Taxi for the Chief Constable?
Craig Guildford and the rumour that just won't die.
The Chief Constable, his Assistant Mike O’Hara, Football Ch Insp Mick Wilkinson appeared before the Home Affairs Select Committee in Parliament today. Tell me what you make of this, but I found it pathetic and embarassing. I’ve met some bullshitters in my time, but this stuttering and deflection shows a total lack of panache. Say what you like about Browny and others in the FRS but they lie far more convincingly than this.
Taking care of business.
Around this manor, a rather unpleasant story has refused to go away for the last two and a half years, and given the rather unconvicing appearance of the Chief Constable down at Westminster, it may be worth revisiting to see if the denials of the time might be of a similar ilk to today’s performance in London.
I first came across this when I noted this Freedom of Information request online from the interestingly named Bangladesh Thackeray, Maybe a relation of Hal J?
Of course, this was flatly denied by WMP. But the talk of this incident has not receded. Tally Ho also sites WMP’s Sports and Social Club and employs non-uniform, non-Police staff in many capacities, most of whom look at it as a job and not the 30 year career and pension that constables do.
In short, they come, they go and they talk. More Police Officers talk too. In the last 24 months, whilst investigating as part of my defence statement preparation, I have been told the following, some of which may have been corroborated, some of which may not as yet;
The two attending officers that should have arrested Guildford at the scene has both been promoted to Sgt outside of the normal promotion periods/channels.
That Tally Ho civilian staff witnessed the direct aftermath and Guildford being chaperoned to the accommodation quarters and cleaning staff noted the damage caused.
The taxi-driver was paid off in order to maintain his silence and prevent an embarassing incident and exposure of a perversion of justice and corrupt incident.
Threats have been issued to a number personnel and the Police Federation that disciplinary action will result if anyone ‘whistleblows’.
Who’s driving who?
The elusive Mr Thackeray has proven elusive, but the clue is in the name. Birmingham has a significant Bangladeshi population, many of whom work as taxi-drivers. If say for example, the IOPC were to launch an investigation and provide safe-haven for whistleblowers and the taxi-driver, then it should not take too long to find out what exactly happened that evening at Tally Ho.
Bad Luck
Naturally, I’m extremely sympathetic to the plight of West Midlands Police’s Senior Leadership Team who have been so kind to me in the past. The litany of misfortune that has befallen them over the Aston Villa v Tel Aviv anti-semitism row, plus the Wayne Brown scandal and the utter foul abyss that they have allowed Birmingham to become seems to either be the fruits of a poison tree that has been planted, germinated and branched out from Lloyd House (Police HQ).
Or… it could be just Bad Luck, so here is the Harold Melvin classic, with the inimitable Teddy Pendergrass on vocals just for my favourite Police Principal Officers.
It can always get worse and invariably does.