Daily Mail Comment: A dark tale of murder and police corruption
The gruesome case of private investigator Daniel Morgan, who was hacked to death with an ax in a London pub car park, has stained Scotland Yard’s reputation for more than three decades.
It’s a dark and seedy story of violence, corruption, cover-ups and incompetence that the victim’s family has fought tirelessly to uncover despite being blocked and frustrated at almost every turn.
Now, after 36 years, five police inquiries, a stalled murder trial, an independent inquiry and eight Metropolitan Police commissioners trying to step down, they have at least some satisfaction.
Although they are yet to be held accountable for the murders, they are at least set to receive a pardon and compensation said to be in the region of £2 million. It may not be the complete closure they are looking for but it is a testament to their long struggle.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley deserves credit for grasping a painful nettle from which his predecessors steered clear. He admitted that corrupt police officers botched the original investigation into the murder and that not enough was subsequently done to find Mr Morgan’s killer.
It’s a dark and seedy story of violence, corruption, cover-ups and incompetence that Daniel Morgan’s family (pictured) has fought tirelessly to uncover.
Sir Mark has pledged to clean up the force after a string of horrific scandals and is a key part of the Met’s much-needed reset.
He is working to cut the suffocating red tape involved in ousting “hundreds” of corrupt and inappropriate officers identified in the force and has pledged to improve vetting of recruits.
Crucially, he publicly acknowledged the huge damage to public trust caused by outrage over the murder of Sarah Everard and the spreading of revolting racism and sexism in WhatsApp groups between officers at Charing Cross station.
Most Met officers carry out a difficult and often dangerous job with skill and courage every day. Sir Mark must honor their dedication by rooting out corruption and superstition wherever it lurks.
Confronting his army’s shortcomings and making amends for its historical failures is the right place to start.
Hope for Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s is one of the most heartbreaking and least understood of all major illnesses. Around 900,000 people in the UK suffer from it, yet scientists know little about what causes it and treatments tend to ease symptoms rather than stop the disease.
However, all that may change. A new drug – donanemab – has been shown to relieve symptoms in up to 60 per cent and is being hailed as a ‘turning point’ in tackling this cruelest of conditions.
It’s the second cutting-edge treatment developed this year, which hopes one day it will be possible to manage Alzheimer’s in the same way as diabetes or asthma.
We need to rapidly increase access to positron emission tomography (PET) scanners, which can detect the amyloid plaques associated with early Alzheimer’s (file photo).
But early diagnosis remains the key to successful outcomes, and this country is woefully underperforming in that regard.
We need to rapidly increase access to positron emission tomography (PET) scanners, which can detect the amyloid plaques associated with early Alzheimer’s.
The NHS has just 88 of these high-tech machines, the lowest per capita in the world. It’s just not enough.
Scientists have played their role brilliantly. It is time for policymakers to follow their example.
After learning that striking doctors would rather work private and locum than spend their days on picket lines, we now discover that a chief negotiator for the British Medical Association opposes the privatization of the NHS while working with at least seven private health insurance companies. The stench of hypocrisy surrounding this dispute is growing stronger by the day.
Share or comment on this article:
Read Full News Here