What Bob Quick tells us about Damian Green

At last I understand the police arrest of Damian Green. Bob Quick himself has explained it to me.

I can quite understand why Mr Quick was upset on Sunday.

Neither he or his wife were doing anything remotely wrong and the story about her perfectly legitimate car hire firm, meant that their business suddenly became a security issue. He has had to move his family to a safe place.

But his suggestion that the "Tory machinery" was behind it is ridiculous.

The two most likely ways for the story to have reached the Mail on Sunday are these - a journalist or his friend happened across it, perhaps while hiring a car and thought it would be a good story; or a fellow police officer thought that it might make Mr Quick less promotable and tried to do him in, in the papers.

The idea that the Conservative Party would have found out about it and then farmed it out to the papers to undermine Mr Quick is far-fetched.

His immediate assumption that this is indeed what happened gives an insight into the way he thinks politics works.

Instead of a hapless confusion of interaction with newspapers, stumbling across leakers and leaked documents, gossiping about people in bars and so forth, Mr Quick sees politics as a tight conspiracy in which the Tory Party sends out its crack black bag unit to case the car hire business of its enemies.

Then, meeting in the Dunkin Donuts behind Piccadily Circus, hat brim low on his face, the Tory agent silently slides the brown envelope across the table to the Sunday newspaper man.

His comedy cuts view of this tight knit band, capable of engaging in shadowy work to undermine his reputation, led him to believe it quite possible than Damian Green - Damian Green - was a super spy snooping into the secrets of the Home Secretary and needed to be arrested at dawn by Dennis Waterman and John Thaw.

I understand it all now.

Comments

[Will]

I see that Mr Quick has issued an 'apology' which says (according to the BBC) "I apologise unreservedly for any offence or embarrassment that I have caused." This is, of course, one of those "non" apologies. It does not say that he was wrong. It merely says that if YOU take offence that I am sorry that you have. It does not mean that he has retracted his beliefs or that he believes he was wrong, which it appears that he doesn't and isn't. Of course it may be that there is more than the BBC have reported. In which case I apologise unreservedly for any embarrasement or offence that I have caused to Mr Quick.

[Richard]

Just an indication of how low we have come under the control of blair, brown, madleson and campbell.

[Dee]

This episode gives us an insight into the thinking processes of the individual concerned; act first think later, that questions not only his suitability to be head of the Met for which he has allegedly applied, but also head of the Anti Terrorism unit.
On that basis it might be better if he devotes more time to his wife's car hire business. I understand that she uses retired policemen as drivers.

[The Dark knight]

Over the last couple of months I can scarcely believe what I have been witnessing from senior Police officers. They are undermining the hard work and professionalism of officers further down the ranks. They are an embarrasment and a let down this is not acceptable.

[IanM]

It worries me that somebody with so little understanding of politics, the rule of law and natural justice has been promoted to such a senior position within my police force.
His ability to identify conspiracies against the police force and his implied siege mentality would go someway to explaining the shoot first ask questions later mentality adopted at Stockwell.
This is not the police force I want.

[david Roberts]

Quick should be nailed - demand his head or at least transferred. The Police have to learn that involving themselves in Politics (as Blair found out) has consequences. If this man is such a cretin to mouth off to a reptile then his judgement is suspect.

[Horace Dunn]

I don't normally raise issues of poor grammar. To do so seems rather pointless these days.

There is a grammatical fault here, though, that I cannot help highlighting. The rule in question is so simple and so easy to remember that there is simply no excuse for getting it wrong:

EITHER / OR
NEITHER / NOR

So: "Neither he NOR his wife were doing anything remotely wrong".

[K Wells]

Both Government and opposition spokesmen have referred to him as "Bob". That indicates just what is wrong with public service in this country. Fine to address him "Bob" at a private meeting, but in these circumstances he should definitely be "Assistant commissioner Quick"

[rob]

Quick tempered,quick on the draw,slow on the uptake?

[Ian]

Has Labour politicised the police to such an extent that senior police officers cannot think or act with neutrality? It seems the answer is yes. In Bob Quick's mind, at least, just being a Conservative makes you an enemy of the state.

[Olga Lockley]

Perhaps Mr Quick could try to get himself off the hook by telling us which politician instructed him to raid Damian Green's office and home?

[Karma Rangjan]

The attack on Mr Quick by conservative newspapers is unfortunate and inappropriate, and who among us can say that they wouldn't have reacted the way that he did when our family/children are put at risk?

[Robin Hunt]

2008 not a great vintage was had from the New Scotland Yard vineyard the fruit was harvested a bit too early not mature enough - I believe it will be called Quicks Reserve,it tastes a bit bitter tends to come from the left of the slopes and apparently can be used in vehicles if required especially good in rental cars.

[robert]

That's quite true, Karma: I ALWAYS blame a "tory press conspiracy" when my family is put at risk

[The Uncivil Servant]

Not quite the professional counter terror specialist vve thought vve vvere paying for is he !

[Martin Bellamy]

The present state of the Police Force worries me. New Labour has politicised the Force and the Senior Officers are just managers poor ones at that. No wonder the protection the public pays for fails to be available. I pity the many decent police Officers, they must cringe as yet another Chief lets rip in the press. No wonder the wrong people are being shot, convicted and locked up. Blair (A) has a lot to answer for.

[Michael Airey]

I don't normally raise issues of poor grammar. To do so seems rather pointless these days.

There is a grammatical fault here, though, that I cannot help highlighting. The rule in question is so simple and so easy to remember that there is simply no excuse for getting it wrong:

EITHER / OR
NEITHER / NOR

So: "Neither he nor his wife WAS doing anything remotely wrong."

POSTED BY: MICHAEL AIREY

[Jane]

I sincerely hope that the taxpayer is not paying his expenses for the move? He used his home address as business premises and should therefore be accountable for his own foolishness.

I agree with the comment above regarding the use of the ACC's first name by the government and opposition. Mr Quick brought his office into disrepute by this rant. No doubt the matter will be dealt with internally as this was totally inappropriate from a Senior Police Officer. In doing so, the Met will no doubt be reassuring us thelead person entrusted to protect the UK from terrorism is up to the job.

[marke]

Good to know that this idiot policeman is in charge of anti-terrorism ...!!!

[GERAINT]

I am ashamed of the state of this country too - and it has a certain amount to do with the police and their desire to snoop on us, and the government agreeing to everything they do.

However I would not leap to allegations against anybody - least of all if it was written in the Daily Mail - not until I had all the facts and had let emotion go from the equation and had time to think. And I'm not a trained senior police officer who could have been shortlisted for the top Met job!!!

[J Jenkins]

There seems to be a tendency now for senior police officers to speak to the press on almost any topic, formally and informally, to get their personal message across and for them to rush off to their solicitors.

I cannot think of a single officer from Scotland Yard who has used the media in this way in the last year or so who has come out of it looking other than a self-seeking numpty.

Someone really should tell them how it appears to the man in the street.

[Dave Morgan]

Having been caught red-handed in a Watergate-style spying operation (labour voting intentions are in the public interest??) the tories and the tory-owned press launched a massive preemptive strike on the police to bully them into stopping the investigation.
... and it worked. Welcome to modern Britain, where MPs are above the law.

[Toks]

Why are we all surprised? Quick served under a terrible Commissioner, Ian Blair, who was asnwerable to Jacqui Smith, who's proving herself to be an incompetent Home Secretary, who in turn answers to a PM whose bombast on the economy has been found out thanks to the credit crunch.

When things were rosy he boasted about ending 'Tory boom and bust'. Now things look bleak he claims it's a global problem. This clueless government can't have it both ways! It's like one of my Chelsea pals claiming last season Avram Grant had nothing to do with the victories but was culpable for the losses!

[david reardon]

The LABOUR party and Jacqi Smith think the British Public stupid WE ARE NOT, this was the police doing the labour party afavour that has backfired Great

[Robert Boyd]

Lets face it.The police need sorting out,they need REAL leadership,and we need a new government NOW.

[colin]

Had Labour not closed the Met Police Special Branch who would have investigated the Damian Green affair there would not have been the unedifying scenes surrounding his arrest because no SB officer would have countenanced such action.Quick is typical of modern senior police officers who have climbed the promotion ladder because of perceived management skills not genuine leadership.

[Tom FD]

Perhaps a succession of Labour Home Secretaries have indoctrinated the police that the Tories are responsible for all the world's ills - and some of them actually believe it.

[john in cheshire]

Now he knows what it feels like. get rid of him. he's obviously just another member of the socialist clique that has been polluting this country for the past 11 years.

[Jim Watson]

The question to ask is will the Sunday Newspaper apologise unreservedly to Bob Quick and his family for putting them in danger and will they now reimburse the cost of moving house?

[Peter Casie Chetty]

Should the Home Secretary not be sent home? She makes matters worse by trying to defend the undefendable.
She is an utter waste of tax payers money.

[etirpsha]

No one has yet explained why it was the anti-terrorist squad who was chosen for the "investigation". Now, with his irrational partisan outburst, Mr. Quick makes it quite clear his political allegiances and toadying to Labour.

Ian at 22Dec1404:
Not just the "ruling clique" at the Met, but the BBC (root and branch), Bank of England, JIC (let's not forget the Blairling John Scarlett), and numerous other areas of public service have been corrupted and compromised by New Labour hatchet men.

BTW, who is this "Tory press" that Karma Ranjan, Mr Quick and co are going on about ?
Times and Sun are owned by News Intl. (Mr Murdoch is a Brown supporter), Indy and Guardian are (more or less) disillusioned leftwing, Mirror is old left, Telegraph is owned by the "enigmatic" Barclay Bros, Mail is owned by a close friend of Brown ... I can only think of the Express (the pensioner's friend) and Daily Sport.
Puzzling ...

[Harry H]

Unfortunately with Labour handing out knighthoods and dishing out generous pensions. It is very easy for our leading police officers to see the Tories as the enemy.

Apart from ruining our economy, I believe Labour have come close to corrupting our public servants.

[Dave]

This bumbling idiot is an embarassment. How on earth did he get his job? He should be sacked. He is investigating Damian Green under terrorism legislation for as I understand it being a recipient of goverment leaks. - But in what way is that connected to terrorism?Someone probably another policeman has leaked the information about his wife's sideline to a newspaper.- Are we going to see a raid on the Mail because of the threat of a free press on the security of the police chief?
Although just as unlikely as the raid on Damian Green I don't think so because 'Bob' is a laughing stock.

[Pat]

As I read it the Mail on Sunday did a highly complimentary article on the car hire firm run by Mrs. Quick but omitted to specify contact details. God knows why they did that- but if Mr. Quick feels it necessary to keep his address secret then he should not be running any business from it. He could rationally blame his wife for publicising the address. So the MoS has done nothing wrong (assuming that the report is accurate). And to assume that any paper is controlled by a political party without adducing any evidence is extremely worrying coming from a policeman of any rank. I for one am uncomfortable with the idea that I may be arrested on no evidence if a policemen feels like it. The man should be dismissed the force.

[Idontshootfromthelip]

Dave Morgan obviously beleives that Brown should have had his collar felt a couple of decades andnot been able to wreck the country now. Oh sorry Dave, it's only leaks to Tory MPs that are criminal and damaging. Given Jaqui Smith's husband's shyness when writing to the media can we assume that your "partner" is a Labour minister. No shrinking please violet.

[alan brown]

There are 2 things that stand out (1) If this is the reaction of Quick in a crisis what is he going to be like under pressure in his line of work ? (2) It shows his thinking that the conservatives were out to get him ,is because he knows and perhaps also acts in that way, i.e. of someone does something wrong the police going out to "get them" and this is why Quick though the conservatives were doing same.

[Gedd's Mate]

Oh dear! poor ACC Quick.

Not much support in the comments; not too much from his subordinate colleagues either, i wouldn't mind
betting.

[Mark]

I find it hard to sympathise with Mr Quick in his claims that his famiily are at risk. Recently 10,000 members of the BNP had their families truly put at risk. There was precious little sympathy from the Establishment for them.

[sherlock]

Bob! Quick is supposed to be a senior policeman! He works for Jaqui Smith the Labour, Home Secretary. He had an MP arrested for exposing Labour failings. So having done dirty illegal work on the Conservatives, he smears them when a newspaper exposes his wife runs a car hire business from home. Is Mr Quick not completely wrong to make an irresponsible arrest, also wrong to let a car hire business run from his house, and also wrong to make up smears about a political party?

What a shambles. Is this really a top policeman? No wonder the police are in a mess. He really is a complete joke. Who would respect such a dimwit?

This is supposed to be the cool intelligent policeman in charge of detecting terror plots. Terrorists must think Quick is funnier than Inspector Clouseau.

It looks like he is incapable of any discretion or careful professional skill. Shambolic arrests, dodgy type of business from home, and blurting out rubbish.

He would not be fit to detect crime in the Outer Hebrides. Bob! The Joker...

[oldasiahand]

How much do we pay these turkeys?

[J Jenkins]

Dave Morgan 16:36 said: 'Having been caught red-handed in a Watergate-style spying operation....'

Oh pulease! Watergate was about break-ins / burglary. This was about the long practiced art-form of the 'leak'.
.

[Steve Edgerail]

If the Tories have no involvement, let Cameron (a) denounce the press intimidation of Quick's family and (b) deny that no Tory ever said they would "f-ing get him" as reported recently. Or is Cameron happy to have unaccountable Tories act underhandedly. I can't believe I voted for him instead of Davies.

[nimrod]

His job title should read"Senior Social Worker" (terrorist squad)
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO REAL 'COPPERS'?not politically correct enough?

[David Raynes]

At first sight there is no connection with the DeMenezes killing, or is there?
Quick is a worry, allowing his car and his address to be used for such a business, given his job, is a clear error of judgement. His complete over reaction today, is similar. If this is the typical quality of MetPol's finest brains, no wonder the DM operation was bungled and he was shot. No wonder nine Officers searched Green's house, no wonder there have been no charges. No wonder the political consequences and wisdom of the Green arrest were not thought through and there were differences between Quick and the acting Commissioner. No one is above the law but an investigation process run by pea brains is not what the public are entitled to. The Home Secretary talks a lot about not interfering with the investigative process. If the investigative process were being properly managed, she might have a point. As matters stand she, MetPol and Quick are all tainted. Time for a change Time for an overhaul of Policing in the UK.

[Frank Upton]

It's a perfectly good story. The Daily Mail seems to have had a sudden rush of sense. P.S. Did Mrs Quick get planning consent?

[Allan]

Mr Dunn's post says:

There is a grammatical fault here, though, that I cannot help highlighting. The rule in question is so simple and so easy to remember that there is simply no excuse for getting it wrong:

EITHER / OR
NEITHER / NOR

So: "Neither he NOR his wife were doing anything remotely wrong".

Absolutely right, Mr Dunn. Sadly you then commit the solecism of saying "were" when "was" should be used (with single Subjects "he" and "his wife").

Stones and glasshouses leap to mind...

[wendy graham]

If this head of anti-terror plod sees a dark political conspiracy in the MoS piece then it does go some way to explaining why we apparently have millions of terrorist conspiracies simmering sinisterly in the UK

[Mark B]

Your average copper is, frankly, not very bright and doesn't think for himself. It is quite clear that these days the senior coppers are the same with the thinking being done by left-leaning politicians. This must stop.

[M Reid]

Mrs Quick's business was hardly a secret it was widely advertised.

Why was it advertised if it endangered his family ?

Pity the poor bobby doing a good job lead by such people.

High time the cops had better senior folk.

[Pogo]

A genuine, practical example of "The Peter Principle".

[Richard Young]

'But his suggestion that the "Tory machinery" was behind it is ridiculous.' I don't want to suggest that the party was behind this leak. But to suggest a political party in this country is above such tactics is ridiculous. Even if the officials within the party made a clear decision never to act in such a way, we all know that parties are staffed by large numbers of interns and young thrusters whose moral and ethical compasses are less well tuned.

(Oh, and brown envelopes passed across counters in cafes? This isn't 1970s football management, Danny - there are plenty of ways for peripheral figures to get information out these days...)

[P Stroud]

It has to be agreed that Assistant Commissioner Quick seems to lack judgement. Did he not ask himself just what the Tories would gain by drawing attention to his wife's business? It would certainly not have stopped the Damian Green investigation. As to divulging his home address, any terrorist could have discovered this by simply following him home. Furthermore, why was the counter terrorist branch employed in the leak investigation? Surely if it was possibly an official secrets offence then Special Branch should have lead. If it was purely a criminal act then it could have been dealt with by the normal crime branch.

But I wonder just how the public can have respect for the Met when Jaqui Smith continually refers to the Assistant Commissioner as Bob during TV interviews. The whole 'call me Tony' culture of NuLabour is causing the public to lose all respect for the establishment.

[Idontshootfromthelip]

The question to ask is will the Sunday Newspaper apologise unreservedly to Bob Quick and his family for putting them in danger and will they now reimburse the cost of moving house?
Posted by: Jim Watson | 23 Dec 2008 07:25:14
Of course not Jim. His wife posted adverts with the details of their home/business premises so should pay. I don't suppose that they applied for change of use to the local council causing the address to be part of the required public notice publication Jim. Do you?

[Chris Paul]

If I'm not mistaken the Cameron statement was highly specific, precision-referring to "the Conservative Party", i.e. the institution, not having dobbed the Quicks in the brown. Not "any conservative" or "anyone involved in any way with the conservatives", it was "the Conservative Party" wot didn't do it.

[ChristopherM]

Sorry Allan, I have to disagree. "Neither he nor his wife were..." is equivalent to "He and his wife were not..." and in both cases the subject, he AND his wife, is plural. If it were "either he or his wife" then the subject would be singular but the two taken together is a plural.

[Garth Wiseman]

The number of academic qualifications that police men and women seem to need to get to the top suggest that they have spent too much time studying and too little policing to fulfil their responsibilities effectively.

[nigel]

TORIES HAVE A RECORD FOR FALLING FAUL OF THE LAW, REMEMBER ARCHER AND ATTKIN DID TIME AT HER MAJERSTIES PLEASURE, SAME OLD TORIES, THEY BELIEVE THE LAW ONLY APPLIES TO ORDINARY FOLK

[Expat 44]

From Expat 44

Less grammar and more clear thinking on the real issue here, please.

Quick is a very senior policeman indeed and his default position of attacking the opposition political party is an alarming sign of the times in Britain.

He is supposed to be above Party politics, like a soldier or civil servant.

The fact that he is the country's senior Counter Terrorist police officer and yet runs a publicly advertised business from his house is not only a farce but against police regulations, let alone common sense. What a target for the terrorists!

The STASI supported the party in power by suppressing embarrassing political opposition.

It all starts with little slices out of liberty here and there - where does it end?

Britons - wake up! If you don't, then you will have no-one to blame but yourselves.

Are the self-serving, ill-disciplined and stupid ACC Quicks of this world to be the face of future UK policing?

[Mark]

Just to clarify a couple of points

a. The Met reorganised its specialist departments some time ago. SB and the AT Squad were effectively merged.

b. Mr Quick was at Surrey when the Stockwell debacle and subsequent cover-up happened and didn't return to the Met until earlier this year.

What was particularly interesting about his appointment to his current post was his apparent lack of experience in the AT or indeed SB field. If you check his details on the Met website you will see that his main expertise seems to be policing South of the river. Mind you, although the same site mentions his interest in motorbikes, there is no mention of an interest in expensive classic cars - but that's probably a security precaution....

[JMS]

I don't normally raise issues of poor grammar. To do so seems rather pointless these days.

There is a grammatical fault by Mr Dunn here, though, that I cannot help highlighting. The rule in question is so simple and so easy to remember that there is simply no excuse for getting it wrong:

So: "Neither he NOR his wife WAS doing anything remotely wrong".

[B.Garvie]

Mr. Quick was too rash to criticise. It does bring into question some consideration of his political psychological profile.

To think it was his wife's business web site where all the information was readily available is most unfortunate.

However, with questionable judgement in such a high profile job, can he retain it? Looks like confidence and trust in Mr Quick are steadily ebbing away like grains of sand through his fingers.