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Police suspended in Hackney

01 July 1992

Two police officers, from Stoke Newington police station in east London, have been suspended from duty following allegations of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The action was taken against Detective Constable Ronald Palumbo and PC Bruce Galbraith as part of Operation Jackpot, an inquiry into corruption at the police station, headed by Detective Superintendent Ian Russell of the Metropolitan Police's anti-corruption squad.

The inquiry was prompted by a report from the Hackney Community Defence association, A crime is a crime is a crime, which detailed 143 instances of police malpractice over a period of three years. The allegations claimed that police officers had been involved in running drug dealers, planting drugs and fabricating evidence. Following publication of the report a former custody officer at the station killed himself and another eight policemen were transferred to other stations (see Statewatch 2:2).

Prior to his suspension Palumbo was named in early day motions laid by five MPs at the House of Commons. One of them noted that he had been found to be a "lying witness" by Judge Pitman in a case involving the planting of drugs.

Twelve firms of solicitors and nineteen barristers have written to the Home Secretary, Kenneth Clarke and the Director of Public Prosecutions, Barbara Mills, expressing concern that "in the criminal courts, the Crown Prosecution Service has not fully disclosed the extent of the investigation as it relates to particular officers, nor the extent of the doubts that which must hang over the credibility of those officers." There are ten potential appeal cases, five civil actions and one referral back to the Court of Appeal all of which contain allegations of criminal activity by the Stoke Newington police.

The police investigation into the allegations is expected to be completed within the next few weeks.

Guardian 23.6.92 24.6.92; Independent 24.6.92.