The Metropolitan police commissioner, Cressida Dick, has been referred to the police watchdog over her handling of Operation Midland, the force’s investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse by members of the British establishment.
The Mayor of London’s Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac) said it made the referral to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) after it received a complaint from a member of the public last month.
Operation Midland was launched in 2014 after Carl Beech – known initially by the pseudonym “Nick” – began making a series of shocking and macabre claims about child sexual abuse and murder by members of Britain’s elite.
The inquiry lasted a year and a half and cost £2.5m, and ended without a single arrest. In July this year Beech, 51, was found guilty of 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud over his claims. He was jailed for 18 years.
A spokesperson for the IOPC said the complaint related to comments made by Dick about the operation, as well as an allegation that she “failed to take action to correct a statement made to the media by an Operation Midland detective”.
In October, Harvey Proctor, a former Conservative MP accused of being a part of the non-existent VIP paedophile ring, urged Dick to “consider her position” after a report revealed that senior officers agreed at the outset of the investigation to publicly say they believed the allegations.
Subsequently, Det Supt Kenny McDonald, who retired on the eve of Beech’s trial, told the media: “‘Nick’ has been spoken to by experienced officers from the child abuse team and experienced officers from the murder investigation team. They and I believe what ‘Nick’ is saying is credible and true.”
A Met police spokesperson said the force received the complaint against Dick on 31 October as part of a referral from Northumbria police and passed it on to Mopac as the appropriate authority.
The IOPC said: “We are assessing the information provided to determine whether an investigation is necessary and, if so, what level of involvement is required by the IOPC.”
Mopac’s role as the appropriate authority means it will bring disciplinary proceedings against the commissioner if directed to do so by the watchdog’s investigators.
