Killing of Constable Keith Blakelock

Tony Moore

Description

A closely observed account by someone working at senior level in the Met at the time. Deals with the biggest breakdown in community relations and law and order in modern English social and policing history. Looks at the entire sequence of events from their first rumblings to their aftermath and legacy. Published to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the tragic death of PC Blakelock.

Sujets

• London
• Grand Londres
• Greater London
• Revolution
• True crime
• Gran Londres
• Revolutions
• Histoire

Informations

• Publié par: Waterside Press
• Date de parution: 27 mai 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781908162946
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Killing of Constable Keith Blakelock
The Broadwater Farm Riot
Tony Moore
Copyright and publication details
The Killing of Constable Keith Blakelock
The Broadwater Farm Riot
by Tony Moore
ISBN 978-1-909976-20-7 (Paperback)
ISBN 978-1-908162-94-6 (Epub ebook)
ISBN 978-1-908162-95-3 (Adobe ebook)
Copyright © 2015 This work is the copyright of Tony Moore. All intellectual property and associated rights are hereby asserted and reserved by him in full compliance with UK, European and international law. No part of this book may be copied, reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, or in any language, including in hard copy or via the internet, without the prior written permission of the publishers to whom all such rights have been assigned worldwide.
Cover design © 2015 Waterside Press. Design by www.gibgob.com .
Main UK distributor Gardners Books, 1 Whittle Drive, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN23 6QH . Tel: [phone]; [e-mail] ; www.gardners.com
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Cataloguing-In-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book can be obtained from the British Library.
Printed by CPI Group, Chippenham, UK.
e-book The Killing of Constable Keith Blakelock is available as an ebook and also to subscribers of Myilibrary, Dawsonera, ebrary, and Ebscohost.
Published 2015 by
Waterside Press
Sherfield Gables
Sherfield-on-Loddon
Hook, Hampshire
United Kingdom RG27 0JG
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Online catalogue WatersidePress.co.uk
Table of Contents
Copyright and publication details ii
About the author viii
Acknowledgements ix
Dedication xi
Foreword xiii
The author of the Foreword xv
Map xvii Introduction 19
Robert Culley 19
Thomas Green 22
Keith Blakelock 26 The Broadwater Farm Estate 29
Description of the Estate 29
Early media misrepresentation 32
Borough policies 33
The Youth Association 39
Attempts to improve the Estate by the Council 43
Conclusion 45 Relationship Between Haringey Council and the Metropolitan Police 47
Introduction 47
Election of a Labour-controlled GLC 48
Haringey and the Metropolitan Police 51
First attempt to set up formal arrangements 52
More ad-hoc meetings 53
Key relationships 54
Second invitation to work together 55
Police policy in relation to the Estate 56
More moderate local administration 57
Third invitation to work together 58
A fourth opportunity for police and council to work together 62
Force reorganization 63
Fifth and final attempt 64
Conclusion 65 Policing the Estate from 1973 to mid-1984 67
Introduction 67
Events elsewhere 68
Notting Hill Carnival riot 70
‘Sus’ 70
Institute of Race Relations 72
Disorder in Britain’s inner-cities 73
Wood Green High Road 74
Meanwhile, back at The Farm 75
Publication of the Scarman Report 76
Foretaste of what was to come 78
Symbolic locations 83
Back to Haringey 84
National Front 85
Some encouragement 86 Policing the Estate from mid-1984 to October 1985 89
Arrival of Chief Superintendent Couch 89
Expectations of the Broadwater Farm team 90
Guidance for professional behaviour 94
Increasing difficulties in policing the Estate 95
Appointment of Sergeant Gillian Meynell 96
Handsworth, Birmingham 99
Effect of Handsworth on Broadwater Farm 99
Brixton 102
The effect of Brixton on Broadwater Farm 103
Drug problem 103
Mounting tension 104 The Death of Cynthia Jarrett and Build Up to the Riot 105
Arrest of Floyd Jarrett 105
Search of 25 Thorpe Road 106
The search warrant 108
Charging and court appearance of Floyd Jarrett 109
The coroner’s inquest 109
The role of the Police Complaints Authority 110
Back to 5 October 113
Police options following the death 114
Option (a) 114
Option (b) 117
Option (c) 117
Other significant events 118
Yankee Control 121
Plan to deal with disorder at Broadwater Farm 122 The Riot 123
The riot starts 123
The rioting worsens 125
Griffin Road 126
Senior officer deployment 128
Adams Road 128
Griffin Road again 132
Summary of activity in Adams and Griffin Roads 136
Deployment of baton gunners at Griffin Road 138
Willan Road and the surrounding area 139
Gloucester Road 141
Boyall’s rescue attempt 141
The violence subsides 142
The police finally occupy the Estate 143 The Killing of Constable Keith Blakelock 145
Gloucester Road 145
Serial 502 146
Directed to Broadwater Farm 147
The immediate aftermath 154
And later 155
Review of Couch’s decision to send Serial 502 into Tangmere 155
Funeral 158
Bravery awards 159
Two heroines 161
The final word 164 Analysis of the Response to the Riot 167
Introduction 167
Failure to implement the plan for the Broadwater Farm ­Estate 170
Lack of training amongst senior officers 170
Failure to appoint an overall ground commander 172
Strategy 174
Tactics 177
Mobilisation 179
Confusion 180
Police communications 180
Baton rounds 182
Failure to use the Special Patrol Group 183
Lakes of petrol 184
The failure to use the Force helicopter 185
Degree of organization amongst the rioters 186
Conclusion 187 The First Murder Investigation 191
Introduction 191
The first investigation 191
One reason for a climate of fear 195
An alternative reason for the climate of fear 196
Refusing access to a solicitor 198
Charges of murder 201
The three juveniles 202
The adults 205
The investigation into other criminal offences 210
Postscript 211 Appeals, Acquittals and Further Investigations 213
Broadwater Farm Defence Campaign 213
Discipline proceedings against Melvin 215
The move for acquittal gathers pace 216
Melvin and Dingle suspended from duty 220
Winston Silcott 222
The second investigation 224
The third investigation 227
Conclusions 233 Morale and Psychological Stress 235
Introduction 235
Effect on morale 236
Work-related stress 242
Officers at Tottenham 244
Units responding to the riot 246
Fear 247
Frustration and a lack of banter 249
Nightmares 251
Williams ‘operational review’ 251
Lack of counselling 253
Metropolitan Police review 255
Conclusion 255 Where Does the Blame Lie? 257
Introduction 257
The wider picture 260
Social deprivation 266
Insensitive policing 269
Pressure groups 272
Community policing 272
Turnover of senior officers 275
The dilemma 275
Conclusion 276
Index 279
About the author
After a year in the Metropolitan Police Cadet Force, Tony Moore spent four years in the British Army, seeing service in Germany and Aden. He then spent the next 28 years in the Metropolitan Police, serving successively at Commercial Street, Holborn, Bethnal Green, City Road, New Scotland Yard, Islington, Caledonian Road, Leyton, Kensington, and on reaching the rank of Chief Superintendent, two years as Divisional Commander at Notting Hill.
Twice on the staff of the Police Staff College, Bramshill and an experienced public order commander, he was involved in a number of high profile policing events, including the Iranian Embassy Siege, Notting Hill Carnival, the wedding of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer, football hooliganism, and clashes between demonstrators.
On leaving the police, he lectured at Cranfield University, based within the Defence Academy of the UK at Shrivenham specialising in crisis and disaster management and counter-terrorism.
He holds an MPhil from the University of Southampton, is President Emeritus and a Fellow of the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, and a member of both the Police History Society and London Historians. Apart from many articles on policing, his publications include Tolley’s Principles and Practice of Disaster Management (as co-editor) (three editions 2002–2006); Jane’s Facility Managers Handbook (as co-editor) (2nd edn. 2006), Disaster and Emergency Management Systems (British Standards Institution, 2008) and Policing Notting Hill (Waterside Press, 2013).
Acknowledgements
The intention of this book is to give an account of the brutal murder of Police Constable Keith Blakelock on 6 October 1985. But it is impossible to describe why this mild-mannered, community officer was killed without describing the circumstances which led up to his death. In order to accurately deal with all the issues that surrounded the event, I am hugely indebted to a number of people over a considerable period of time.
In 1990, whilst undertaking a research degree at the University of Southampton into public order policing I was fortunate to either meet with and discuss or exchange correspondence with a number of the police commanders who were part of the police response to the riot on Broadwater Farm Estate on 6 th October. These were George Boyall, David French, Mike Jeffers, Tom Jones, David Polkinghorne, Bill Sinclair and Bob Wells. I also met with Richard Dellow during this period.
More recently, I have had the good fortune to exchange correspondence and, indeed, meet some of the police officers who were either responsible for policing Tottenham Division in the period leading up to the riot or were with a unit that responded to the riot. These included Nigel Bailey, Ian Clarke, David Gladwell, John Harrison, Paul Hogan, Kevin Hussey, Duncan Kennedy, Mark Lawson, Brett Lovegrove, Paul Morley, Walter Poulter, Lorraine Pullen, Steve Riley, Tony Rowe, Richard Slade, and Sheila White. Barry Day was particularly helpful in providing me with information relating to the policing of Tottenham both before and immediately after the riot and Chris Barker kindly helped me with some background information relating to the problems of the control room on that fateful night, and some former officers, who assisted me, wish to remain anonymous. To add to the lis