Thursday, April 09, 2009

POLICE CHIEF QUITS OVER BLUNDER !

Britain's top counter-terrorism officer has quit after admitting he could have jeopardised an operation to thwart a possible UK al-Qaeda terror plot.
Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick resigned after he accidently revealed a secret document to photographers.
Police were forced to bring their operation forward and arrested 12 men - 11 of whom are Pakistanis.
Gordon Brown said Mr Quick had said sorry for what went wrong and that he had thanked him for his long service.
The prime minister also said Pakistan's government "had to do more" to root out the terrorist elements in its country.
Sources say the planned attack was to be "very soon" and "very, very big".
BBC home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford said sources close to the investigation had revealed the counter-terror operation had been launched in response to a possible terrorist plot that had reached its final stages of planning.

Although no specific target was mentioned in intelligence, police moved quickly because of concerns over the scale of the attack and the fact that it was going to happen soon, he said.
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said it was an MI5 intelligence-led investigation into plans for a suspected attack in the UK.
It may have involved an improvised explosive device, security expert Peter Taylor added.
The operation, and its subsequent raids in Manchester, Liverpool and Clitheroe in Lancashire, had gone ahead on Wednesday afternoon rather than 0200 BST on Thursday after Mr Quick's memo blunder, Mr Taylor said.
The BBC's Daniel Sandford said the change of timings had "put public lives at risk" because it was carried out when people were awake and in public areas.
Police are questioning the 12 arrested men and "deep searches" of addresses are continuing, BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner added.
Chief Constable Peter Fahy of Greater Manchester Police emphasised that the threat from terrorists had not increased but urged the public to remain vigilant.
Eleven of those arrested are Pakistan-born nationals on student visas and one is a UK-born British national. Their ages range from a teenager to a 41-year-old, police said.

In pictures: Terror raids
PM: Pakistan must root out terror

Gordon Brown said: "Increasingly we have seen terrorist links with Pakistan and Britain.
"I'll be talking to the Pakistan president Mr Zardari - we want the closest co-operation between Britain and Pakistan to deal with countering terrorism."
After announcing he was to quit his post, Mr Quick said in a statement: "I have today offered my resignation in the knowledge that my action could have compromised a major counter-terrorism operation.
"I deeply regret the disruption caused to colleagues undertaking the operation and remain grateful for the way in which they adapted quickly and professionally to a revised timescale."
The senior Metropolitan Police officer has faced intense criticism from opposition politicians after revealing the confidential document to photographers after arriving for the Number 10 briefing in his anti-terrorism role and for the Association of Chief Police Officers.
The memo, marked "secret", carried an outline briefing on an ongoing counter-terror operation.
It contained the names of several senior officers, locations and details about the nature of the overseas threat.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson said it was "with great sadness" that he had accepted Mr Q
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the senior officer had a "very, very distinguished" career and that the memo incident had been "extremely unfortunate".
The mayor confirmed Assistant Commissioner John Yates would replace Mr Quick as head of counter-terrorism.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson paid tribute to Mr Quick who he said had "served with dedication and professionalism throughout his career".
"I hold Bob in the highest regard, as a friend and colleague, and that opinion has not changed," he said.
In a statement, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she had been informed of Mr Quick's resignation by Sir Paul.
"Although the operation was successful, he felt that his position was untenable. I want to offer my sincere appreciation of all the outstanding work he has done in this role," she said.
Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said resigning was "the right thing to do".
"The bit I don't understand is, why on earth a document like this is not locked in a briefcase as a matter of routine? I'd have just thought it would be blindingly obvious."
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne agreed that such a "misjudgement" meant Mr Quick had to step down.

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