Following on from our lead story in iNews Cayman on February 11 2014 “Two Allegations of Crime committed in connection with Operation Tempura made” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/two-allegations-of-crime-committed-in-connection-with-operation-tempura-made/  John Evans the Complainant made reference to the employment of private contractors in 2008 from the London Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) saying “four private contractors were recruited in May 2008 and joined the investigation during May and June 2008. All four, Martin Bridger, Richard Coy, John Kemp and Steven de Burgh Thomas, were former MPS officers.”

He then mentions “the recruitment of BGP Global Training and Consultancy, a now defunct company set up by ex-MPS officers in Mar 2007. According to the audit the BGP contract was entered into by the Cayman Islands Government (CIG) in September 2008.

“The only problem with all this is an official statement from MPS, sent to me as part of an FOI disclosure, gives a totally different picture.

“That release reads –

“However in order to assist you, as required by Section 16 of the Act, I can confirm the following details regarding the employment of ex-MPS officers in the Cayman Islands.

“In February 2008 a requirement to support Operation Tempura arose. Suitable ex-officers were considered for this role. With Metropolitan Police Authority authorisation contracts were put in place with two companies to provide the services of appropriate contractors for this investigation. Contractors were successfully engaged under contract to support this operation with all costs reclaimable from the Cayman Islands.

“When the first phase of Operation Tempura came to an end Assistant Commissioner John Yates reached an agreement with the Cayman Islands that contractors would be engaged directly by the Cayman Islands rather than through the MPS.”

It certainly smacks of “jobs for the boys” and is very questionable as to whether the Cayman Islands actually at that time were getting value for money from a proper tendering process.

We now know there was no value to us but excellent value to them.

To illustrate how suspect the awarding of these contracts by the MPS – “The Met” I leave you with this story from the UK’s Daily Mail published on 12^th December 2010.  Note BGP Global is mentioned in the Mail article:

Police wives’ firms paid £3.5m to type witness statements as cronyism fears grow over lucrative Met contracts

By Martin Delgado and Matt Sandy

The families of serving police officers have been given multi-million-pound contracts to type up witness statements – despite having no previous experience of such work.

The deals have sparked accusations that the officers could have abused their positions as Scotland Yard declined to answer questions about how the work was awarded.

One company, registered at the home of former Flying Squad boss Barry Phillips, has been paid £1.7 million in the past five years for its transcription services. Another company, run by the wives of two serving officers, has been paid a total of £1.8 million by the Met.

Key player: Optimum, run by the wives of two officers, has received £1.8m

Last night Scotland Yard would not say whether the firms had secured contracts from units the officers were working in, and refused to say whether the contracts had gone out to open tender or were simply awarded via word of mouth within the force.

One senior officer said: ‘It’s jobs and money for the boys and their relatives. If these kind of arrangements are allowed, then the rules have to be changed.’

Former Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick added: ‘However legitimate the business, having so much of it going to companies associated with serving officers will raise suspicions. Contracts of this kind should be advertised on the open market.’

The work arose following a change in court rules which required police to give defence lawyers witness statements in document form rather than on audio tape.

The officers involved deny using their connections to give their families an unfair advantage. Police officers’ outside interests have to be approved by a senior officer.

One of the companies, Meadows Forensics, is registered at the home of former Detective Superintendent Phillips, who retired as head of the Flying Squad two years ago following a 33-year police career. His wife Eileen is company secretary, and its sole director is his stepdaughter Kelly Kerr, who he admits had no previous experience of typing or police work.

Family ties: One firm is registered at the home of former flying squad boss Barry Phillips

‘She started the company in 2004 with a typist she knew. It was the typist’s idea,’ he said. ‘The people at the Yard know what is going on and they applaud the work the company does. It has never marketed. It has won its reputation through word of mouth.

‘My daughter’s profits are about £36,000 a year. My wife is paid around £10,000. I have not profited in any way. It has all been authorised by the Met.’

Mr Phillips also helped set up Scotland Yard’s Debrief Unit, which gathers evidence from ‘supergrasses’. Some of the taped interviews are understood to have been given to Meadows Forensics and another company to which Mr Phillips is linked, BGP Global Services, for transcribing.

That company has been paid £320,000 by the force since 2005 and is run by former Scotland Yard detectives.

Although Mr Phillips is not officially listed as a director, he has that title on internal documents. His initials are BGP but he told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It could stand for anything – Bloody Good Policeman, for example.’

Scotland Yard was last night unable to say whether Meadows Forensics or BGP Global Services had transcribed informers’ interviews while Mr Phillips was head of the Debrief Unit.

Another company with close links to Scotland Yard is Optimum Typing Services, which has been paid £1.8 million by the Met, including £325,000 last year alone.

It is run by the wives of two serving officers, Detective Inspector Mike Duncan and Detective Sergeant Nicholas Hamer. In 2002, the two officers began passing work to their wives on an informal basis because of a shortage of police typists in the area of West London where they were based. The arrangement was later formalised.

Detective Inspector Duncan said: ‘They went through a proper tendering process. We have been open, honest and transparent.’

For more on this story go to: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1337916/Police-wives-firms-paid-3-5m-type-witness-statements-cronyism-fears-grow-lucrative-Met-contracts.html#ixzz2t7nx0ngU

Just like Operation Tempura – “They went through a proper tendering process. We have been open, honest and transparent.”

Yeah…..