Back our new campaign for independent inquiry into Operation Tiberius and police corruption across U

CHAIR: Yvette Cooper, who heads the select committee, would lead any inquiry (Parliament TV)

ESSEX News and Investigations today launches a campaign calling for an independent inquiry into the level of police corruption linked to organised crime in the UK today. The call has been prompted by explosive revelations in a leaked secret Met Police report that named more than 40 police and former detectives who were helping organised crime gangs avoid being prosecuted. The Operation Tiberius report was produced in 2002 and looked at eight top crime syndicates in north east and east London, including the Adams gang and one run by late gangster John Palmer. The Tiberius report detailed a series of recommendations on how to stop future corruption and bring down the crime gangs, but according to retired Met detectives much of it never happened, corrupt police were allowed to retire and some of the crime gangs became more powerful. That is why many believe an independent inquiry into what actually happened is needed.

PROMISE: In 2014 then committee chairman Keith Vaz promised an inquiry that never took place (Keith Vaz)

In 2014, when the existence of Operation Tiberius first emerged, then Home Affairs Select Committee chairman Keith Vaz said the committee would hold an inquiry into police corruption, but it never took place. That is why this website believes that committee would be best placed to hold such an inquiry. Ideally, all forces up and down the country and the National Crime Agency (NCA) would be asked to confirm if they have carried out any corruption investigations to Tiberius and what happened as a result. The Met should be asked to confirm if Tiberius-type investigations were carried for the four other parts of the capital, and whether any more recent ones have been carried out. The Met Police anti-corruption unit is currently under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Operation Embley is looking into claims similar to those made in Tiberius including interference into investigations and wrongdoing by police not being properly investigated. An IOPC said when the inquiry was announced last year: "The investigation includes alleged interference in, and curtailment of, investigations by potentially conflicted senior officers, failure to investigate allegations of wrongdoing, systemic removal of the restrictions of officers under investigation and racial discrimination. “As part of this investigation, three officers have been served with gross misconduct notices and one of those officers is also under criminal investigation. Assessments on the status of a number of other officers remains ongoing."

MURDERED: Late gangster John Palmer is named in Tiberius as having corrupt police on his books (PA)

So this issue remains a problem for the Met even today.

The inquiry could also look at the highly secretive use of public interest immunity (PII) applications to court in connection with police informers - such as the mysterious case of former freemason Sam Vinden who had prosecutions collapse after the prosecution applied for one.

It could also consider if it is now time for police and other officials to have to declare membership of the freemasons. A former Met Police detective sergeant, who became a corruption whistleblower and now tweets under the pseudonym of Frank Matthews, backed our campaign. He said: "I would support a Home Affairs Select Committee inquiry to force the Met Police to be accountable about Operation Tiberius and tell us exactly what it did to investigate the serious allegations of corruption by members of the Metropolitan Police. "It could also find out the extent of corruption across other forces and whether there are anymore Operation Tiberius-like reports hidden out there." Other ex senior police have already called for an inquiry into the corruption seen in Tiberius and the current situation. Commenting on Linkedin in response to recent Tiberius revelations from this website, former Met Police detective chief inspector Dave McKelvey, said: "My team were taken out by corrupt and dishonest police officers and two major criminal trials collapsed as a result. "It cost the public millions and cemented relationships between organised criminals and corrupt police that have grown and become entrenched. The allegations of corruption included the judiciary and politicians. "There is a vast network of corruption in the MPS and Essex Police linked to those named in Tiberius. "Despite this the MPS have buried their heads in the sand and continue as if it does not exist. "It needs a public inquiry." To back the campaign email jonaustinreporter@gmail.com.