Peter Clarke (Police officer)

Peter Clarke

Peter John Michael Clarke (born 27 July 1955) is the head of the Metropoltian Police's Counter Terrorism Command.

Biography

From Metropolitan Police Website:

Peter Clarke was born in 1955 and joined the Metropolitan Police in 1977 after graduating in Law from Bristol University. In the early part of his career he worked at a number of locations in London in both uniform and detective roles, including periods on murder enquiries and in international drugs intelligence.
There followed postings in strategic planning, as operations head in a central London division, and as Staff Officer to the Commissioner. In 1994 he became the Commander of Brixton Division in South London In 1997 he assumed command of the Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department, with responsibility for the protection and security of the Royal Family and their residences, the diplomatic community in London and the Houses of Parliament. In June 2000 he became the Deputy Director of Personnel for the Metropolitan Police, and in June 2002 was appointed as Head of the Anti-Terrorist Branch at New Scotland Yard and National Co-ordinator of Terrorist Investigations. Mr Clarke now leads the newly formed (02/10/06) Counter Terrorism Command, which represents the merging of Special Branch and the Anti-Terrorist Branch.
He attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in 2002, was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 2001 and awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in 2003. In 2006 he was made an OBE.

In September 2007 Clarke announced that he would step down in January 2008.

Comments on leaks to the media

The UK's counter-terrorism chief has condemned as "beneath contempt" people who leak anti-terrorism intelligence. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke of the Metropolitan Police said there were a "small number of misguided individuals who betray confidences".

By doing so, they had compromised investigations, revealed sources of life-saving intelligence and "put lives at risk" during major investigations. DAC Clarke also warned of a damaging "lack of public trust" in intelligence.

In a major speech at the Policy Exchange, a think-tank, DAC Clarke said his role as National Co-ordinator of Terrorist Investigations was to bridge the intelligence and policing worlds in an environment that had completely changed in recent years. Some 100 suspects were awaiting terrorism trials, he said.

But he warned the police's efforts to counter terrorism threats had been damaged by leaks to the media. "The recent investigation in Birmingham into an allegation that a British serviceman had been targeted by a terrorist network is but one example of this," said DAC Clarke.

"On the morning of the arrests, almost before the detainees had arrived at the police stations to which they were being taken for questioning, it was clear that key details of the investigation and the evidence had been leaked. "This damaged the interview strategy of the investigators, and undoubtedly raised community tensions. "I have no idea where the leaks came from, but whoever was responsible should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves."