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Police investigated “many” credible threats against Meghan Markle while she was living in Britain, former counter-terrorism chief Neil Basu revealed today.
Mr Basu, who is stepping down as the Met’s assistant commissioner for specialist operations, said the threats against the Duchess of Sussex were “disgusting” and “very real”.
When asked if they were credible, he replied, “Absolutely, and if you had seen the things that were written and you were going to receive it… the kind of rhetoric that’s online, if you don’t know what I know, you would feeling impressed. threat all the time.’
Mr Basu said there had been threats to Ms Markle’s on more than one occasion, adding: ‘We had teams investigating. People have been prosecuted for those threats.’
In a searing interview as he prepares to leave the Met after 30 years, he also suggested his outspoken views on race prevented him from becoming head of the National Crime Agency and demanded a crackdown on racist officers.
Neil Basu, who until recently was the Met’s assistant commissioner of specialist operations, said the threats against the Duchess of Sussex were “disgusting” and “very real.”
Mr Basu, who was Britain’s most senior immigrant police officer, told Channel 4’s Cathy Newman about his personal experience of racism and said his outspoken views on the issue have left him at odds with the government.
He claimed that this may have cost him the chance to take over as head of the National Crime Agency.
The former top police officer suggested racism was still a problem in the police force, saying new Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley “did the right thing” in calling for more powers to fire officers.
Mr Basu said he was proud to wake up and told Ms Newman, ‘Are you alert to issues of racial and social justice? Yes that’s me.
And if that’s the definition of waking up, then I wear it as a bumper sticker every day of the week.
And by the way, every police officer on duty, let alone a chief of police, better believe that.
“We serve the entire public without fear or favor, no matter who they resemble, not just the people we like.”
Basu also lashed out at Interior Minister Suella Braverman for her comments about how her “dream” was to send migrants to Rwanda.
“I find some of the comments coming out of the Home Office inexplicable,” he said.
“It is incredible to hear a succession of very powerful politicians who look like this talking in a language my father would have remembered from 1968. It is horrific.
‘I was born in 1968. The ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech took place in the constituency next to where my parents lived and made their lives hell. A mixed-race couple walking the streets in the 1960s. Stoned.’
He added, “I speak about race because I know something about race because I am a 54-year-old mixed-race male.”
The Interior Ministry said in a statement: “The Interior Minister expects the armed forces to have a zero-tolerance policy towards racism in their workplace.
But she is also very clear about the need to manage our borders effectively and have an asylum system that works for those who really need it, just like the British people.
“We are actively pushing for a culture change in the police force, including through a targeted review of police firings to ensure that officers who are not fit to serve can be removed quickly.
“There should be zero tolerance for people who are biased, who are corrupt, who have the kind of background you described and who shouldn’t come close to doing police work.”
When asked if hundreds if not thousands of police officers should go, Basu replied, “Yes, I think that’s right. If you are a police officer watching this and you are – like the vast majority of police officers – a good person who wants to do the right thing, then you should be the person not to walk by when you see that kind of behavior.”
Asked by Channel 4 News if the threats were credible, Mr Basu replied: ‘Absolutely, and if you had seen the things that were written and you would receive it’
The conversation with Channel 4 News’ Cathy Newman was Mr Basu’s first interview since he left the Metropolitan Police after 30 years
Mr Basu also suggested that his outspoken views on race may have cost him the chance to become head of the National Crime Agency.
“I do know that number 10 has previously interfered with my appointment to positions and I have not been told the reason for that,” he said.
“I would suspect – and people who know me suspect – it’s because I’ve been outspoken about issues that don’t suit the current political administration.
‘They’re wrong. Diversity and inclusion are two of the most important things in the police force.’
A spokesman for Number 10 Downing Street said: ‘A new Director-General was appointed to the National Crime Agency by the then Home Secretary earlier this year, following a fair and open recruitment campaign.
“This is a statutory decision for the Home Secretary, after consultation with Scottish ministers and the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland, in accordance with the Crime and Courts Act 2013.”
What’s the full interview on Channel 4 tonight at 7pm.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman pictured today outside number 10 Downing Street