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Six police accused of torturing suspects by simulated drowning
Justin Davenport, Crime Correspondent10.06.09
Scotland Yard is set to sack officers who are found guilty of torturing suspects by simulating drowning.
Six officers have been suspended over allegations they ducked suspects' heads in buckets of water during a drugs raids.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating the claims which form part of the biggest corruption inquiry launched by the Yard in recent years.
The alleged victims were foreign nationals seized in Edmonton by members of the Enfield crime squad.
Senior Met officers are said to be "horrified" by the claims. One insider said: "The allegations are very disturbing. This was not waterboarding Guantanamo Bay-style, no-one is saying they were tied to boards but this is still very serious.
"These officers seem to be part of a rogue squad which was out of control and they need to be kicked out of the force."
Officers found guilty could also face possible criminal charges including assault.
The claims, thought to have been first made by a serving police officer, are another blow for Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson who has faced a series of controversies since he took charge four months ago.
They are particularly embarrassing as Met officers are investigating claims by former Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed that he was tortured while in US custody.
Senior officers have known about the allegations for some weeks and Sir Paul has ordered a new regime of "intrusive supervision" across the force. The borough commander of Enfield, Chf Supt Adrian Hanstock, has been transferred though it is not suggested he knew about the crime squad's alleged activities.
A wider investigation into the squad includes accusations that evidence was fabricated and property stolen from suspects.
Nine detectives - virtually the entire squad - were suspended in February over allegations that goods including iPods and flat screen TVs were taken from suspects.
The torture claims involve an allegation by at least one suspect that their head was ducked into a bucket or tank of water.
The claims - involving six of the officers - led to the abandonment of a drugs trial involving the four men and one woman held in the drugs raid last November.
Police had said they found a large amount of cannabis and the suspects were charged with drug smuggling.
The case was abandoned four months later when the Crown Prosecution Service said "it would not have been in the public interest to proceed". It is understood the trial, by revealing the torture claims, would have compromised the criminal investigation into the officers.
A Met spokesman said an employee had raised concerns about a small number of officers during an internal investigation into allegations of mishandling of property.
He added: "The Met's Directorate of Professional Standards then initiated a thorough investigation and as part of this made a referral to the IPCC in April.
"Whilst the investigation is ongoing it is not appropriate to make assumptions. That said, these are serious allegations that do raise real concern.
"The Met does not tolerate conduct which falls below the standards that the public and the many outstanding Met officers and staff expect.
"Any allegations of such behaviour are treated very seriously and if found true the strongest possible action will be taken."
Reader views (24)
Did they get a result though !
- Rosie, Watford
- Neil M, Basingstoke UK
This is a correcting affect that is bound to take place in society. Completely fed up with the Liberal-Lefties who are so hell bent on having vermin released from prison early, known terrorists walking our streets without prejudice and the like, elements in society will counter that and make things work 'practically'.
They will not continue with ideologies that are pie in the sky, naive and do not bring results. The current 'uman Rights Law that Labour signed up to wholesale for instance, protects these scum and not the victims.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
Neil M, Basingstoke UK - See today's Air France Plane article to see where you will get us. Tut Tut.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke
The police need the trust and respect of the public they serve. The whistleblowers should be the ones receiving the praise not the ones seeking justification for torture. Trust is something easily lost and as seen in the recent London protests the PR of the police is at an all time low. We need officers to act in accordance with the law at all times even if informants claim people are drug dealers. What value is information gained via torture to anyone?
- Gary, Brentwood 2
Assuming Paul's comments were a response to mine, I am not assuming anyone to be guilty. My point was that any member of the public accused of, say, assault, is arrested, taken to a police station, fingerprinted and has a DNA sample taken, even though they are 'innocent' until proven guilty. If not convicted, the samples are retained. My question is, were the police officers in these cases treated in that way or did they receive more favourable treatment?
- David, Newmarket Suffolk
@ Dave, Basingstoke. My "youthful idealism" has lasted me well into my 40s, so it can't be that bad. As for dredging up the so-called "war on terror" to justify state-sponsored domestic violence by thugs in uniform in London - tut tut. I think that most people today generally accept that the bogus war on terror is merely a boogey man to excuse the further encroachment of civil liberties, even if they are too cowed/world-weary to protest.
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it... The truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the state." (Joseph Goebbels, minister of propaganda in Nazi Germany, 1933-1945)
- Neil M, Basingstoke UK
There is hardly ever a need to 'encroach' on civil liberties, especially in an illegal substance case.
By using barbaric means such as this we give out the wrong message and breed resentment in these 'religious fanatics' and anybody on the receiving end of such actions, the result of which furthers the 'fanatics' cause.
However, this case is not about 'religious fanatics' but 'foreign nationals'. We cannot presume that because somebody is in our CJS and they are foreign that they intend to bring Jihad, even if the methods are those which have been so barbaricaly used in Guantanamo (which is being closed down for a good reason).
At the moment we cannot be overly critical until these claims have been proven.
- Gareth Edwards, Leeds
These allegations should not surprise us. Our political leaders have shown a complete disregard for the law and have allowed the anto-terrorist legislation to be misused and abused by themselves and the Police in a number of ways and they have almost, but not quite, condoned torture. I suspect "Dave Davies" doesn't mind other people's human rights and dignity being abused, just so long as it isn't his own. Before he accuses me of being an idealistic youth I would inform him that until recently I spent over 30 years in the Police Force. As an operational detective, when dealing with people in custody, or anywhere else for that matter, I never found it necessary or tempting to use anything but lawful interrogation methods. Fortunately, in my experience officers who abused people in custody were very rare, but the publicity which surrounds the few often gets the vast majority of hard working and decent officers a bad name. Such corruption needs urgently to be weeded out.
- Neil45, Gloucestershire, England.
IMO, well done Gene Hunt! Sometimes, political correctness and/or human rights should be balanced against the need to get answers from these scum. Certain factions in the criminal underworld (especially dealers) would NOT hesitate to injure, maim or kill police officers who are only doing their job. Where would the injured police officer's human rights be then?
For good or bad, I still trust our police forces to defend the rights and protect the property and lives of honest citizens.
Angr Y
- Angr Y, Sandown, Hampshire
If these criminals are as bad as the Met say then perhaps we should be asking why their heads weren't held under water longer!! It's about time our streets were cleared of criminal scum with residents allowed to walk the streets without fear of being harmed! I see this as political correctness going crazy. Scurrilous allegations such as this only removes law abiding officers from the streets and gives criminals even more freedom to do what they like!
I wonder how much this is costing the tax payer to provide legal support to these criminal scrum and I wonder how many lawyers are jumping on the bandwagon and offering the same advice to their clients while in custody?
- Rh, Nottingham, UK
People are missing the point; the police are there to enforce justice, not to do Justice. That is for the Court.
Tomorrow these or similar police officer could be in you homes ducking your head in water, you may or may not have done any thing. I bet you would then think twice in supporting them.
Were would it stop, it is brave of the Met's Directorate to investigate this kind of behaviour.
- Edward Williams, Birmingham
These Officers who no doubt work night and day, put away serios criminals, and get no thanks from their so called superiors will expect nothing less than a complete failure by their bosses to stand up for them at this time. Immediately it is they will be sacked. Lets hear what happened first.
- Ronreagan, aberdeen
@Frank
We should definitely put a (full) stop to 'drug induced commas'. However, it sounds as though these suspects were dealers rather than users, and unlikely to be in 'comas', assuming that's what you meant.
- Stephen, Brighton UK
These officers ARE ordinary members of the public, and WILL be afforded the same treatment. They will be, and should be treated as INNOCENT until proved guilty. It is disgusting that, because they are POlice offciers they are assumed to be guilty. The public want the police to protect them, but will not back them. Very soon, if ALL police officers are presumed to be dirty and corrupt, there will be no police offciers capable of fighting crime left. All you will have will be pen pushing number crunchers. Then the criminals will take over.
- Paul Suddes, Yorkshire
Why do we persist in subsidinging drug dealers? The stupid way we mismanage our drugs problem means that these scumbags can make a million percent profit on their worthless products.
- John Woods, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
Neil M, Basingstoke UK - Sometimes civil liberties have to be encroached upon. We live in dangerous times with religious fanatics willing to cause death and destruction on scale not seen in peacetime.
I appreciate Civil liberties (my previous posts would support this) but also recognise the need to balance this aginst other issues - Death with "Liberty" or Life?
Your youthful idealism will be mellowed by experience over time, and you will find huge shifting shades of grey against your current black and white.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke
I hope the police never accidentally raid your home Alan, Shropshire. What a stupid thing to say, think before you speak in future. We have judges to say who is guilty not the police
- Ge, Kernow
Druggies deserve all they get, well done to the met officers who did this, they had what was coming to them, pity this doesn't happen more often, maybe with detterents like "they might drown you" will put a few more people off selling drugs
- Alan, Shropshire
If any ordinary member of the public was accused of this they would have been arrested, then released on bail pending further enquiries. Same with the death and the allegations of assault during the recent demonstrations in London. Police Officers who were accused were simply suspended,not named, no arrest, no DNA sample. Why not? Seems they are treated differently from the rest of the population. I suspect the whole thing will quietly go away after a period to allow for the public and press to forget about it. As a one time strong supporter of the Police I admit to having lost all faith and trust in the organisation.I feel sorry for any honest and upright police. Like M.P.s they are all likely to be tarred with the same brush. This does nothing to reduce cynicism I'm afraid.
- David, Newmarket Suffolk
"I predict no one will be charged with any offence. I won't lose any sleep over that."
"Don't see anything wrong with that!"
And that is how the drip-drip effect slowly erodes our ancient English liberties. Turn a blind eye to suspected drug smugglers being tortured this week, then next month it will be suspected litter louts, and the month after that you may find yourself being tortured for failing to pay your TV license fee. How short-sighted and willing to surrender us all into a police-state you lor'n'awder right-wingers are...
- Neil M, Basingstoke UK
Well said Gary, Brentford
- Jh, London
Dunked suspects heads in water? Probably trying to bring them out of their drug induced commas for questioning. Don't see anything wrong with that!
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
I predict no one will be charged with any offence. I won't lose any sleep over that.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke
Well done the whistle blowers for coming forward, you have restored some faith in the system you represent; it only takes one senior rotten apple to corrupt lower officers. Big thanks from a law abiding citizen
- Gary, Brentwood 2
