Operation Spade: IPCC Investigation re NYP Force Intelligence Bureau

Operation Spade Outcome of IPCC investigation into North Yorkshire Police Force Intelligence Bureau

• Crime & Parliamentary Affairs correspondent TIM HICKS interprets the outcome.

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In October 2010.  Officers from the Toronto Police Service (TPS) investigated allegations about a man who was alleged to have been disseminating paedophile pornography via the Internet and mail.  This led them to a huge international paedophile network in over 50 countries.  This became Operation Spade.  As well as successfully conducting the Canadian end of the investigation, the TPS perfectly conducted the international liaison aspect, expertly liaising with Police Forces around the world to ensure that children being abused in other countries were also protected.

Almost 350 people were arrested internationally, including six law enforcement officials, nine religious leaders, 40 school teachers, three foster parents, 32 children volunteers and nine doctors and nurses.  One US Government Official committed suicide after he was arrested and 386 children were stated to have been rescued from abusers.

The investigation was led by Inspector Joanna Beaven-Desjardins, of the TPS’s Sex Crimes Unit, a most formidable and dedicated police officer, who is a credit to her service.  Inspector Joanna Beaven-Desjardins said: “It’s a first for the magnitude of the victims saved,” and “The amount of arrests internationally, also a first.”

Everywhere, that is, except in North Yorkshire . . .

Operation Spade – The North Yorkshire Police (NYP) Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) Strikes Again.

North Yorkshire is one of three Police Forces that has referred itself to the IPCC over its failure to act on information received from Operation Spade in 2012.  BBC report here.

The IPCC have now issued their report and North Yorkshire Police have commented on it publicly on their website.  Both documents are available below.

• http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/15898
• http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/news/north-yorkshire-police-staff-sanctioned-and-new-ways-working-following-ipcc-investigation

In summary, of the fifty-plus  foreign Police Forces and fifteen UK Forces known to have received information from the TPS as part of Operation Spade, North Yorkshire is one of only three Forces that failed to deal with the information properly – putting the NYP FIB in the worst performing 4% of Police Forces world-wide.  This follows on from:

• The initial response from North Yorkshire Police which confirmed that when the allegations about Jimmy Savile first emerged it had conducted a search of its records, which revealed that he had no connection with North Yorkshire.  This was at the time when Jimmy Savile was a Freeman of Scarborough, was attending an event with the Chief Constable in Selby where he was held out as a role model for young people and was driven around in a Police car by North Yorkshire Police, at a time when he was under investigation by Surrey Police for serious sexual offences.  NYP response here

• The failure to pass on intelligence to Surrey Police which led to Jimmy Savile escaping prosecution.

• The revelations by the North Yorks Enquirer that North Yorkshire Police had protected a major paedophile ring in Scarborough led by the senior Conservative politician and Mayor Peter Jaconelli and including Jimmy Savile, which raped and sexually abused children, and enticed them into prostitution for many years. BBC Investigation which forced NYP to open Operation Hibiscus here

• The news that a Detective Sergeant has been served with a misconduct notice over allegations that he had not properly investigated information about Jimmy Savile, after NYP said that it had no information or intelligence on him:   NYE article here:  http://nyenquirer.uk/savilejaconelli-nyp-statement-on-ipcc-report-into-missed-opportunities/

What is interesting about the above release form North Yorkshire Police is that:

1. One civilian member of staff has had unspecified disciplinary action taken against him.  Probably a slap on the wrist or a mild rebuke.

2. Processes and procedures within the FIB were inadequate –as the NYE and Real Whitby have alleged for years – and needed to be reformed.  Yet no action was taken by the NYP senior management team.  It took a complaint to the IPCC following action from a foreign Police service to force change on NYP.

No senior officer has been disciplined for these failings, although it is clear that they have existed for some time.  The implication being that successive Directors of Force Intelligence have allowed the FIB to operate with inadequate processes, which may explain the above intelligence failures.  Not to mention any others that have not come to light as a result of media enquiries.

Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway (Retired) Former Director of FIB:

or

Detective Superintendent Karnail Dulku. Former Director of FIB: