A corruption inquiry has forced 1,400 credit cards to be taken from Scotland Yard detectives after investigators identified almost ?2 million (US$4 million) expenses still unaccounted for. The cancellation of almost half of the 3,530 American Express (Amex) credit cards issued to officers comes at the end of a major inquiry.
Three detectives were arrested over claims that they used their cards to spend public money on themselves, their friends and families. Two are serving officers while the third is a 51-year-old former detective sergeant from the specialist crime directorate. All three remain on bail.
Scotland Yard sources say that more arrests over potential 'criminal activity' may follow, while it has also emerged that a separate inquiry has been set up by the Independent Police Complaints Commission into alleged fraudulent claims by officers.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police Authority's (MPA) directorate of professional standards has confirmed that its inquiry into potential criminal activity is continuing. So far, ?1.88 million of spending has still to be "unreconciled" (unaccounted) with ?96,000 of the sum currently under investigation.
Initially, auditors had uncovered more than ?3.6 million of credit card spending not properly explained. The six-month review by the MPA examined almost ?7 million spent on Amex credit cards by officers since 2004, and already it has prompted changes to the way the force monitors its expenses.
The MPA has now canceled its contract with American Express in favor of a four-year-deal with Barclaycard. Under the new scheme, most officers will have a spending limit of ?5,000 a year with managers receiving a monthly statement outlining the expenditure incurred by staff issued with the "corporate charge card."
Cardholders who fail to submit a justification for expenses within 30 days will have their card withdrawn and unreconciled transactions deducted from their salary.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the