Problems with the structure of anti-terror policing in the UK came close to undermining the liquid bomb plot investigation, a former senior officer said today.
Andy Hayman, who was head of special operations at the Met, said Scotland Yard had to resist “severe pressure” to stop expensive searches that came to reveal key evidence.
He said the Thames Valley Police Authority wanted to end the search of woods in High Wycombe because of a £10 million bill for officers.
"Thankfully, we resisted. Some of the most important evidence was discovered only several months after the arrests of the plotters," he told The Timesnewspaper.
The evidence in part led to the convictions of Abdulla Ahmed Ali (27) Assad Sarwar (28) and Tanvir Hussain (27) for conspiracy to murder.
Prosecutors are expected to say today whether they will order a retrial of them and four other men accused of planning to blow up transatlantic aircraft.
The jury at Woolwich Crown Court was unable to reach a verdict on charges against four other men.
Mr Hayman said difficulties faced by the Operation Overt investigators in summer 2006 revealed the structure of anti-terror policing in the UK was “a mess”.
Detectives faced problems with “turf wars” between different forces, and the “clashing egos” of chief constables.
They also had to contend with IT and communication differences between forces, and differing levels of expertise in scenes of crime work, armed reponse and surveillance.
He called on ministers to created an anti-terror agency based at Scotland Yard with “nationwide command and control functions with a proper budget”.
PA