Operation floret whitewash?

So here it is! An eagerly awaited update on Operation floret. The investigation into the corruption between high ranking Police Officers in Greater Manchester Police ( from now on GMP) and Labour-run Wigan Council.

First of thank you for your patients. I did say this blog post would be up last night and I had to just delay by 24 hours to get a couple of things checked out but the number of people contacting me asking when it is coming is clearly evidenced that whilst GMP and the Labour-run council called Wigan Council are hoping this goes away - it wouldn't! So thank you for contacting me and your patients.

There are 4 complaints made by 4 individuals - I am one of them. In case you are not aware of the story here that blog post about it.

So when I made my complaint I was unaware of any other complaints from anyone else. When I met senior officers in GMP I made it very clear that I didn't expect anything other than a whitewash. They gave me their assurances that it wouldn't be. And I trusted them.

After some time the complaints ( I am only aware of mine at this time ) was transferred to the professional standards division of GMP. To me, my concerns of a whitewash were disappearing as I was told as well as mine there was a similar complaint and because corruption had been identified by senior officer (s) they were sending it over to the IOPC. The IOPC worked with GMP and after some time gave GMP guidance on how they could deal with the complaint. I asked how on earth could this happen and professional standards told me due to them already finding the corruption and officers involved that they would not be able to deal with it and they would now more than likely pass it over to another police force in the country to investigate. That made sense.

I was surprised when I learnt that GMP had assigned it over to another officer in GMP to investigate? They said because he wasn't aware of the case they could see it from the beginning. I thought OK we have to go with it.

It took some time for them to get in touch and when they did I asked for them to be fully up to speed before we met - and this was agreed. During the months we have been in touch and go through the investigation and met a number of times.

I learnt in the Times article about the other complainants and their plight too. I now can exclusively reveal that Peter Franzen and Robert Bleakley reports have been concluded by GMP and they are disgusted at what they have read. Peter Franzen calls the report - " a whitewash with half-truths, lies and contradictions!"

The report would have been written by the same Officer in GMP and even on the same day or within days of each other. Both reports would then have to be signed off by GMP.

One report says that Donna Hall had 5 tyres slashed. Yet the next one says 6 tyres. So which is it? In the case of Peter Franzen he had police in full riot gear and battering rams knock his door down in when they went to arrest him for this malicious libellous allegation made by Donna Hall. On this point just hold that thought - interesting point coming. But yet the report into his complaint says that only 2 officers were wearing riot gear. That doesn't even make sense to me. Why would 2 officers have full riot gear on and the other 6 are left with normal gear? Peter Franzen knew that the assault on his home was captured by body cameras and he has asked GMP to review the footage and also for him to have a copy to move the report is a lie. To date, he has not seen the footage or been provided one.

From the time he was arrested to being dropped from being investigated was 2 years. Robert Bleakey and Cllr Bob Brierley were under investigation for 1 yr. Collectively 4 yrs and then me for best part of 6 months until I took GMP to the High Court and GMP ran for the hills.  During that time given that Donna Hall said she had 6 or was it 5 tyres slashed? Even GMP don't know - no receipts for tyres, no CCTV footage was ever shown or provided. With no evidence what so ever you would ask how and why would GMP even go and arrest them if it for not corrupt reason? A simple question that would need to be answered. In the reports from GMP it doesn't even address this.

Also, the investigation never went and interviewed the senior officer who authorised the arrest, detention and investigation in the first place. What? How can GMP seriously think that their investigation could be described as anything else apart from a whitewash and the investigation team doesn't even interview the people being accused of the corruption? Maybe some out there are saying maybe GMP didn't see anything wrong. Well, don't forget I had and, I presume others, had been told GMP had found the corruption and officers involved. 

So now Peter Franzen and Robert Bleakley have instructed solicitors to take action against GMP for this and I understand a letter of claim has now been sent into GMP starting the legal case against GMP.

Now I did say hold that thought when I said Donna Hall had complained about the other 3 that were arrested. GMP have confirmed to me that she complained in a personal capacity but it was actually...... are you sitting comfortably???? Well, it was none other than  Alsion McKenzie Folan that GMP said put the complaint in against them on behalf of Donna Hall. Some of you may be saying who on earth is Alison whatever her name is? She is the then deputy chief executive of Wigan Council and since Donna Hall got sacked because of all this she got the promotion to the Chief Executive. Proving that Wigan council are neck-deep in this action.

So what about me? I hear you ask. 

Well, I met, again, the GMP officers again at the beginning of December last year and it was clear that one of two things were happening, another whitewash was trying to be done or incompetence. I rule the latter out on the basis they are senior ranking and I do not believe they get there for incompetence.

Again the arresting officer - who has since met me and apologised to me for his part in this - would not be interviewed. I was told he would be the last one to be interviewed as he had a lot to answer. However, he would be able to tell the investigation team which senior officer was in the middle of this. I already knew who the senior officer was. I was told that the investigation could not find any corruption. I said a list of key evidence including the letter from the corrupt head of Legal Services at Wigan Council who sent my bail conditions to me 5 hours before I was even arrested? Response - O Yeah we can't get around that. I better look at this again. I guess you had.

Also, the senior ranking officer was not connected to one of the most senior police officers in GMP - I replied apart from the fact the senior officer worked for them for a number of years. Response - O yeah that could be the link. Really is this the best GMP can do?

The senior officer who authorised my arrest, detention and breach of human rights would also not be arrested. I seriously complained of that and Operation Floret team agreed that they should actually be interviewed? This was to be done before Xmas and I would get a full update the first week of January. This meeting has still not taken place as GMP keep bouncing it - even though they are out of their own guidelines and terms of reference. I can only presume they can't whitewash my complaint and because of the serious concerns I have and how this investigation has now clearly gone I have made a representation to GMP to say I have now lost total faith in this investigation after I have given them a good chance to resolve the matter and made an official complaint and said this should now be - like what GMP suggested themselves at the beginning - that another Police Force in the country be assigned the investigation as they are truly independent and can be the only ones now that can give GMP investigation in the corruption scandal any credibility now.

You will not believe this - and this is serious.

So I have learnt so much into the corruption of this case and one of the things that is seriously worrying is it was only about a week ago serious questions were asked of GMP on how they let vulnerable children down in the grooming scandal we all saw on the news. But I can reveal the officer who Donna Hall complained to was a very high ranking officer in a child protection unit and because Donna Hall had her mobile number and rang her to do the arrests and corruption, and she did. She used officers from her own team for this Donna Hall's case and that has taken valuable resources away from those serious crimes that would need to be looked at. Proof that Donna Hall didn't go through the proper channels she simply rang a mate up and pulled in some favours. And have children in Greater Manchester been let down yet again by GMP? Shouldn't those officers been dealing with the very things that they were responsible for and not some political stunt that has blown up in Donna Hall and GMP's faces?

Estimate so far into all this corruption that Donna Hall has cost taxpayers is now being talked in the region of £5 million. How much extra police could we have had for that? How many more school teachers could we have? How many potholes repaired?

Also, we know GMP has said that Donna Hall made these malicious false allegations in a personal capacity and Wigan Council have now confirmed - in writing- that the head of Legal Services - was working for her. Given that she didn't do the complaints as Chief Executive then, just like in the High Court Case against Cllr Steve Jones, she should pay the taxpayers money back. Why should Wigan taxpayers pay for her crimes? Yes trying to illegally sack a democratically elected Cllr and misuse of public office is a crime!