Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, is under growing pressure to investigate the leaking of new evidence on the killing of the black teenager Stephen Lawrence, just hours before a report criticised the head of the Metropolitan Police for obstructing an inquiry into the Stockwell shooting.

 

The police were forced to confirm media reports this week that detectives had made a late breakthrough in the 14-year Lawrence case after a newspaper revealed details of a key forensic discovery.

 

Lawyers acting for the Lawrence family said the timing of the leak raised serious concerns and suggested the police might have deliberately released the information to draw attention away from its beleaguered commissioner, Sir Ian Blair.

 

The barrister Michael Mansfield QC said he believed it was possible that the news of apparent forensic breakthroughs was released by someone within Scotland Yard to coincide with the publication of a report into the police killing of Jean Charles de Menezes, although he stressed he had no evidence of this.

 

The embattled Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, faced fresh pressure to resign last night after Dominic Grieve, the shadow Attorney General, demanded his dismissal. Sir Ian had discredited Scotland Yard and lost the confidence of the public by "placing himself above the law" in an attempt to block an Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation into the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, Mr Grieve said.

 

In a letter to the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, he called on her to " act decisively" and replace Sir Ian with a "commissioner who can command public confidence". Mr Grieve accused Sir Ian of acting in " clear breach of his statutory duties and the will of Parliament".

 

The pressure on Sir Ian intensified last night after it was revealed that an internal inquiry was looking into allegations that £6m in expenses had gone missing over the past three or four years.

 

Detectives are alleged to have paid for holidays, jewellery and luxury goods such as flat-screen televisions on American Express cards issued by the force for booking accommodation and flights during investigations. The Met's professional standards unit is expected to speak to hundreds of officers and examine 3,000 credit card accounts.

 

Scotland Yard confirmed that two detectives had been arrested on suspicion of theft. They are believed to be from the SO15 counter-terrorism squad. Lord Harris, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority's corporate governance committee, told the News of the World: "The slowness of the Met's leadership to respond to recommendations from their internal auditors has been a source of constant annoyance to me. We have been tightening up these processes and that is why these abuses are being uncovered."

 

Source:Independent on Sunday

 

In a word - absolutely.... Brian Paddick was forced to resign for a damn sight less than B-Liar II, and Paddick wasn't even guilty of the things he was charged with, he was hounded out of his job merely for being gay and for - shock horror - actually coming up with a progressive policing strategy on dealing with people caught with a small amount of cannabis in order to save police time and cut down on paperwork....

 

Actually, B-Liar II shouldn't be able to resign - he should be bloody well sacked and humiliated.... It's no more than this maggot deserves..... <_<

If my surname was Blair I would be ordering deed poll forms :manson: the name Blair has been totally tarnished and ruined by these 2 spivs and charlatans (Tony and Ian) and I would be embarrassed to share a name with them, both are VILE creatures of the highest order

 

 

If my surname was Blair I would be ordering deed poll forms

 

:lol: :lol:

 

Same here mate...