has called for an immediate Independent Inquiry. Home Secretary at the time of the first Inquiry Jack Straw was calling upon the IPCC to begin its own inquiry, whilst activist and campaigner for the Lawrence family back in the 90’s Lee Jasper has begun a petition demanding the Prime Minister reopen the Macpherson inquiry.

Barrister for the Lawrence family Matthew Ryder told the BBC news that important questions needed to be answered including: How many officers were involved? Who sanctioned theses actions? Why were they sanctioned? Why did none of this come out in the first inquiry? Who else has been tainted by this time of covert and illicit action?

Stephen’s mother, Doreen, said the revelations were the most surprising thing she had learned about the long-running police investigation into her son's murder.

Out of all the things I've found out over the years, this certainly has topped it. Nothing can justify the whole thing about trying to discredit the family and people around us."

Petitioning David Cameron:
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/prime-minister-david-cameron

Simon Woolley