Thursday 25 February 2010

What a difference a Child Abuse Investigation makes.

Back in early 2007 (not sure of the date) Chief Police Officer Graham Power and Deputy Chief Officer Lenny Harper were “the good guys”. They were rooting out the corruption in our “outdated” Police force and according to the Jersey Evening Post “ It goes without saying that in the police - beyond all other institutions - there is no room whatsoever for corruption or malpractice. If the professional standards section of our force determined that it was necessary to act with exemplary firmness, its stance deserves support rather than criticism.”

Below is that editorial published in, and by, the Jersey Evening Post early in 2007 where one would believe, after receiving glowing reports from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate, Lenny Harper and Graham Power were doing this right. This appears to be endorsed by the Jersey Evening Post, hence their “positive” Editorial.

But along came a Child Abuse Investigation, and these two cops who had received glowing reports from HMI and others also the support of the Jersey Evening Post - before you know it - they’re the bad guys! Come on JEP you can’t have it both ways, at what point did they lose your support, when was it that they went bad?

Everything all seemed Hunky Dory until these guys started investigating institutional Child Abuse.

I should like at this point to throw out a challenge to the Jersey Evening Post.

In their Editorial of February 23rd 2010 (below) they have written “One is that Mr Power’s deputy, Lenny Harper, was not effectively supervised as he pursued with ever increasing public zeal his unsubstantiated suspicions that torture, murder and institutional cover-up had taken place at the former children’s home.”

Could you please point us in the direction where Lenny Harper has ever said there was any “murder” at HDLG?

JEP Editorial from 2007.

Police Chief delivers change.

Six years ago the States of Jersey Police were the subject of a less than flattering report compiled in the wake of a visit by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary. Since then, problems clearly have been solved and new standards have been set, the latest HMI report

having described the force as “modern and fast-moving”.
Police Chief Graham Power and his officers can be proud of this achievement. In common with forces up and down Britain, the States Police are a complex and many-layered organisation. Accomplishing the turn-around of the past six years can therefore, have been no easy undertaking. Nor can it have been particularly pleasant. The process of major change is always likely to upset those set in their ways or content to roll along in accordance with comfortable but outdated routines.

This process of transformation was undoubtedly at its most challenging when the professional standards department, led by Mr. Power’s deputy, Lenny Harper, embarked on a systematic programme to root out corruption. Mr. Harper’s determined efforts have been attacked - to the extent that they have been described as “out of control” by a prominent former politician - but the result of the latest HMI inspection would seem to justify the decision to probe as deeply as possible and to remove those officers who were less than a credit to their uniform.
It goes without saying that in the police - beyond all other institutions - there is no room whatsoever for corruption or malpractice. If the professional standards section of our force determined that it was necessary to act with exemplary firmness, its stance deserves support rather than criticism.

There are, of course, areas of the force where improvements can still be made. Indeed, the inspectorate has listed 78 suggestions for further change. With the combination of improved morale, high levels of confidence in the top echelon and firm political support, Mr. Power and his colleagues are in an excellent position to deliver that change.
We in Jersey are fortunate to live in a community where serious crime is mercifully rare. While important questions remain over the failure of the States to establish a new police authority , the force itself is organised and led in a way more than capable of maintaining this happy state of affairs.

Mr Power: Time to call a halt
February 23, 2010 – 3:00 pm

ALMOST exactly two years since the name of Haut de la Garenne hit the world’s headlines, Jersey is still dealing with the fall-out.

The ramifications of how the police and politicians handled that dramatic escalation of the Island’s historical child abuse inquiry will once again tax the wisdom of States Members this week when they debate Deputy Bob Hill’s call for a committee of inquiry into the suspension of States police chief Graham Power.
We may never know precisely what arguments he will make because the debate is to be held in private, but they will need to be powerful ones to justify the protraction of an already extensive examination.

There seems to be little, if any, doubt over the two key points. One is that Mr Power’s deputy, Lenny Harper, was not effectively supervised as he pursued with ever increasing public zeal his unsubstantiated suspicions that torture, murder and institutional cover-up had taken place at the former children’s home. The other is that in suspending Mr Power because of that failure of oversight, the powers that be slipped up in one or more parts of the procedural minefield that now surrounds employer/employee relations in Jersey.
Unequivocally damning evidence in respect of the first of those points has already been presented by the States police’s own review of the conduct of the abuse inquiry, carried out by a suitably qualified senior officer from the UK. More expert comment on the whole affair is due soon from the Wiltshire Constabulary, who have been commissioned to take a further independent view.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur has offered a review of the way Mr Power’s suspension was carried out. All this has already taken longer and cost more than is reasonable, with the delay providing a field day for conspiracy theorists in the process.In reaching a decision this week, the States will have to balance a number of tricky questions, including, crucially, what is fair to Mr Power but also what is fair to Jersey and to the taxpayer.
Mr Power has been suspended for more than a year. He is now near retirement and, one way or another, will undoubtedly leave Jersey well rewarded for his ultimately disappointing time in the Island. There is, nevertheless, understandable sadness that a dedicated, respected police officer who has given long and distinguished service should find himself in this position at the end of his career.

Depending on one’s point of view, that sympathy will either be diluted or reinforced by the knowledge that Mr Power and Mr Harper co-existed as two sides of a triangular relationship with a weak Home Affairs Minister in former Senator Wendy Kinnard.
From any perspective, though, there is strong evidence that Mr Power has largely brought his troubles on himself through his failure to control Mr Harper. For that reason Deputy Hill, himself a former Metropolitan Police officer of the old school, will have a hard task convincing the States that there would be any overwhelmingly important purpose served by dragging out this whole grim process even further.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

The HMI report speaks for itself. So does the fact that Chris Bright either forgot the editorial he published at the time or believes that the readership of the "Janet and John" daily comic are too thick to remember. Or perhaps, he is just plain dishonest. Whatever, I am sure you will make up your own mind. However, permit me to make a few comments about his latest work of fictional wishful thinking.
As for me not being "effectivey supervised", how much supervision does Chris Bright want? As much as he gets from the Jersey government? I was supervised every step of the way by the ACPO Homicide Review Team which included the UK's top homicide investigator whose experience extended way beyond the (albeit tragic) drowning of people in an industrial incident. He and his team went through everything I did and came up with no serious criticisms, not even in the private meetings they had with Frank Walker. If they had, do you not think honest, pacifist, Frank would not be screaming from the heavens (or hell perhaps!)?
And you are right of course. I never said that there was definitly murder committed at HDLG. There may have been. I still don't know, but there is ample evidence that something badly wrong went on. You do not have to look very far to confirm that I said nothing of what Bright falsly claims. Try the Sunday Times or the BBC for two easily found examples. No damning evidence has been produced as to me not being effectively supervised. Even on the basis of the totaly inaccurate and soundly discredited account from Andrew Lewis and the Chief Minister, the so called Met interim report was submitted at least two weeks before I or the ACPO leader were even interviewed. Additionally, the Met officer (who was hardly properly qualified to conduct such a review) not only denied to me that he had submitted any such report but has still not interviewed important witnesses who I told him would contradict the versions of Warcup and Gradwell - for instance the Anthropologist who said the bones were human juvenile, not very old, and were fleshed and fresh when burnt. The Met are currently investigating a formal complaint from me against the officer concerned in that so called review.
I laughed at Bright's claim that the Jersey "powers that be" slipped up when suspending Graham Power. Is that what the JEP call the use of documents with false dates of composition on them?
The labelling of Wendy Kinnard as 'weak' is a cowardly and desperate attempt to bolster a rotten and despicable pandering to corrupt officials by the JEP. I have immense respect for Wendy Kinnard, both her integrity and her courage. I know the full facts of the hell she went through and how she faced a daily battle from the bullying and intellectually challenged cavemen she was working with. Chris Bright is not fit to even speak about her. Something he shares in common with Walker and a posse of others.
He is right about one thing. Graham Power brought all this on himself. He was too honest and principled for the political rag bag who thought they should control every action of the police. Remember the comment of the current Home Affairs Minister that we were out of control we were acting as if we thought we were independent? And then for good measure (on the instruction of his political masters no doubt) there is a crude attempt to tarnish Bob Hill with the comment that he is a "former Metropolitan Police officer of the old school." So he believes the police are there to protect the innocent then? Lenny Harper

Anonymous said...

The JEP failed to understand the real STORY. Let alone this silly drivel:

"From any perspective, though, there is strong evidence that Mr Power has largely brought his troubles on himself...."

= JEP perspective!! Q. where can the public find this strong evidence?

"what is fair to Mr Power but also what is fair to Jersey and to the taxpayer."

What on earth is the writer harping on about, what is paramount is Graham Power, suspended as a neutral act whilst Wiltshire Police come back with a report which will then either clear him or implicate him. What is fair to the Jersey taxpayer has no relevance whatsoever.

They just cannot get decent journalist's these days because most of the good ones are staying well clear or writing their own blogs, with facts!

voiceforchildren said...

Lenny.

I and many others believe there were murders at HDLG, and believe there is enough evidence already in the public domain to prove this. Or at the very least, there was disposal of body's.

But that's not good for the reputation of Jersey. The majority of our government and "accredited" media still seem to believe that holding States sittings and enquiries behind closed doors and leaving the population with more questions than answers is better for the reputation of Jersey!

Oh! and expecting intelligent adult human beings to believe in tooth fairy's rather than documented evidence!

Anonymous said...

Disposal of bodies there certainly was, and I was, and still am, happy to go on the record and say that. How else can you explain the burnt, whilst still "fleshed and fresh," bones of human juveniles and the teeth which according to two experts "could not have come out naturally." How can the evidence of the builders who found bones they thought were human be explained? Why else would the experts' reports dealing these have been ignored by Messrs. Warcup and Gradwell? Of course, I forgot. The Tooth Fairy.
Lenny Harper

Big E said...

I think we all know how the J.E.P operate.

They are (as is the Jersey Police Complaints Authority) effectively, little more than a rubber stamp for a vile and almost totally corrupt Government.

One would have to be skating on the edges of insanity to believe anything they printed. Lest, there will always be one or two sucked in by their utter nonsense.

It is painfully clear that one of the National newspapers should be given the green light to set up, and publish in Jersey.

Perhaps the Sunday Sport! For even their opening headline, "Hamburger Kills Space Alien" would be closer to the truth than anything the J.E.P could conjure up.

Never thought I would ever say this about Policemen, but Lenny and Graham, thank you both for getting rid of the stench, if only for a short while!

Wishing you both well, kindest regards Ian

rico sorda said...

Hi lenny

Huge thanks for your comments

Do you know what Andre Baker makes of this mess seeing as it was his team that was mentoring you, Are there any written notes from Andrew Lewis praising the investigation, the bloody idiot has dropped so many gaffes one more cant hurt.

What do the police overseas make of David Warcup stitching up Graham Power? do you have any idea what other forces make of what has happened here it surely must be very rare

Wiltshire must be shaking there heads with what they have found out and i believe they will be so buried we will never know

could bring down a government

rs

Anonymous said...

Rico, in answer to your questions. I only know that Andre Baker was told, as I was, that there was no interim report. He was of the view that it was very unikely there would be as neither he nor I had been interviewed at the time. This was confirmed to him, then to me, by the man doing the so called review. Andre is still serving so I do not want to speak for him. Suffice to say, that I found his advice and support a great help in dealing with what we both saw as unwarranted political interference. In respect of UK police forces, the only people I talk to about this are those I know from the forces that I served in. They all know me of course, and many of them know Graham Power. They know what kind of cops we were/are. They can see what kind of cops Gradwell and Warcup are. Not one of them have any doubt as to where the truth lies as one of them strongly reinforced to the Sunday Times reporter when he came to see me. It has to be said, that without exception, they do not see Warcup or Gradwell as being able to orchestrate this - they see a political hand winding the key in both their backs. It could bring down a government? Someone else said that to me - now who was it? Might the name have been Ogley? Lenny Harper

rico sorda said...

Hi Lenny

Thanks for your reply

What is andre bakers serving rank? Why do you think ian le marquand wont touch the A.C.P.O reports? i find it very strange as Dave Warcup says in the judicial review that they are not very good concerning you and graham.

Ian le marquand has been trying to muddy the waters concerning A.C.P.O'S role downplaying their input all very strange.

The 'Jordans' i believe was the work of your team. Was this a dropped case that they now feel they had better reopen.

And up the mighty Milan we are gonna kick butt. Lenny you will be crying into your scotch & haggis next week

rs

Anonymous said...

Consistency has never been one of the obvious characteristics of the JEP. The explanation lies in its political function. The JEP is the “party paper”, in the same sense of Pravda and Volkisher Beobachter were to the Soviet and National Socialist regimes respectively – the organ and voice of government, whose “party line” shifted with the vicissitudes of expediency. In addition, the JEP suffers from the same hubris as its masters, in believing it has the right and ability to actually determine government policy – hence the affirmative editorials.

Just as for its Soviet counterpart, the truth is a flexible concept, that bends with necessity. If we want to understand why there might be a conflict between an earlier and later political stance, one does not have to expect moral consistency. The issue is wholly amoral. As the “party line” changes, so will the definitions of Black and White. Note definitions in the plural, because in such a world amoral thought, there can be more than one version of the truth, even in something a simple as a colour.

One of the primary functions of the JEP editorial is to defend the collective interest of Jersey’s ruling classes. When they use the word “Jersey” it is a code word for those interests. Thus in a rhetorical question such as “ You likened Jersey to *******, will you now apologise?”, the expression really means “you criticized the collective interests of the ruling elite; please confess and apologise.”

One may now hope that former Senator Wendy Kinnard will now make some form of public statement. Her silence is inexplicable. When the JEP describe her as “weak”, she should surely reply? The JEP is playing a wicked game – discrediting everyone in sight – Wendy Kinnard, Lenny Harper, Graham Power and Bob Hill. As we know, politics in Jersey is carried on in terms of personality, so the JEP blacken the names and reputation of all critics of the regime, be they former agents, former employees or know “enemies of the people”.

Alas there are many who reading nothing except the JEP. Even worse there are many who want to believe that everything they read is true. It’s a bit like Catholicism, it offers solace and certainty, even if Virgin Births are an impossibility.

Anonymous said...

Evening Rico. Sorry for the delay in answering but just arrived back from Wembley - more of that later! Serious stuff first. As has been reported elsewhere, Andre Baker is now a senior member of SOCA. I don't know their rank structure. As for the Home Affairs Minister and the ACPO reports, well, he won't make them an issue because they blow the case of Warcup and Gradwell completely out of the water. I don't know what was in the Met interim report (if one existed, the alleged author denied there was one to me and Andre Baker) but if it was given on the November date claimed by Warcup, it was completed without any contact to Andre Baker or myself, or indeed, any of the witnesses I told him to contact. I would think the public discussion of those ACPO reports would be the last thing wanted by this lot. As for the couple you mention - there was ample evidence to charge them before I left the team and a file had been submitted. I don't know if it was dropped or not. My information is that it was just shelved. It is obviously convenient to sacrifice them now.
Now, on a lighter note. A good weekend for me and my grandson at Wembley. I think you're wrong about Milan. I think that will be another enjoyable night in Manchester. Lenny Harper

rico sorda said...

Thanks Lenny

Milan will rule lol

I now await the ACPO reports.

We must get justice for the abuse victims it's the only thing that matters.

Thanks

rs