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HMIC has published the first interim report into the inspection of the Metropolitan Police Service’s review and reassessment of alleged criminal offences arising from the 2014 mayoral election in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Summary

On 21 March 2017, the Mayor of London’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) asked HMIC to inspect a Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) operation into alleged criminal offences arising from the 2014 mayoral election in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which involved the outgoing mayor, Lutfur Rahman of the Tower Hamlets First party.

The MPS investigated these allegations at the time, and after an election court ruling that declared the result of the election void. The court found that corrupt practices prevailed at the elections of both the mayor and the councillors for the 20 wards of Tower Hamlets.

However, concerns were raised when initial MPS investigations did not result in any criminal convictions. As a result, the MPS confirmed that the force would carry out a new operation to review and reassess the allegations, called Operation Lynemouth. MOPAC agreed that HMIC should inspect and provide assurance of the operation.

HMIC was commissioned to carry out quarterly inspections of the MPS’s operation, in order to monitor fully it, and publish reports of their findings. This is the first interim report into the MPS’s Operation Lynemouth.

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Operation Lynemouth: First interim report

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