by TIM HICKS

~~~~~

The Mayor for York and North Yorkshire election

On Thursday 2nd May 2024, North Yorkshire goes to the polls to elect a Mayor for York and North Yorkshire. The Mayor will then appoint a Deputy Mayor who will take over the role of Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, currently held by Mrs Zoë Metcalfe.

Commissioner Metcalfe originally stood to be the Conservative Party Mayoral candidate, but was rejected by her party in favor of Mr Keane Duncan.

Commissioner Metcalfe could have stood for Mayor as an independent, but instead chose to abandon her Mayoral ambitions and make a formal complaint about Mr Duncan, claiming he used “inappropriate language” to influence her decision on the recruitment of a Chief Constable. This conversation concerned Commissioner Metcalfe’s decision to appoint a new Chief Constable herself, instead of leaving it until after the election, following the announcement by Chief Constable Lisa Winward of her retirement on 31st March 2024.

Mr Duncan has denied Commissioner Metcalfe’s allegation, is still the Conservative Party candidate and has been quoted as saying that an investigation found no cause for action.

For more information, please see this correspondence which is published on Commissioner Metcalfe’s website here. No doubt causing Mr Duncan further embarrassment. Independent candidate for the office of Mayor for York and North Yorkshire retired police Inspector Keith Tordoff MBE has commented:

“By publicly recording the unethical approaches by Mr Duncan, Commissioner Metcalfe is making her “stance” on the persistent and inappropriate approaches made by Councillor Keane Duncan clear.

Surely it is essential that there is no place in North Yorkshire for allowing any form of coercive, controlling, ‘ oppressive ‘ behaviour to go unchallenged – especially when made towards women whilst at the same time portraying themselves as role models and seeking a prominent position in public life.”

Arguably, the Deputy Mayor appointment is more important than the Mayor, because the Deputy Mayor is responsible for policing. Both officials have to work very closely together, so it is difficult to envisage how this will work, given that Zoë tried to destroy Mr Keane’s candidacy with a misconduct complaint. An act which – understandably – will have been seen as disloyal and contrary to the best interests of her party. This will not have endeared her to her Conservative Party colleagues, who – understandably – value loyalty above all other qualities.

It follows from this that the future of Commissioner Metcalfe is a factor in the election. So some examination of her record is probably appropriate as part of the NYE’s election coverage.

Female detainees being abused in NYP custody suites.

Unquestionably the most serious scandal the NYE has been covering is a gang of NYP Officers who have been watching female detainees while they are undressed. If a male member of the public was caught watching women getting changed in the changing room of a gym, they would instantly be arrested. However, Commissioner Metcalfe has refused to comment or do anything, so no action has been taken against these men.

Clearly this is deeply concerning for a public official who is paid to hold the police to account.

Particularly as it follows on from the convictions of rapist and murderer PC Wayne Couzens and serial rapists PC Steven Carrick and PC Cliff Mitchell, who should all have been detected earlier and dismissed the service. As with the NYP custody officers, all of these predatory officers were protected from arrest by their police colleagues and allowed to carry on offending with impunity.

Commenting on this, North Yorkshire Councillor Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, the Liberal Democrat candidate to be Mayor said:

“Regarding the allegations that male officers have been watching female detainees while undressing, this is a serious issue of concern. As Mayor I would ensure that this was thoroughly investigated and prosecuted accordingly.

My policy, specifically regarding policing, is that the current system is broken and we need to get crime under control. We aren’t spending enough money on community policing, which drives up crime, and lack of rehabilitation creates a reoffending spiral.

I think the decision by Commissioner Metcalfe to appoint a Chief Constable before the Mayoral election was probably unavoidable, although I haven’t discussed this with her. It would have been a long time to for a temporary position to have been held, as I understand the appointment was made last year. This appointment would have been ratified by the Police and Fire Commission Panel, so the decision would also have been scrutinised and endorsed at that level.”

Senior Officer suspended.

In November, the Independent Office for Police Conduct started a criminal investigation into an allegation that a senior NYP officer may have provided a false or misleading account to avoid receiving a sanction for a speeding offence. In December it announced this and that the officer concerned had been notified of the investigation and suspended from duty.

Commissioner Metcalfe will not say who this officer is or his rank, although internet comment has indicated it is the former Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) of NYP DCC Mabs Hussein.

The IOPCs definition of a senior officer includes Chief Officers, not just Inspectors, Chief Inspectors, Superintendent and Chief Superintendents. However, I can confirm that Chief Constable Winward is not the Officer at the center of the IOPC speeding investigation.

DCC Hussain’s profile disappeared off the force website at about the same time; he retired shortly thereafter.

Commissioner Metcalfe has refused to comment on the strange departure of DCC Hussain, other than:

“In relation to your questions about the IPOC enquiry, we do not hold this information and you will need to contact the IPOC directly.”

So it appears that Commissioner Metcalfe does not know what is going on in her own Force – clearly a completely unacceptable state of affairs.

Happily, unlike Commissioner Metcalfe, the IOPC, has a very helpful media office which recognizes that this is a major issue in North Yorkshire. An IOPC spokesperson said:

“Our investigation into an allegation that a senior North Yorkshire Police officer may have provided a false or misleading account to avoid receiving a sanction for a speeding offence is at an advanced stage.

On conclusion of the investigation we will determine whether there is any indication the officer may have committed a criminal offence or whether they should face disciplinary proceedings.”

The IOPC will determine if a criminal offence has been committed and will send a file to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider whether to authorise charges. This process is not affected by whether the Officer is still serving.

Retiring or resigning does not prevent an Officer from facing disciplinary proceedings. If it is found that a former Officer would have been dismissed if they were still serving, they could still be added to the Police Barred List and prevented from getting a job in policing in the future.

So the NYE will continue to cover this story and the outcome of the IOPC investigation.

Chief Constable Winward goes AWOL

Chief Constable Lisa Winward suddenly stopped work in, I believe, October 2023 – highly unusual, given that she was due to retire on 31st March 2024.

NYE sources indicate that Chief Constable Winward was not happy about something and walked out. Rumours of future legal action are swirling around NYP Force Headquarters.

Again, Commissioner Metcalfe is refusing to comment on this, or the £120,000 to £130,000 salary cost to the North Yorkshire taxpayer of having Chief Constable Winward and DCC Hussain sitting at home doing nothing.

Clearly again an unacceptable response for someone that is supposed to ensure the public get value for money and holds the police to account. I have therefore written to Commissioner Metcalfe asking her to write to Chief Constable Winward asking her to repay the salary costs of the period she was not working until her retirement date on the 31^st of March, as her predecessor did with Chief Constable Graeme Maxwell and DCC Adam Briggs. I will let you know her response.

Keeping the public informed

Keeping the public informed is a key responsibility for the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner.

The above turmoil meant that NYP was the only Force in the country, possibly in the history of British Policing, that did not have either a permanently appointed Chief Constable or Deputy CC. The Force has also had difficulty retaining Chief Officers at Assistant Chief Constable Rank. The reason for this is unclear.

Yet there has been no official statement on any of these issues on the Commissioner’s website.

The only media outlet covering these issues is the NYE. In this respect, it is fulfilling a public service the Commissioner is supposed to provide – but doesn’t.

Commissioner Metcalfe’s response has been routinely to refuse to answer any request for a media statement from the NYE – thereby withholding information the public is entitled to know.

Commissioner Metcalfe appears to be incapable of addressing these issues or keeping the public informed. It is difficult to see what purpose she fulfills. Hence the title of the “Missing Commissioner”.

Independent candidate Keith Tordoff MBE has commented on this lamentable state of affairs, as follows:

Following the announcement by Chief Constable Lisa Winward that she would be taking retirement as of 31st March 2024, Zoe Metcalfe the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire announced she would be recruiting a new Chief Constable to take over the role from April 1st. At the time I publicly asked why the appointment was not being left until after the election of the Mayor in May. This would have meant the Mayor would have been part of the selection process to appoint a Chief Constable who they would then be working closely with. I pointed out that the Deputy Chief Constable could carry out the role of Chief Constable for any period after Lisa Winward retired until the Mayor was elected – technically one month gap plus any leave entitlement. As a retired Police Officer I am aware the whole idea of a Deputy Chief Constable is to be able to step up to be Chief Constable, in some cases for many months to cover the Chief Constable being seconded to the Home Office, the Police College, leave and long/ short term sickness etc.

Commissioner Metcalfe ignored not just my voice, but that of the North Yorkshire Policing Panel, which oversees the office of the PFCC and had voted 9 to 4 in favour of requesting Zoe consider delaying the decision of recruitment of a new Chief Constable until after the Mayoral election. Within twenty four hours of the Panel’s request, Commissioner Metcalfe announced she was sticking by her decision to go ahead with the recruitment of a Chief Constable.

What wasn’t made public at the time was that the North Yorkshire Police Deputy Chief Constable has not been ‘ available ‘ since late last year but continues to receive full pay.

Not having a Deputy Chief Constable ‘available’ to step up for the Chief Constable, North Yorkshire Police or Commissioner Metcalfe selected Assistant Chief Constable Foskett to become Temporary Chief Constable.

The NYE has pointed out that changes to the North Yorkshire Police senior officer positions are not on the OPFCC website and the press have not been informed. As well as holding the Chief Constable to account the PFCC should keep the public informed.

The failure to inform the public of significant changes to the command structure of North Yorkshire Police may be an omission, but it comes across as the PFCC lacking openness and transparency. 

If appointed I will appoint a Deputy Mayor who will take on the responsibilities of the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire. The person appointed will be experienced at a senior board level and have an understanding of operational policing. I will task them with reviewing and modernising the police and fire services.

My campaign is self-funded. If elected I will not claim expenses.

Thank you

Keith

Keith Tordoff MBE

INDEPENDENT Candidate for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

www.keithtordoff4mayor.co.uk

Commissioner Metcalfe was provided with a draft of this article and invited to comment. She was also asked to forward it to DCC Hussain (retired) and Chief Constable Winward (retired) so that they would have the opportunity of commenting. The other candidates for the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire have all been asked for a media comment.

At the time the article was submitted for publication, no comment had been received from any of them.

Right of Reply

If you are mentioned in this article and do not agree with the views expressed in it, or if you wish to correct any factual inaccuracy, please let me know using the letters@nyenquirer.uk email address and your views and a correction will be published, if appropriate.

• – an “In My View” article by NIGEL WARD, reporting on the recent Mayoral Hustings in Whitby – and a glimmer of light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.

~~~~~

I consider myself fortunate to have taken the trouble to attend the Mayoral Hustings for the election of a “Peoples’ Mayor” for the City of York and North Yorkshire Council Combined Authority.

It was informative to hear four of the candidates – Keith TORDOFF MBE [Ind.], NYC Cllr Paul HASLAM [Ind.], NYC Cllr Felicty CUNLIFFE-LISTER [Lib.Dem.] and NYC Cllr Kevin FOSTER [Grn.] – respond to a series of set questions presented by Chair, Mrs Marie McCRONE (ably assisted by her husband Rob, acting as timekeeper), followed by a further series of questions submitted, in advance, by members of the electorate.

The Hustings lacked for completeness because two candidates – arguably the anticipated ‘front-runners’ – did not attend. NYC Cllr Keane DUNCAN [Con.] apparently had a prior engagement (although I understand he received his invitation at the beginning of February) and David SKAITH [Lab.] was diverted by a ‘family emergency’.

I am aware that the ‘cut and thrust’ of the responses to these set questions have been covered elsewhere in the local media. However, I intend to constrain this series of reports (hopefully, one for each candidate) to a matter which I regard as being fundamental to elections in general and to regional and local elections in particular. Specifically, the degree to which their words and deeds can be relied upon to embrace honesty, transparency and accountability and the other mandatory requirements of Lord NOLAN’s Seven Principles of Public Life – which form the basis of the Codes of Conduct to which elected (i.e. entrusted) democratic representives are bound by law, within the terms of the Localism Act 2011.

In my view, Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness and Honesty should be taken as ‘givens’ when men and women put themselves forward for public office. They are integral to the public trust. Without these qualities, how should we ever be able to trust them?

But it is the seventh Principle – Leadership – that has, for me, always been the foundation stone of these Principles – especially that second clause, which demands that those on positions of trust:

“… should actively promote and robustly support the principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.”

I have been challenging “poor behaviour” since March 2009.

So when the opportunity arose for me to ask the candidates a question at last Monday night’s hustings, I raised the matter of ethical standards in public life.

I spoke briefly about how an FOIA response from NYC had elicted the fact that, from its inception on 1st April 2023 until the week before Christmas 2023, the Council received 111 Code of Conduct Complaints, not one of which was UPHELD. The details of this disturbing discovery were covered in my article “NYC Standards? Anything Goes!”.

I went on to describe how a reader had submitted similar FOIA requests to some thirty County and Unitary Authorities around the country, with the result that North Yorkshire Council had more than double the number of Code of Conduct complaints as its nearest pursuer – the others having responded with a whole year’s worth of figures. The details of this even more disturbing discovery were covered in my article “Accountability: NYC & WTC”.

To these woeful accounts of endemic breaches of the Codes of Conduct and the NOLAN Principles, I then posed the following question to the four available candidates:

“Which of you will work with me to the end of elevating ethical standards in public life, here in North Yorkshire?”

Cynical readers may regard this a a ‘trick’ question – for it would have been political and electoral suicide to respond “You’re on your own, Nige. Obviously, public servants should be free to behave as badly as they please!”. (And, as we have seen, plenty of them do!).

So I am pleased to report that all four of those candidates who turned up were unstinting in their commitment to the NOLAN Principles.

Following the meeting, and again the following morning, I conducted a brief ‘straw poll’ amongst attendant members of the public, seeking their reactions to the candidates’ respective performances. Naturally, opinions varied. Overall, though, there seemed to be a general consensus that Keith TORDOFF MBE displayed the most comprehensive grasp of the Mayoral role and the least party-politically oriented attitude to serving the public, unfettered by party ideologies.

The following day, I decided to email the candidates (Cc:ing the two non-attendees) providing further background material to my question – details published in my two articles – and requesting a more considered statement for publication, in writing, to present to Enquirer readers, along with each of the respective candidates’ electoral material.

At the time of writing, I have heard from three of the four who attended: NYC Cllr Kevin FOSTER (acknowledgement, but no statement yet), NYC Cllr Felicity CUNLIFFE-LISTER (just an auto-response read-receipt) and Keith TORDOFF MBE:

KEITH TORDOFF MBE

Keith has submitted the following statement:

Following your question at the Whitby hustings to the candidates standing in the election for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire and follow up email I respond as follows. 

 

I am not in a position to comment on any of the 111 formal complaints made to North Yorkshire Council as I am not a Councillor.

 

I do find it almost inconceivable that out of that amount of formal complaints not a single one was upheld.

North Yorkshire Council have signed up to abiding by the Lord Nolan seven principles of conduct in public office which I would expect to be followed.

 

As an Independent candidate in the election for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire if elected I can pledge to liaise with you to discuss your concerns.

 

If elected I pledge there will be openness,  transparency and accountability from me as Mayor and all public servants.

I will serve the public not politicians or the political parties. The Nolan principles will of course be adhered to.

 

If I become the first elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire it will be an opportunity to bring in a new era of how politics is delivered and help to bring back the trust in publicly elected officials which for many has been lost. 

 

Keith Tordoff MBE

 

INDEPENDENT Candidate for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire: www.keithtordoff4mayor.co.uk

As promised, I here present Keith’s electoral material:

by TIM HICKS & CHRIS CLARK

~~~~~

Introduction

Following on from our earlier article NYE Goes International, we are updating readers with the developments on two international investigations that the NYE team has been pursuing.

Peter Sutcliffe’s attacks in Europe

There is an enormous amount of interest in the Yorkshire Ripper investigation in Europe, because of his notoriety, but also because of the possibility that Sutcliffe attacked women in Europe.

Our new book “Inside the Mind of The Yorkshire Ripper: The Final Investigation” covers this possibility; specifically, two murders in Sweden and one in France. This is the first systematic assessment of this aspect of his offending that has ever been published and contains new evidence to support this part of the investigation.

Such is the interest in this aspect of his crimes in Europe, that the authors were interviewed by Giles Brown of Talk Radio Europe on Thursday 23rd November 2023.

The radio interview with both authors can be heard by clicking on the link below:

Interpol appeal for assistance: Operation “Identify Me”

The second international investigation the NYE team has supported is Interpol’s Operation “Identify Me” – a public appeal by Interpol to identify 22 women, believed to have been murdered in Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands, which we covered in our regular update on policing in North Yorkshire Police 7, in June 2023.

Despite extensive police investigations, they were never identified. Who they are, where they were from and why they were in these countries is unknown.

Some of them may have been victims of trafficking. The evidence suggests they could have come from other countries, including the UK.

Interpol had published a Black Notice for each victim. These alerts are usually for police only, not the public. But, unusually, Interpol publicised the details of each case to the media, including facial reconstruction images and other identifiers, in the hope that someone might recognize them.

The NYE published information on this initiative because in Germany and the Netherlands, you cannot be a missing person. You have to be registered to an address. However, in Britain, if you want to disappear and leave your past life behind, you are allowed to do so. We therefore concluded it was possible that one of these victims is British, who may be believed to have chosen to start a new life and may not even have been reported as missing. Hence our decision to cover this Interpol Operation, even though it is outside our normal area of investigation.

Everyone at the NYE is pleased that one of the victims has been identified as Rita Roberts (aged 31) from Cardiff, who was identified from a tattoo on her arm. Rita’s body was found in the river ‘Groot Schijn’ in Antwerp, Belgium in 1992. She had been violently killed. Interpol report here.

Now that Rita’s body has been identified, Belgian authorities are calling on the public for any information they may have on Rita or the circumstances surrounding her death. This can be submitted via an online form on Interpol’s website.

“After 31 years an unidentified murdered woman has been given her name back and some closure has been brought to her family. Such cases underline the vital need to connect police worldwide, especially when missing persons are involved.”

Jürgen Stock, INTERPOL Secretary General

So far as we are aware, publicity from the NYE was not responsible for identifying Rita’s body. But the NYE team takes the view that every piece of publicity is helpful and we are pleased to have supported this important Interpol initiative. Certainly, this is a success for the Belgian Police, Interpol and the UK media outlets that gave publicity to the operation.

Because it covers a lot of prominent historical cases, the NYE has built up a following of retired police officers from many different forces. We would ask our police readers to click on the link below to Operation “Identify Me” and consider if any of the cases it features are known to you.

• https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Notices/Operation-Identify-Me

If you are concerned about a friend, family member or colleague who suddenly disappeared, please also access the Interpol website and review each case.

Keith Tordoff reviews “Inside the Mind of The Yorkshire Ripper: The Final Investigation”

Insert book cover

Retired West Yorkshire Police Inspector Keith Tordoff MBE has read “Inside the Mind of The Yorkshire Ripper: The Final Investigation”. Keith was the policeman that was the first police man to attend the scene of the murder of Wilma McCann and the later murder of Jacqueline Hill. Keith has kindly provided this review. It is unique because it comes from the perspective of a police insider, who was a member of the Yorkshire Ripper Investigation.

“I have just finished reading ‘Inside the Mind of the Yorkshire Ripper – The Final Investigation’.

Congratulations to you both on writing what is a detailed and fascinating account of the horrendous crimes committed by Peter Sutcliffe. Your respective skills have presented a forensic Investigation with methodical collating of murders and attempted murders which Sutcliffe was convicted of, and so many others he never faced justice for. So many victims, survivors, relatives and friends of his horrendous crimes sadly have not had justice or any type of closure.

The book was an eye opener to me on many fronts – from information I wasn’t aware of as an investigating officer, to the realisation that he clearly was responsible for so many other attacks you have written about.

So many failings by the Police, not only those cases clearly attributable to Sutcliffe but other unrelated murders as highlighted towards the end of the book by you. It begs the question, have the lessons been learnt by the Police?

The book of course brought back memories. Having dealt with numerous deaths in my Police Service, obviously due to the profile of the Ripper case the murders of Wilma MacCann and Jacqueline Hill are etched in my mind. I can still picture their bodies and I always become emotional when talking about entering the home of Wilma MacCann and seeing her four young children waiting for her to come home.

Of course in those days there was no counselling and you just got on with the next job. I have no complaints as I have had a wonderful and interesting life so far!

Great book – thank you.

Keep up the good work and let’s get the Claudia Lawrence case cracked.”

Keith Tordoff MBE

NYE Appeal for Information

If you knew Peter Sutcliffe, or worked with him at the Common Road Tyre Company at Oakenshaw, or Clark’s Transport at Bradford, please contact us using the email address news@nyenquirer.uk. All information will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Further to the Press Release published here on the Enquirer on 5th June 2023 (announcing Keith Tordoff MBE’s nomination as Yorkshire Party candidate for the May 2024 Mayoral election) news comes of an extraordinary volte face. Mr Tordoff has resigned from the Yorkshire Party and announced his intention of running for Mayor of York & North Yorkshire as an Independent.

Read on:

It has been announced that NYC Councillor Mike JORDAN (formerly also a Selby District Councillor) has tendered his resignation from the Conservative Party.

Councillor JORDAN will remain in office as a NYC Councillor, serving his electorate as an Independent Councillor.

This will impact on the political balance at NYC, which, as of yesterday, was:

• Conservative (46)
• Liberal Democrat (13)
• Labour (12)
• North Yorkshire Independent (8)
• Green (5)
• Independent unaffiliated (5)
• Liberal Party (1)

PRESS RELEASE

Resignation as of 00.01 hours Monday 12th June 2023 by Conservative Councillor Mike Jordan, Camblesforth and Carlton, Selby and Ainsty ward.

Mike Jordon, the Conservative Councillor for Camblesforth and Carlton, part of the Selby and Ainsty division, has announced he is resigning from the Conservative Party. The resignation is with immediate effect and Councillor Jordon will continue to represent the constituents of Camblesforth and Carlton on North Yorkshire Council as an Independent Councillor.

Councillor Jordon said:

“I have listened to my constituents and I recognise their frustration with the Conservative Party and how their policies nationally and locally are affecting their health and wealth whilst destroying their communities. As a long standing Conservative Councillor currently on North Yorkshire Council, I have made the difficult decision to resign, but I believe, in the best interests of my constituents. I was elected to serve my constituents and work to improve or at least maintain their lifestyle, but through the many erroneous policies of the Conservatives the opposite is happening.

Whilst disappointed at feeling I have no option but to resign from the Conservative Party, I am delighted to be able to announce I will be supporting Keith Tordoff MBE who has been selected by the Yorkshire Party to be its candidate in the election for the very first Mayor of York and North Yorkshire in 2024.

I strongly believe Keith Tordoff, if elected Mayor, would make York and North Yorkshire an economic powerhouse, improve transport, whilst also through sustainability initiatives enrich the quality of the lives of people in the County. Keith Tordoff stood to be Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner of North Yorkshire in 2021. With his Police, business and history of public service, I strongly believe Keith Tordoff will deliver, through his leadership, the necessary improvements for my constituents and the people of the County.

I will support Keith Tordoff, knowing that if he is elected I have contributed in the longer term towards making my beloved Camblesforth and Carlton and North Yorkshire the best place to live, work or visit “.

For many years, the NYE has been covering unsolved murders that its crime reporting team believes were committed by Peter Sutcliffe. This includes the local murder of “Hope”, also known as the “Nude in the Nettles” in Scarborough, in 1979. Arguably, North Yorkshire’s greatest murder mystery.

Recently, NYE contributor and retired Police Intelligence Officer Chris Clark appeared on ITV in a two-part documentary based on the book by Chris Clark and journalist Tim Tate:

“Yorkshire Ripper: The Secret Murders”.

The programme covered over 20 unsolved murders Sutcliffe is thought to have committed, but not to have been convicted for.

The NYE covered this in a short article which concluded:

“Both programmes are recommended viewing for our Police readers”.

Now, one of our Police readers, retired Police Inspector Keith Tordoff MBE, who was a member of the original Yorkshire Ripper investigation, has written in with a heartfelt commentary on the case and how it affected him.

Letter to the Editor from Keith Tordoff MBE

Dear Sir,

I write concerning the two ITV documentaries based on “Yorkshire Ripper: The Secret Murders”.

I watched part 1 yesterday evening and have just finished watching part 2. I type this with tears in my eyes and feel quite emotional – I didn’t feel this way after the 1st part.

I attended at the scene where Wilma McCann was discovered by the milkman in 1975, then going into her house and seeing her 4 young children waiting for her returning home, memories I will never forget. Possibly my emotions this evening are triggered by Richard McCann, who I saw as a very young child in 1975 summarising at the end that so many families have not had justice, a sentiment I fully agree wit

I worked as an investigator on most of the attacks, including the ones not attributed to Sutcliffe. On the ground Police Officers working on those attacks not attributed to Sutcliffe by the senior officers, spoke openly that they believed they were the work of the ‘Yorkshire Ripper’.

Many officers I worked with on the enquiries also did not believe the ‘tape’ or letters were from the attacker, with some at briefings being held by Assistant Chief Constable George Oldfield openly saying that to him and the senior officers at his side.

I was the first officer in 1980 at the scene where the body of Jacqueline Hill was discovered on a piece of waste land on Alma Road in Headingley -a memory that unfortunately I can still picture. Jacqueline Hill still upsets me because as well as being first officer to attend, for continuity I stayed with the body in situ and at Leeds mortuary and later that day took her mother and father to identify Jacqueline -getting upset again.

A few years later I met Yvonne (who had changed her name and was the lady who was attacked in Ilkley). Yvonne who lived near me in Bramhope, Leeds and got to know me confided in me about the attack knowing I had a Police background.

Yes many of the other attacks were undoubtedly carried out by Sutcliffe and there were miscarriages of Justice for the three men who served such long prison sentences. The Police ‘culture’ at the time was sometimes abused by Police Officers ‘fixing people up’ to please the demanding senior detectives who wanted a ‘cough’.

The systems were open to this with handwritten statements of those being interviewed being ‘amended’ or ‘added to’.

Vulnerable suspects were sometimes pressured (including assault) or coerced as Stephen Downing described in the programme.

I appreciate the programme was time constrained and did rather use ‘artistic licence’ re his arrest, where the arresting Police Sergeant from South Yorkshire Police says to the affect it was ‘good coppering’. The South Yorkshire Sergeant and Constable did not realise they had arrested the ‘Yorkshire Ripper’, hence he was transferred to Dewsbury Police Station in the West Yorkshire force area as that is where the crime of the theft of the number plates had occurred. Sutcliffe confessed later to DI Boyle admitting being the so called ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ when being interviewed about the theft of the number plates from a scrap yard in Dewsbury.

An area that was not covered is that Sutcliffe was initially assessed as being unfit to stand trial until a public outcry, highlighted in the press led to the Old Bailey Court case. Within months of being imprisoned Sutcliffe was deemed to require treatment and transferred to Broadmoor.

I know Hugo Milnes (now deceased) protégé who worked with him and visited Sutcliffe in Broadmoor for many years, he is adamant that Sutcliffe was rightly assessed as suffering from a mental illness.

The pressure on the officers on the ripper investigation was intense and it damaged some of them. Many of their marriages failed and some turned to alcohol. I didn’t fortunately and came through it.

To miss out from the programme about Andy Laptew was very unfortunate -he was a dedicated, diligent good Police Officer and Detective. If his work on the enquiry had been shown it would have shown what good old fashioned coppering was. A miscarriage of justice for the families and for Andy the way he was dealt with and ignored by senior West Yorkshire Police Officers heading the so called Yorkshire Ripper enquiry.

Rest in Peace Andy.

Written from my experiences, memories and my heart.

Keith Tordoff MBE

I was very moved by this letter from Keith Tordoff, who has an outstanding history of service to his local community, first in the police and then as a local community leader for which he was awarded the MBE.

We should not forget that many Police Officers were also victims of the Ripper investigation suffering enormous emotional turmoil and in many cases catastrophic damage in their personal lives, which pursues them to this day.

Keith’s comments and the evidence that is quoted in the program vindicate the NYE’s coverage of the Yorkshire Ripper.

The two documentaries featuring NYE contributor Chris Clark can be accessed here and here.

Andy Laptew was an outstanding Detective Constable on the investigation who realised that Sutcliffe should have further scrutiny by the investigation but was ignored by the leadership.

When this emerged in the press, he was ostracised within West Yorkshire Police and his career ended. The full story can be read in his obituary published in the NYE here.

Tim Hicks

by Tim Hicks

~~~~~ 

Introduction

Following the resignation of Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner Philip Allott, elections will be held on the 25^th of November 2021 to determine who will be the next Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner (PFCC) for North Yorkshire.

If you are not eligible to vote, applications to vote can be made online:

https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

In real terms, the PFCC is a more important Officer than that of any local Councillor, having real power over a large budget and critically important services.

The NYE will be running an Election Special consisting of a series of articles covering the election. This will include interviews with all the candidates and coverage of election issues as they arise.

The Candidates

It is unclear who the final list of candidates will be. They have until Friday the 29^th of October to declare.

However, independent candidate Keith Tordoff MBE (pictured above) has indicated to the NYE that he will be running again. He has issued this statement to the NYE: 

“I previously stood in this year’s May election for the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner of North Yorkshire as the only Independent candidate.

I can confirm I will be standing in the election on Thursday 25th November to replace the Commissioner who rightly resigned from the role last week.

As an Independent candidate, if elected I would bring to the role the experience of having been a Police Officer, businessman and volunteer leader in the community.

Vitally important to regain the confidence of women, following the ‘crass’ comments by the previous Commissioner, if elected I pledge to make it a priority to prevent, protect and stop violence against women by men.

I am Independent and if elected I will do everything in my remit to protect the Independence of the Police and Fire Services of North Yorkshire. 

I support oversight of the Police and Fire Services but not political meddling.

If elected I would be working tirelessly for, victims, their families, the Police, Fire Services and people living, working or visiting North Yorkshire.”

What is a PFCC and what does she/he do?

Police & Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are elected officials who were first introduced in 2012. Every Police Force has a PCC, except Greater Manchester and London, where PCC responsibilities lie with the Mayor.

In North Yorkshire, the PCC elected to take responsibility for the Fire & Rescue authority, so North Yorkshire has a PFCC, not a PCC.

The duties of a PFCC are as follows:

Policing responsibilities

The role of the PFCCs is to be the voice of the people and hold the police to account. They are responsible for the totality of policing.

PFCCs aim to cut crime and deliver an effective and efficient Police Service within their Force area.

PFCCs have been elected by the public to hold Chief Constables and the Force to account; theoretically making the Police answerable to the communities they serve.

PCCs ensure community needs are met as effectively as possible, and are improving local relationships through building confidence and restoring trust. They work in partnership across a range of agencies at local and national level to ensure there is a unified approach to preventing and reducing crime.

Under the terms of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, PCCs must:

• secure an efficient and effective police for their area;
• appoint the Chief Constable, hold them to account for running the force, and if necessary dismiss them;
• set the police and crime objectives for their area through a police and crime plan;
• set the force budget and determine the precept;
• contribute to the national and international policing capabilities set out by the Home Secretary;

and

• bring together community safety and criminal justice partners, to make sure local priorities are joined up.

The duties of a PFCC are nicely summarised in the list below.

Fire responsibilities

PFCCs are responsible for:

• putting in place arrangements to deliver an efficient and effective fire and rescue service;
• setting the fire and rescue objectives for their area through a fire and rescue plan;
• appointing the Chief Fire Officer, hold them to account for delivery of objectives, and if necessary dismiss them;

and

• setting the service budget and determining the precept.

The last election

The May 2021 election was also run using proportional representation. The results were as follows:

First Choice Voting:

1. 1. Philip Allott (Conservative) 73,657
   2. Alison Hume (Labour) 40,803
   3. Keith Tordoff MBE (Independent) 22,308
   4. James Barker (Lib Dem) 19,733

No candidate won over 50%, so the second preferences of the Independent and LibDem candidates were distributed to the two leading (Conservative and Labour) candidates, giving this final result:

Second Choice Voting:

• • Conservative 83,737 61%
  • Labour 53,442 39%

The North Yorks Enquirer can confirm that the Conservative candidate for the up-coming election for North Yorkshire Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner is:

County Councillor Zoe METCALFE [Con.] – Knaresborough Division – NYCC

by TIM HICKS

~~~~~ 

Introduction 

The Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner (PFCC) for North Yorkshire, Philip Allott, is now the subject of a storm of controversy because the day after former Police Constable Wayne Couzens was convicted of the murder of Sarah Everard he stated in an interview:

“So women, first of all, need to be streetwise about when they can be arrested and when they can’t be arrested. She should never have been arrested and submitted to that. Perhaps women need to consider in terms of the legal process, to just learn a bit about that legal process”.

PFCC Allott has subsequently retracted his remarks and apologised unreservedly for them. I asked PFCC Allott for a comment on this controversy and it is reproduced below – from his Press Officer: 

“Thank you for your email of 2 October 2021. 

As you are aware, you remain subject to a Customer Contact strategy and in line with that arrangement, ordinarily your correspondence would be the subject of an individual response.

You will also be aware that it is our consistent position that the NY Enquirer is not treated as a recognised media outlet and therefore, we would not ordinarily respond to a request for a ‘media comment’ from you either. 

However, Commissioner Allott recognises the current level of public interest and concern in the topic you raise in your email. 

By way of response, he has asked me to draw your attention to his public statement at https://www.northyorkshire-pfcc.gov.uk/news/statement-from-philip-allott/ and to his open letter published with the agenda papers for the Police, Fire and Crime Panel meeting on 14 October 2021 at https://edemocracy.northyorks.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=1159&MId=4727&Ver=4” 

Leaving aside PFCC Allott’s contradictory and hypocritical policy of ignoring media enquiries from the NYE because he does not recognise it as a media outlet unless it is covering an issue of “public interest and concern” (Allott speak for “I need to get my defence out, because I am in big trouble. So I will temporarily suspend my policy of supressing any journalist that criticises me or the police, to save my own skin”. Editor)

Should Philip Allott have Resigned?

I can remember no act by any Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner that has raised such enormous public revulsion as Commissioner Allott’s bizarre comments on the murder of Sarah Everard. Commissioner Allott must now be the most well-known Conservative politician in the UK, after Boris Johnson and Priti Patel.

• Boris Johnson, who said his remarks were “completely wrong, and wrong-headed”.
• Conservative Party Chair Oliver Dowden who said he profoundly disagreed with PFCC Allott’s remarks and that it was a stupid thing to say.
• Leader of the opposition Sir Kier Starmerwho said “I can’t think of a more inappropriate thing for a police and crime commissioner to say”.
• Leader of the Scottish Nationalists Nicola Sturgeon who said his remarks were “appalling”.

Since he has been appointed as PFCC in May, I have been impressed with PFCC Allott’s commitment to the role and more inclusive approach. He is light-years ahead of his predecessor Mrs Julia Mulligan, who had an unsavoury reputation for bullying. However, in my view he should have resigned. My reasoning is as follows:

• His comments are victim blaming. It is not down to women to know the law. It is down to the police service to ensure that the vetting prevents it from recruiting and retaining rapists as policemen and that when there are concerns about an officer, other officers report them.
• His opinion that women need to be streetwise and should not submit to arrest is ridiculous. No matter how streetwise she was, Sarah Everard could not have known that Couzens was deceiving her. There was no possibility of her refusing to submit to arrest. If she had tried to resist Couzens, he would simply have overpowered her. Even if members of the public had tried to intervene, Couzens would have arrested them for obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty. Any officers in a passing patrol car would have instantly backed him up.
• The role of the PFCC is to hold the police to account, but as shown above, he has not done this. He has issued not one word of criticism of the police. Nor has he faced up to any of the institutional failings present in the British Police Service, which probably exist in North Yorkshire Police (NYP) with constructive comments on how to resolve them. This is a major failure that makes him unsuitable for the role.
• The Fire Service Union has expressed lack of confidence in PFCC Allott over his remarks. NYP and the Police Federation have remained silent and offered no support to him. Indicating he has lost the support of both groups of workers. This makes it impossible for him to carry on.
• Most of all, his comments reveal his true underlying attitude towards male violence against women, the need to combat police corruption and to implement change.

To quote former Police Officer and Independent candidate at the PFCC election in May, Mr Keith Tordoff MBE:

“His position is untenable for working with victims, their loved ones, organisations, the Police, emergency services and people of North Yorkshire. He is now a liability to the office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner of North Yorkshire. Time to do the right thing.”

The Labour Party candidate at the May PFCC election, Mrs Alison Hume, said:

“Women have lost faith in the police. The vast majority of survivors of sexual violence and assault never report to police, and it’s not hard to understand why. The charge rate for domestic abuse related crime in North Yorkshire in 2019-20 was just 4%, compared to 9% in England and Wales as a whole.  

Mr Allott already had a huge job on his hands when he was elected, and it is clear from today that he simply isn’t up to it. Violence against women and girls is at epidemic proportions in York and North Yorkshire.  

How can Mr Allott hold the police force to account on our behalf with views which suggest women are somehow responsible for what happens to us at the hands of violent men? His hurried apology is simply not enough. I call on Philip Allott to resign with immediate effect.” 

A petition calling for PFCC Allott’s resignation can be accessed here.

Commissioner Allott’s justification for not resigning

Commissioner Allott has stated forthrightly that he will not resign. Quoted by the BBC he said: 

“No I will not [resign], because it’s more important that I carry through the mandate I was elected to do and I have to say I have thought about it, I’ve gone back and I’ve reflected on my position.

About 10,000 people have signed a petition calling on him to do resign. Commenting on this, Commissioner Allott said: 

We have to see it in context, 83,000 people voted for me in North Yorkshire and York – that’s more than any Member of Parliament.”

Whilst 83,000 people did vote for Commissioner Allott in the May 2021 election, that was on the second preference vote. We should not forget that in the first preference vote he got 73,657 votes with 82,914 voting against him for the other candidates.

His predecessor as Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, Mrs Julia Mulliga,n has – unusually for a senior Conservative politician – broken ranks and severely criticised Commissioner Allott. She is quoted in the Yorkshire Post as saying that women will never believe Philip Allott again:

“Philip Allott’s words reveal a total absence of understanding of male violence against women and girls. 

That is bad enough. But let us also not forget that York was Sarah’s hometown. Her family were mourning her with some of the most compelling victim statements I have ever read. They may have been listening to that interview, they may have heard what he said. 

How dare someone in that position, a position of power, a position of trust, suggest that Sarah was in any way to blame.” 

I suspect that most women in North Yorkshire are sickened by his comments and would not now vote for him. Further, the degree of criticism he has had from across the political spectrum by the elected politicians quoted above reflects public opinion nationally that he should go.

Put simply he has lost his mandate. I have no doubt that if the election was run again, he would be defeated.

Should Commissioner Allott be sacked?

The situation with Commissioner Allott will be discussed at a meeting of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire & Crime Panel on the 14^th of October. The panel has the power to dismiss Commissioner Allott.

In my view, it should do so.

However, the largest single group on the panel is the Conservatives. In the past when faced with very serious misconduct by a Commissioner, (the bullying allegations against Conservative PFCC Julia Mulligan), the panel failed to remove the Commissioner.

I could be wrong, but I suspect it will take the same line with Commissioner Allott.

If that is so, then North Yorkshire will be saddled with a deeply unpopular lame duck commissioner that has lost the support and confidence of the electorate and the police and fire officers he is supposed to lead.

Coming Next

“Couzens: What went wrong?”

Introducing KEITH TORDOFF MBE – the totally Independent candidate in the forthcoming election for the position of Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire taking place on Thursday 6th May 2021.

If you believe, as I do, that party politics has no place in policing, KEITH TORDOFF is the only option.