The government is to reopen its re-
cruitment for the next head of the
National Crime Agency after the prime
minister’s top pick was overlooked.
Boris Johnson is understood to have
been unhappy that Lord Hogan-Howe,
the former Metropolitan Police com-
missioner, who has supported him po-
litically, did not reach the final round.
Two highly qualified candidates,
who made it through a five-month pro-
cess for a final “fireside chat” with Priti
Patel, the home secretary, were told last
week that they had not got the job. Gov-
ernment sources confirmed that Neil
Basu, a Metropolitan Police assistant
commissioner, and Graeme Biggar, the
interim director-general of the NCA,
had been informed that the recruit-
ment process would be reopened.
The pair have been encouraged to
stay in the process to succeed Dame
Lynne Owens, who stepped down pre-
maturely in September after a breast
cancer diagnosis. Given the circum-
stances, it is considered highly unlikely
that either man would.
The government will call for new ap-
plicants but there is speculation that
the process is simply being reopened
for Hogan-Howe, 64, to be given an in-
terview and then the job.
The Home Office is braced for allega-
tions of cronyism given that the peer
supported Johnson in his 2019 Tory
leadership campaign. Hogan-Howe,
who led the Met from 2011 to 2017 and
unnecessary searches and reduce the
redaction of evidence.
It will form part of a government
drive to reverse the slump in rape prose-
cutions, which have hit a low of 1.3 per
cent resulting in a charge. Meanwhile,
sex offences hit a record high of 183,
in the year to December 2021.
Victims’ groups blamed the decline
on intrusive investigations, delays in
getting to court and fears of reliving
their trauma in a witness box.
Government scorecards, introduced
to expose delays in the criminal justice
system, show that it currently takes an
average of 457 days from a suspect
being charged to the completion of the
trial. Braverman told The Daily Tele-graph: “The longer it takes, the more
likely it is that the victim will drop out.”
Her review will propose that only
material that is “relevant to a reason-
able line of inquiry” is sought.
“We need to make sure that prosecu-
tors think twice before making these
searches,” Braverman said.
Dame Vera Baird, the victims’ com-
missioner, highlighted cases such as a
woman being asked for her entire med-
ical history “even though I only dated
my rapist for five weeks”. Braverman
has also come across police redacting 12
hours of CCTV footage to pixellate
images of people not associated with
the offence. New guidance will require
only relevant sections be downloaded.Cronyism row looms
over new crime chief
oversaw Operation Midland, widely re-
garded as one of the worst police inquir-
ies in recent history, applied for the
NCA role after being approached by
government officials. It is also likely to
be awkward for the home secretary
given that so many senior policing
leaders saw Basu as the best qualified
person for the job. Many believe that
Basu, a former head of counterterror-
ism, would have been the clear fron-
trunner had he not upset Johnson by
being outspoken about matters of race.
Senior officers noted that the drawn-
out process for the NCA job haf effec-
tively blocked Basu from applying to be
the next Met commissioner. Applica-
tions closed for that process before the
final interviews for the NCA role.
One policing source said: “This
seems to be a decision at the detriment
of policing which is disappointing to
lots of people.”
If Hogan-Howe were to be appointed
it would be an astonishing comeback
after he resigned under a cloud and
apologised for Operation Midland. The
disastrous inquiry, into false claims of
VIP sex abuse by a paedophile fantasist,
was marked by a series of blunders that
ruined the reputations of public figures.
Hogan-Howe also has a questionable
record on targeting child sexual exploi-
tation, a key NCA priority. In 2016
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constab-
ulary found that during his leadership a
focus on vehicle theft and burglary had
left hundreds of children in London at
risk of sexual exploitation and rape.Fiona Hamilton Crime Editor
Rape trials delayed by searches of records
James Beal Social Affairs EditorRape victims’ trials are being delayed
for up to nine months by “dispropor-
tionate” searches of their records, the
attorney-general has found.
Victims wait for months while police
and prosecutors carry out searches of
third-party records, including medical,
council and school data, for details that
often turn out to be irrelevant.
Suella Braverman QC cited the case
of a rape victim where searches of her
carer’s records added nine months to
the case yet the resulting evidence was
“not relevant to the trial”.
She is to propose a reform package
this week, including plans to remove@ABBDESMOND/TWITTERNews
Luton airport? Passengers coming into land at Gatwick airport were met by a sign welcoming them to Luton, 72 miles away.
Max Fosh, a YouTube prankster, owned up to the stunt and apologised on BBC Three Counties Radio for causing confusion20 Monday May 23 2022 | the times