The Counter-Terrorist Unit is using a new strategy to stress test the alertness of their officers and the resilience of their response. By employing some buffoon as their leader, who makes little or no effort to conceal top secret information, the North West CTU entered Jack Bauer territory in order to round up the inevitable band of Pakistanis who just happen to be enjoying the lifelong learning offered by our universities (truncated for their purposes):
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick was photographed entering Downing Street carrying a briefing note headed SECRET, on which details of an undercover operation against a suspected Al-Qaeda cell could clearly be seen.
The document set out the strategy for for the operation, an investigation into a suspected cell based in the north west of England and allegedly plotting an attack in the UK, including details of suspects and how the police intended to arrest them.
The bumbler has already been tainted by the Damien Green affair, but it takes real quality to walk around with SECRET tattooed on your forehead. Rather fitting that the fools who set up the surveillance society forget that it is a two way street. Watch and you will be watched! Since our security depends upon confidence, could we demote this tarnished officer to the role that he deserves: Sarjeant at Arms in the House of Commons, where he will be amongst those of his own kind.
It’s really bizarre that this happened at the same time as the Ian Tomlinson affair AND the Hayley Adamson verdict. If I was a conspiratorial type I would believe that it was a deliberate way to bring forward the raids to change the front pages.
As much as I dislike Grayling, I did enjoy watching his barely-disguised disdain for Quick on Sky News this evening…
This seems to be bizarre week. The recent item about the Shroud of Turin was found by a researcher at (and this is the given name) the Vatican Secret Archives. I wonder where they hide the non-secret archives?
“I’m All Right Jack Bauer”?
the Vatican Secret Archives
Well, the police who guard the Whitehouse in Washington DC are the “United States Secret Service – Uniformed Division”. This is just about my favourite name for an organisation ever.
Whilst I can see that a name like Criminal Investigation Division is about criminals, not run by them, I always get a chuckle out of one of our Australian Police groups, the Serious Fraud Squad! I haven’t yet seen a Light-hearted Fraud Squad, or a Frivilous Brigade, but that name mandates their existence!
Nuke, I think that’s why, when I look at governments around the world, my adjective of choice oscillates between ‘Orwellian’ and ‘Pythonesque’.
Nuke Gray! wrote
Even better, the US has a organization called the Secret Service that not only does everyone know about, but it actually has a website!
But what better way to hide the real secret service than to set up a different organization and call it “the secret service”, website and all.
After all, if you have a secret “secret service” and the name “secret service” slips out, the jig’s up.
One dumb mistake and a senior police officer resigns. If Gordon Brown and other members of the government were held to the same standard, we would be governmentless. Ah, now that’s a thought.