UK: Top Cop Suicided. Yea, and I'm the Quean Mum

[mynameis]

Top UK police chief is found dead

Michael Todd
Michael Todd had been with the force since 2002

Michael Todd profile
The head of one of the biggest police forces in Britain has been found dead.

Michael Todd, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, disappeared while out walking on Snowdon, north Wales, on Monday night.

Rescue teams found the 50-year-old's body on part of the mountain called Bwlch Glas on Tuesday afternoon.

The cause of his death is not yet known but suicide is understood to be one line of inquiry. Letters addressed to his family were also found.

Deputy Chief Constable Dave Whatton confirmed the death of his friend, a father-of-three, in a statement outside force headquarters in Manchester on Tuesday evening.

He said: "Yesterday, Michael Todd, the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police was off-duty and walking in Snowdonia.


MICHAEL TODD
Born in 1957
1976 Trains with Essex Police, moves to Met
1995: Assistant Chief Constable, Notts
1998 Dep Assistant Commissioner, Met
2000: Assistant Commissioner, Met
2001: Queen's Police Medal
2002 Chief Constable, Manchester
2006: Vice chairman, Acpo

Profile of Michael Todd
Tributes to chief constable

"Last night we became concerned for his welfare and as a result searches started to find him.

"These searches have continued today and unfortunately this afternoon a body has been found.

"I and all the officers of Greater Manchester Police and all the members of Greater Manchester Police Authority are absolutely shocked by what's happened and what has taken place in the last 16 hours."

Mr Whatton said although the body had yet to be formally identified, he believed it was that of the chief constable.

Reports of his disappearance emerged after a large scale search was reported in Nant Peris, above the village of Llanberis, Gwynedd.

The Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team began the task of taking his body off the mountain on foot on Tuesday evening.

It was brought down at about 1930 GMT and transferred by ambulance to Ysbyty Gwynedd, a hospital at Bangor.

Map

Rescue spokesman Ian Henderson said teams had been hampered by "appalling" weather conditions, including heavy rain and high winds, which meant rescuers could not use a helicopter.

Mr Henderson confirmed that the alarm was raised by walkers who found "personal effects" belonging to Mr Todd while out on the mountain.

His body was spotted just before 1500 GMT about 200 yards away from the spot where the items were found, he added.

Sources at Greater Manchester Police said that among the items found with him were personal letters written to his loved ones, the BBC's Nick Ravenscroft said.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith led a series of tributes to Mr Todd, saying she was "saddened" to learn of his death.

"Chief Constable Todd has had a long and distinguished career in various forces and has contributed greatly to the fight against crime and terrorism," she said.

"My thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues."

Taser stunt

Tributes also poured in from police bodies, chief constables from other forces, senior MPs and political figures in Manchester.

Mr Todd, a former Met Police assistant commissioner, joined GMP in 2002. He also worked in Essex and Nottingham.

He was appointed chief constable in Greater Manchester, England's second largest force, in October 2002 following the retirement of Sir David Wilmot.

He had been a police officer for more than 30 years, having joined Essex Police in 1976, and was tipped to become Britain's highest-ranking officer - a future Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Mr Todd's most high-profile media appearance was when he allowed himself to be hit by a Taser stun gun to prove they were a safe alternative to firearms.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/7290359.stm

[malvern]

is this fast track leadership starting to show signs that some of it's players can not handle what they have got themself invoild in, working for the common purpose..... always sad when anyone takes thier own life .....

[illuminotti]

I knew it wasn't a "suicide" the minute the press conference was given and the cop said that they hadn't even recovered the body from the bottom of the ravine!!!!!but he knew it was him!!

[killmicrosoft]

http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/global/images/liberty.gif
Liberty calls ACPO findings on extraordinary rendition a "whitewash"

http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/news-and-events/1-press-releases/2007/acpo-er-findings.shtml

11 Jun 2007
On the evening of 8 June 2007, Liberty received a letter from Police Chief Constable Michael Todd on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) which refused to commence a police enquiry into allegations that extraordinary rendition flights had received UK logistical support.
Director of Liberty Shami Chakrabarti issued the following response:

“Over 18 months ago, Liberty wrote to the police expressing concerns based upon credible investigations, that Britain may have been used as a staging post for the CIA’s programme of “extraordinary rendition”. We asked for a police investigation. Today Senator Dick Marty issued the Council of Europe’s official report finding European collusion with extraordinary rendition and blanket “overflight clearances” for US military flights. Coincidentally, Liberty today received a written response from Chief Constable Michael Todd on behalf of ACPO refusing to commence any police enquiry into the allegations. An ACPO public statement claims no evidence has been found. When politicians spin, it is disappointing. When the police engage in such activity, it is rather more dangerous.”

Chakrabarti further said that Liberty “rejects ACPO's findings as a ‘whitewash’ and questions whether it had even investigated the claims.”

Liberty first expressed concerns in November 2005 that the UK government may be complicit in alleged torture practices if secret “torture flights,” carrying suspects to third countries where they may face torture, transited UK airports.

• On 8 June 2007, the Council of Europe released the findings of its 19-month investigation into extraordinary rendition flights which confirmed that European authorities were aware of illegal activity on their territory and that US military flights were given “overflight clearance.”

• On 8 June 2007 hearings began in the first extraordinary rendition trial opened in Italy. Abu Omar claims to have been kidnapped in Milan by CIA agents and flown to Egpyt where he was allegedly tortured.

A dossier of Liberty’s correspondence with ACPO is available on www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk

Contact: Jen Corlew on 0207 378 3656 or 0797 3 831 128

NOTES TO EDITORS
1. An investigative report on extraordinary rendition flights conducted by the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee is expected to be published soon.

2. On 30 November 2005, Liberty called on the Police Chief Constables of Bedfordshire, Dorset, Essex, Hampshire, the Metropolitan Police, the Ministry of Defence Police, Suffolk, Sussex, Thames Valley, and West Midlands to conduct an investigation into whether the airports in their regions were being used to transport suspects to countries known to practice torture. In response to Liberty’s request to the police, Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Michael Todd confirmed on 19 December 2005 that he would look into “extraordinary rendition” flights on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO.)

3. Liberty also alerted the-then Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in November 2005 of its fears that the UK is in breach of domestic and international law by allowing CIA “extraordinary rendition” flights to land and re-fuel in Britain. A dossier of Liberty’s ongoing correspondence with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is available on www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk

4. In February 2007 the European Parliament’s temporary commission on extraordinary rendition approved a report accusing EU states of complicity with CIA rendition flights.

5. On 6 September 2006 US President Bush acknowledged the existence of secret CIA prisons and said 14 key terrorist suspects have now been sent from the prisons to Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.

5. On 26 June 2006 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) passed a resolution calling on all member states, including the UK, to pressure the US into ending rendition flights, closing secret prisons and changing their own laws and practices to guarantee the rights of persons captured from, detained in or transported through their states.. Eighteen members of the UK Parliament from all the main political parties are on the PACE.

6. On 7 June 2006 the Council of Europe released preliminary findings concluding that CIA flights carrying terror suspects likely to face torture have been given access to UK airspace and airports.

7. On 26 May 2006, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights concluded that the Government was not doing enough to investigate whether UK airports are being used by secret CIA flights involved in the practice of extraordinary rendition.

8. Liberty has called on the Government to support an amendment which would require the Secretary of State to force any suspicious aircraft in UK airspace to land and that plane to be searched.

9. The Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Select Committee and the All Parliamentary Subject Group on Extraordinary Rendition are conducting investigations into allegations of rendition flights.

10. Liberty’s call to action against extraordinary rendition is part of its “No torture, no compromise” campaign which seeks to make the UK government honour its positive obligation to stop torture and ill-treatment.

11. Investigative journalist Stephen Grey’s book, “Ghost Planes,” explores allegations of European complicity with extraordinary rendition flights.

12. The Guardian newspaper revealed on 6 December and 12 September 2005 that airports in Biggin Hill, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Brize Norton, Farnborough, Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, RAF Mildenhall, Northolt, and Stansted have allowed CIA or CIA-chartered jets to land temporarily. These aircraft had flown into the UK approximately 210 times since 2001.

[gremlin]

i was thinking the same thing, he was probably overwhelmed by the fact that he had to get naked and drink blood and suck satans (oh misses).