Met Police Taking No Further Action on Cash-for-Honours Claims Involving King’s Charity

THE GUARDIAN: Force launched investigation after reports alleged offers of help were made to secure honours for Saudi national

No further action will be taken by detectives who have been investigating cash-for-honours allegations involving the king’s charity the Prince’s Foundation, the Metropolitan police said.

The force launched the investigation in February after media reports alleged offers of help were made to secure honours and citizenship for a Saudi national. » | Guardian staff and agency | Monday, August 21, 2023

Met Says Its Officers Will Not March in Uniform at London Pride Event

THE GUARDIAN: Move comes after Peter Tatchell and other LGBTQ+ campaigners raise concerns about homophobia

The Metropolitan police have said its officers will not march in uniform at Pride in London after LGBTQ+ campaigners voiced concern about “institutional homophobia” within the force.

Scotland Yard said on Friday that officers who wish to join the celebrations should do so in civilian clothes rather than police uniform after listening to the “legitimate concerns” of activists.

Uniformed officers will still police the annual parade, which celebrates its 50th anniversary on Saturday with performances by the American singer-songwriter Ava Max and the British star Emeli Sandé.

The decision comes after the human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell raised concern about the Met’s “homophobic” handling of the investigation into the serial killer Stephen Port. Tatchell said the case showed that “institutional homophobia is alive and kicking in the Metropolitan police” and that it would not be right for uniformed officers to march in the parade.

The official organisers of Pride in London later said the police uniform “undermines” the balance between listening to the concerns of members and being as welcoming as possible. » | Josh Halliday and David Batty | Friday, July 1, 2022

Met Investigating Cash-for-honours Claims Linked to Prince’s Foundation

THE GUARDIAN: Metropolitan police have launched investigation into allegations linked to Prince Charles charity

Prince Charles, who established the Prince’s Foundation charity. Photograph: Reuters
Scotland Yard has launched an investigation into cash-for-honours allegations linked to the Prince of Wales’s charity the Prince’s Foundation.

In a brief statement, the Metropolitan police said it had launched the investigation after media reports alleging offers of help were made to secure honours and citizenship for a Saudi national.

In September last year, the Sunday Times published claims that the billionaire Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz paid tens of thousands of pounds to fixers with links to Prince Charles who had told him they could secure the honour.

Bin Mahfouz was awarded a CBE at a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace in November 2016. » | Jaimie Grierson | Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Prince Andrew facing fresh calls to be stripped of Duke of York title: Growing calls for royal to lose title after agreeing settlement with Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual assault »

À PROPOS DE CETTE HISTOIRE EN FRANÇAIS :

La police britannique ouvre une enquête sur un scandale lié à une fondation du prince Charles : Des dons à la fondation du prince Charles auraient été récompensés par des titres honorifiques et auraient servi à appuyer une demande de naturalisation d'un homme d'affaires saoudien. »

Queen’s Jubilee Year Just Started, but Bad News Hasn’t Stopped for Royals: A day after Prince Andrew settled a sexual assault lawsuit, the police announced they were investigating a charity led by Prince Charles. »

Cressida Dick to Step Down as Metropolitan Police Chief

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick is leaving her role after a series of damaging controversies.

Read the full BBC article here.

Cressida Dick steps down as Met Police commissioner as latest scandal proves final straw: Cressida Dick, the embattled commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police Service, has resigned, leaving behind a Scotland Yard rocked by mounting scandal. »

Cressida Dick resigns as Metropolitan Police commissioner »

Dame Cressida Dick forced out of scandal-hit Met police: Chief to leave role two years early after London’s mayor accused her of failing to deal with misogyny and racism in the force »

Syrian Mothers Urge UK Women Not to Take Their Families to War Zone

In this video released by the Metropolitan police, Syrian refugee mothers speak directly to women in the UK, and urge them not to take their families to their war-torn country. The number of girls and women travelling from the UK to Syria is increasing – 56 are believed to have fled to the war-torn country in 2015

Europe's 'Porous Borders' Increase Terror Risk, Head of Metropolitan Police Says

THE TELEGRAPH: Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe says Europe has a 'problem' as he criticises the Schengen agreement and warns that terrorists could pose as migrants

Europe's "porous" borders mean that terrorists could be able to "hide" among migrants coming from Syria, the head of the Metropolitan Police has warned as he criticised the Schengen agreement.

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said that in the wake of the Paris terror attacks Europe has a significant "problem" because it has "millions of people wandering through" but only "limited control over the borders".

Asked if he is a fan of the Schengen agreement on open borders, he wants "good strong borders" to ensure that the police and security services can properly assess the risk people pose.

He told LBC Radio: "If you've got porous borders and you've got migrants coming through there's a risk that terrorists are hidden amongst them or people who become terrorists get hidden amongst them. (+ video) » | Steven Swinford, Deputy Political Editor, video source LBC | Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Sheikh's Son Brags That Scotland Yard Returned His Seized Ferrari They Used in Publicity Drive because of His Connections

MAIL ONLINE: The son of a billionaire sheikh whose £200,000 Ferrari was displayed outside Scotland Yard as a warning to uninsured drivers has bragged how it was returned when police discovered who he was.

The supercar was put on show outside the Met HQ to let illegal drivers know that their cars would be seized - whatever they were driving.

But the owner of the Ferrari FF, Sheikh Rashid Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi - son of the Emir of Ajman, in the United Arab Emirates - boasted on his Facebook page that the Yard had handed the keys back as soon as they identified him.

He wrote online: 'Arab money talks.' » | Becky Evans | Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Osama bin Laden Dead: Attack by Terrorists Is Highly Likely, Says Met Chief
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The death of Osama bin Laden does not mark the end of the terrorism threat to Britain and an attack could happen at any time, the head of the Metropolitan Police has warned.


Sir Paul Stephenson said the threat of a terrorist attack remains “severe” and added: “To be blunt it means that an attack is highly likely and could occur without warning at any time.”

“As Government, the police and the security service assess the impact and consequences of the death of Osama bin Laden, it is clear that there can be no let up in our vigilance,” the Scotland Yard Commissioner said in a speech at the Policy Exchange think-tank in central London.

He said that al-Qaeda was responsible for the injury and death of thousands of people worldwide and was committed to the use of terror and murder to achieve their aims.

“One man's death does not mark the end of an ideology and we must remain alert to the continuing threat from al-Qaeda, its affiliates and those acting alone,” he added, drawing attention to the additional threats from “lone wolf” operators and al-Qaeda franchises outside Pakistan.

“The police and security services will continue to work locally, nationally and with our international partners to do everything possible to counter the terrorist threat but we cannot do this alone, we need the help of the public to protect the country from the threat of terrorism,” Sir Paul told the audience. » | Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent | Thursday, May 05, 2011

Met Allows Islamic Protesters to Throw Shoes
Protesters throw shoes at a placard of Barack Obama in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: SCOTLAND YARD has bowed to Islamic sensitivities and accepted that Muslims are entitled to throw shoes in ritual protest — which could have the unintended consequence of politicians or the police being hit.

News of the concession by the Metropolitan police has come to light amid a series of trials of more than 70 mostly Muslim demonstrators who were charged with violent disorder after last year’s Gaza protests outside the Israeli embassy in London.

Aquib Salim, 21, an IT student at Queen Mary, London University, who was involved in a shoe-throwing incident, is almost certain to avoid a prison sentence as a result.

Chris Holt, Salim’s solicitor, said he was likely to get a suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to a single charge of throwing a stick at police lines.

“The court accepted that the earlier shoe-throwing incident was simply a ritual form of protest and therefore not a criminal act of violence,” Holt said.

Judge Denniss agreed that the act of shoe-throwing should not be considered in a charge of violent disorder against the student because it was “a symbolic” political gesture.

Shoes, and particularly the soles of shoes, are regarded as ritually unclean in the Islamic world. An Iraqi journalist became a folk hero for throwing a shoe at President George W Bush during a press conference in December 2008. >>> David Leppard | Sunday, April 11, 2010

HT: Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch: here and here

Dhimmitude and Grovelling! Sir Ian Blair's Deal with Islamic Radical
THE TELEGRAPH: Sir Ian Blair signed a formal agreement with an Islamic extremist to treat him as the Metropolitan Police’s "principal" representative of the Muslim community, it can be disclosed.


The activist, Azad Ali, was accepted by the Met as a trusted interlocutor. The force also agreed to give him information on forthcoming anti-terror raids. – Mr Ali has previously justified the killing of British troops in Iraq, believes al Qaeda is a "myth," and has praised a key mentor of Osama bin Laden.

Mr Ali signed the deal, a copy of which has been seen by the Daily Telegraph, in his capacity as the then chairman of the Muslim Safety Forum – a body closely linked to the fundamentalist Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE).

In yesterday's Sunday Telegraph a Labour minister, Jim Fitzpatrick, accused the IFE of infiltrating the Labour Party and British politics along the lines of the far-Left Militant Tendency in the 1980s. The IFE believes in jihad, sharia law and the transformation of Britain into an Islamic state. It will be the subject of a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary tonight.

The Muslim Safety Forum was set up, in its own words, to challenge the "unfair focus on the Muslim community when it came to policing activities and enforcement of anti- terror policing legislation."

It was accepted by the police as a legitimate body. The agreement, dated December 2006 and personally signed by Mr Ali and Sir Ian, who was Commissioner of the Mat at the time, states: "The Commissioner will recognise the MSF as the principal body in relation to Muslim community safety and security."

Sir Ian or his deputy committed to meet Mr Ali and the MSF at least twice a year and to hold monthly meetings with the MSF at "New Scotland Yard or other suitable premises."

Met chiefs, including counter-terrorist commanders, also committed to attending the MSF's own meetings "whenever possible”. Both the current head of the antiterrorist command, Commander Shaun Sawyer, and his predecessor, Commander Bob Quick, who the MSF described as a "close partner”, have had regular meetings.

The agreement says that the Met and MSF will "use the MSF as a consultation body to help formulate policy or practice." and "progress an annual plan of work through agreed priority workstreams," jointly led by Met and MSF representatives.

The workstreams included counter-terrorism and "Islamophobia." Mr Ali was the MSF lead on counter-terrorism. >>> Andrew Gilligan | Monday, March 01, 2010

24-hour Guard on Hate Cleric Anjem Choudary: Police 'Fury' Over Security Patrols
MAIL ONLINE: Hate preacher Anjem Choudary is being given round-the-clock police protection following his controversial threat to march through Wootton Basset, the Daily Mail can reveal.

Even though the extremist cleric has now called off plans to stage the protest, carrying empty coffins through the town where Britain honours its war dead, he still receives hourly security checks at his East London home.

Metropolitan police officers have been told to give his protection priority above other local policing jobs such as muggings, theft and foot patrols.

The protection was revealed after Home Secretary Alan Johnson yesterday banned Choudary's Islam4UK group, making it a criminal offence to be a member.

As Choudary held a press conference to react to the ban, patrol cars and unmarked vehicles were still instructed to drive past his empty £320,000 rented home - which is funded by council benefits.

Officers tasked with carrying out these patrols have privately expressed their fury at being diverted away from what they regard as 'proper policing'.

But the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism unit fears a far-Right group may be plotting an attack on the fanatic.

Their concerns intensified after a Facebook campaign against the march attracted the support of more than 250,000 Britons and led to threats against Choudary's life. >>> Emily Andrews, Rebecca Camber and Claire Ellicott | Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Is Gay Bashing on the Rise?
BBC: Just as gay and lesbian people are starting to enjoy equal rights, the number of attacks against them seems to be rising. Why?

Ten years ago, a nail-bomb exploded in a gay bar in the heart of London, claiming three lives and maiming dozens more, the final act in a series of attacks on the capital's minority groups.

The intervening decade has seen significant steps in changing attitudes and legislation that give gay people - and their civil partners - equality enshrined in law.

But now another shadow has been cast over the UK's gay community. A series of homophobic attacks, at a time when crime figures suggest such incidents are on the rise, has mobilised people to voice their anger.

Over the weekend, candlelit vigils were held in London and Liverpool, at the scenes of two of the most recent acts of violence to make headlines, and also in Brighton and Norwich, while gay venues across the country held a two-minute silence on Friday evening in an act of solidarity.

Of the thousands who gathered in London's Trafalgar Square - at the spot where Ian Baynham was attacked in September, later dying from his injuries - some headed afterwards to the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho, the scene of the nail bombing 10 years ago.

Although it looked like business as usual, some punters were in reflective mood. Jeff, 32, said he sensed "more tension" in the last 12 to 18 months and some people had stopped coming into central London as a consequence. He said he had always been wary about showing public affection to his civil partner, for fear of inviting abuse, but even more so recently.

"I'm nervous when we're out and about in case we draw attention to ourselves and get a bad reaction from someone."

One 28-year-old, who asked not to be named, said he and his boyfriend had recently been threatened with a weapon and foul language.

The pair had been getting off a bus when a man with a knife began spouting insults, calling them "queers".

Such incidents have always happened, but are they happening with more regularity now?

There are no national figures for homophobic crime, but individual police forces have reported an annual rise in their latest figures - 40% in Merseyside, which covers Liverpool, and 34% in Strathclyde, which includes Glasgow. >>> Tom Geoghegan, BBC News Magazine | Monday, November 02, 2009

Boris Johnson Meets with Police Chief to Discuss the Rise in Homophobic Crime
PINK NEWS: London Mayor Boris Johnson has sought assurances from the Metropolitan Police Commissioner that everything is being done to tackle the problem of homophobic attacks in the capital.

The Mayor raised the matter with the Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson at yesterday's meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority.

The Commissioner assured the Mayor that the Met is taking the issue of homophobic crime seriously and he outlined measures that include third party reporting and increased sanctioned detection rates, as well as raising staff and community awareness and efforts to encourage the community to report attacks.

The number of homophobic hate crimes in London has risen by 18 per cent since last year, Scotland Yard figures show. >>> Adam Lake | Friday, October 30, 2009

BNP Leader Nick Griffin Accuses Police of Abandoning His Security at BBC
THE TELEGRAPH: Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, has accused the police of refusing to discuss security arrangements for his visit to the BBC on Thursday.


Anti-fascist campaigners plan to stage a protest against Mr Griffin's presence on Question Time when it is filmed at the BBC's Television Centre in west London.

Mr Griffin said the party has formally requested that the Metropolitan Police appoint a liaison officer so he could discuss police arrangements for his entrance to the studio.

He said a "middle ranking" officer told him, "It's your problem, not ours."

Mr Griffin added: "I merely wanted to arrange a meeting to discuss the situation and for the police to appoint a liaison officer so that I can actually get into the building safely.

“In such a situation, this is standard procedure and a perfectly responsible thing to do but they refused outright. It was explained that the reason for the request was to ensure there would be a minimum of public disruption outside the BBC studios on Thursday.

“I can only deduce that the police will simply stand and watch if, as is quite likely, there is disruption when I arrive at the studio. I asked the police to put this in writing but they refused.

"This is an outrageous dereliction of police duty and I am minded to seek a judicial review in view of this action, or rather in-action." >>> Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent | Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Leaked Membership List and Generals Renew Pressure on BNP
TIMES ONLINE: The British National Party came under attack from two fronts today as a group of retired generals accused it of hijacking the Armed Forces and its entire membership list was again leaked onto the internet.

The party said that it was the victim of an orchestrated campaign timed to coincide with the scheduled appearance of its leader, Nick Griffin, on BBC's Question Time this week.

The generals, including the past two heads of the Army, accused the BNP of tarnishing the Armed Forces' reputation by associating itself with the sacrifices of servicemen.

In a letter seen by The Times, they wrote: "We call on all those who seek to hijack the good name of Britain’s military for their own advantage to cease and desist. The values of these extremists — many of whom are essentially racist — are fundamentally at odds with the values of the modern British military, such as tolerance and fairness."

The broadside reflected widespread frustration within the Forces at the fact that the BNP is allowed to portray itself as the party of patriots in its literature, borrowing military images and pictures of Winston Churchill.

But Mr Griffin quickly launched a counter-attack, saying that his party shared the values of the "old" British military, not the new "PC British defence establishment". With video >>> Philippe Naughton and Aled Thomas | Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Former Senior Military Figures on New List of 'BNP Members' as BBC Reviews Leader Griffin's Question Time Appearance
DAILY MAIL: 'Members' include military figures, doctors, academics / BNP denounces document as 'malicious forgery' / BBC Trust review Griffin's involvement after Hain letter

Former senior military figures are among members of the British National Party, according to a new list published today.

The leaked document of those affiliated to the far-right party, which was posted on the web, includes several majors, scores of doctors and some professors.

It purports to show the membership as of April 15 this year and lists names, street addresses, post codes, mainline telephone and mobile phone numbers.

But the BNP denounced the list as a 'malicious forgery', insisting it is 'unequivocally' not genuine and many of the names had never been in touch with the party.

This is the third time in recent years that such a list has been published and comes days before leader Nick Griffin is due to appear on BBC's Question Time. >>> | Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Minister Beaten after Clashing with Muslims on His TV Show
MAIL ON SUNDAY: A Christian minister who has had heated arguments with Muslims on his TV Gospel show has been brutally attacked by three men who ripped off his cross and warned: ‘If you go back to the studio, we’ll break your legs.’

The Reverend Noble Samuel was driving to the studio when a car pulled over in front of him. A man got out and came over to ask him directions in Urdu.

Mr Samuel, based at Heston United Reformed Church, West London, said: ‘He put his hand into my window, which was half open, and grabbed my hair and opened the door.

He started slapping my face and punching my neck. He was trying to smash my head on the steering wheel.

Then he grabbed my cross and pulled it off and it fell on the floor. He was swearing. The other two men came from the car and took my laptop and Bible.’

The Metropolitan Police are treating it as a ‘faith hate’ assault and are hunting three Asian men. >>> By Jonathan Petre | Saturday, March 14, 2009

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Police Fear Mass Protests and a 'Summer of Rage' in Response to Economic Crisis
MAIL Online: Police are bracing themselves for a 'summer of rage' against the economic crisis, a senior officer warned today.

Superintendent David Hartshorn, who heads the Metropolitan Police's public order branch, said he feared there could be 'mass protest' at rising unemployment, failing financial institutions and the downturn in the economy.

The officer told The Guardian that 'known activists' were planning returns to the streets, and intelligence revealed that they may be able to call on more protesters than normal due to the unprecedented conditions.

He said: 'Those people would be good at motivating people, but they haven't had the "footsoldiers" to actually carry out (protests).

'Obviously the downturn in the economy, unemployment, repossessions, changes that. Suddenly there is the opportunity for people to mass protest.'

Mr Hartshorn, who is regularly briefed on potential causes of civil unrest, singled out April's G20 summit of the leading developed nations in London as one of the events that could kick start a series of protests.

'We've got G20 coming and I think that is being advertised on some of the sites as the highlight of what they see as a "summer of rage",' he said. >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Monday, February 23, 2009

TIMES ONLINE: Give Us Laws that the City Will Respect and Fear

Mug some one in the street and you go to prison, but mug their savings and you can buy a yacht. It's a disgrace to justice

Our system for regulating markets and for prosecuting market crime is completely broken. If you mug someone in the street and you are caught, the chances are that you will go to prison. In recent years mugging someone out of their savings or their pension would probably earn you a yacht.

How did we get here? Well, financial deregulation undoubtedly released great energy and wealth into the markets and did so in part by giving bankers and financiers more space. But this space had another effect. It created a growing distance between wealthy and powerful individuals and the agencies designed to police their behaviour.

Not sensing the danger in this, our two main political parties supported looser regulation over many years. Now, apparently tainted by past misjudgments, they are deeply compromised in trying to find solutions. Yet put simply the scale of failure is laid bare by one inevitable consequence clear for all to see: too many people and too many institutions function as though they are beyond the reach of the criminal law.

In Britain we had an additional burden: legislators who preferred criminal justice to be an auction of fake toughness, so long as the toughness was not too tough to design. So no one likes terrorists? Let's bring in lots of terror laws, the tougher the better.

Let's lock up nasty people longer, and for longer before they are charged. Let's stop medieval clerics winding up the tabloids.

Let's stop off-colour comedians outraging homophobic preachers. Let's pretend that outlawing offensiveness makes the world less offensive.

This frequently made useful headlines. But it didn't make our country or any other country a better or safer place to live. It didn't respect our way of life. It brought us the War on Terror and it didn't make it any easier for us to progress into the future with comfort and security.

Our legislators faltered because they seemed to ignore the fact that what makes good politics doesn't always make good policy. And they didn't want to tackle the more complex issues that really affect safety in people's lives. It was easier to throw increasingly illiberal sound bites at a shadowy and fearsome enemy. >>> Ken Macdonald | Monday, February 23, 2009

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Melanie Phillips: British Police Running from Muslim Demonstrators, a Christian Nurse Facing the Sack for Offering to Pray for a Patient - This Is the Way a Society Dies
MAIL Online: In our allegedly multicultural society, there is one religious group which is apparently not to be afforded equal respect, let alone treated for what it embodies - the foundational creed of this nation. That group is Britain’s Christians.

Somerset community nurse and committed Christian Caroline Petrie has been suspended and faces being sacked and even struck off for offering to say a prayer for an elderly patient. Although startled, the patient - herself a Christian - did not make a complaint and was in no way offended.

Nevertheless Mrs Petrie’s boss wrote to her saying she was required to uphold the reputation of her profession - which apparently means demonstrating ‘a personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity’ and not using her professional status ‘to promote causes that are not related to health’.

Apparently, Mrs Petrie previously received a warning about promoting her faith at work after she offered to give a prayer card to an elderly male patient.

Now there may be a valid point here about professionalism. Offering prayer cards comes close to touting one’s faith, which might well be thought inappropriate on the wards. But even so, one would have thought that a quiet word in the nurse’s ear would have been all that was necessary. Instead, Mrs Petrie was packed off to an ‘equality’ course for some diversity training.

This Orwellian response has now been followed up by the draconian action of suspending her with the possibility of outright dismissal from her job simply because she offered to pray for another patient.

Suspension and dismissal are sanctions to be used for mistreating or neglecting patients. Yet here they are being used against a nurse for offering to bring a patient a form of spiritual solace - which the patient was able easily to refuse and which caused her no problem. Is this not an utterly idiotic over-reaction?

I am a Jew; but when my mother was in the last stages of her terminal illness she was cared for by deeply devout Christian nurses who regularly prayed for her. Far from being offended by this, I was touched and comforted by this signal that they cared so much about her.

Moreover, this is not actually about upholding professionalism in nursing. It is all about foisting upon nursing the sinister and politically correct ‘diversity’ agenda – which means in effect treating Christianity as inherently offensive. >>> Melanie Phillips | Tuesday, February 3, 2009

BNPTube: Metropolitan Police Humiliated at the Hands of Muslim Demonstrators in London

Part 1:


Part 2
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Here They’re at It Again! Bitching, Moaning, and Whining! Money Wanted! Muslim Chef Sues Met Police after Being Asked to Cook Sausages and Bacon for '999 Breakfasts'
Photo of Hasanali Khoja courtesy of Mail Online
MAIL Online: A Muslim chef employed by the Metropolitan Police is suing for religious discrimination after he was asked to cook sausages and bacon for '999 breakfasts'.

Hasanali Khoja accuses Scotland Yard of refusing to guarantee that he would not have to handle pork, which is forbidden in Islam.

He said it was suggested he wear gloves when cooking pork products.

The 60-year-old claims the problem began when he was asked to move from his position as senior catering manager at Hendon Police College in North London, where he had been excused from touching pork.

In his new role at the Empress State Building in West London, which is occupied by Metropolitan Police staff, he was expected to make '999 breakfasts' consisting of sausage, bacon and black pudding.

The meal got its nickname because it is traditional for officers to insist on hearty fry-ups before starting their shift.

Mr Khoja, who joined the Met in 2005, said he was placed on special unpaid leave for a year after refusing to work without the guarantee he would not have to handle pork.

He is now back at work at another Met building where he does not have to handle pork but has been downgraded to higher catering manager.

Mr Khoja, from Edgware, North London, said yesterday: 'I felt very unhappy about it. I was very upset and angry because it is not permissible in my religion. I was threatened that management would sack me if I did not follow instructions. But I never enrolled to cook pork. I refused to do it. I never did it and I never would.

'I had a letter from the human resources department saying that I would not be required to cook any pork. But this was not exactly what I wanted as a guarantee. The Met has shown no sensitivity towards my religion. Their response has been illthought and discriminatory.' >>> By Charlotte Gill and Caroline Gill | November 2, 2008

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Dear, Oh Dear! Aren’t We in a Pickle with This Multi-Culti Thing? Now, Met Is Facing Race Bias Claim by Its Top Asian Woman
EVENING STANDARD: The most senior Muslim woman in the Met police is set to lodge a claim of race discrimination against her employers.

Yasmin Rehman, a director of diversity with the force, intends to file a claim with a London employment tribunal within days claiming she has been subjected to racist bullying and victimisation.

It is another blow to Scotland Yard, which has been rocked by a race row involving Commissioner Sir Ian Blair and his third in command Tarique Ghaffur.

Ms Rehman's post of Director of Partnerships and Diversity for Territorial Policing puts her at the equivalent level to a chief superintendent in terms of civilian staff at the Met.

She has sought advice from the Metropolitan Black Police Association, the same organisation which is backing Mr Ghaffur in his multi-million-pound claim. Met Is Facing Race Bias Claim by Its Top Asian Woman >>> By Amar Singh | September 10, 2008

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Blair Axes Race Accuser in Showdown
EVENING STANDARD: Police chief Tarique Ghaffur was personally stripped of his duties in a face to face meeting with Sir Ian Blair today.

Britain's most senior Asian officer was "temporarily relieved" of being in charge of the Olympics security and Central Operations at Scotland Yard. It came after Mr Ghaffur publicly accused Met boss Sir Ian of racism and of plotting to oust him during a televised press conference.

His accusations plunged the Met into the worst race row since the Macpherson report into the Stephen Lawrence case and led to further criticism of Sir Ian's leadership. In another development this afternoon, the Metropolitan Police Authority announced it had launched an investigation into 53-year-old Mr Ghaffur for "potential grounds for misconduct".

The MPA, which oversees the Met, said it would appoint a chief constable from another force to carry out the inquiry. Blair Axes Race Accuser in Showdown >>> By Justin Davenport, Crime Correspondent | September 9, 2008

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Sir Ian Blair Will Be Ousted as Head of Scotland Yard
THE INDEPENDENT: Detailed plans are being prepared to oust Sir Ian Blair from his position as head of Scotland Yard in an attempt to halt the collapse of morale in the Metropolitan Police. Ministers, senior officials and leading police chiefs have secretly discussed arrangements for replacing the embattled commissioner by the end of this year.

The Times has learnt that the first step will be taken this week when Sir Ian is told formally, in writing, that his contract will not be renewed when it expires in February 2010. Sir Ian Blair Will Be Ousted as Head of Scotland Yard >>> By Sean O’Neill, Crime Editor | September 4, 2008

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