The Fixated Threat Assessment Centre runs rogue without any scrutiny or means to hold them to account. I have found through my sad experiences how they are free to abduct and abuse anyone they chose without any form of accountability. The IPCC do not investigate complaints involving the FTAC. The same goes for the Parliamentary and Healthcare Ombudsman.
Here are my experiences that illustrate what goes on.
After I was released from imprisonment by the tribunal I began to fight back through conventional means. This has proved futile. Prior to my release I had tried to complain to the Healthcare commission, but that was stonewalled.
Upon my release I began the process of complaining to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) regarding the method of abducting me from my home, the lies they told the hospital, and the five months of abuse I suffered. The complaint was registered with the IPCC on 22 April, 2009 (reference: 2009/007514).
I was sent a confirmation letter from a caseworker called Rebecca Tonge (Tel: 0161 246 8554, Email: rebecca.tonge@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk) dated 27 April 2009. The letter stated that the matter was passed to the Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) and I should hear from the police with 14 days. It will come to no surprise to anyone that I heard nothing from them.
The solicitor that represented me at my tribunal might seem an obvious choice to represent me in an attempt to repair the damage that had been done. What a mistake that was. I shall have more to say about the despicable behaviour of Floyd Porter of Miles and Partners (Tel: 020 7426 0400) latter. Amongst the things he did eventually do is send a chasing letter to the IPCC.
I also chased up the complaint to the IPCC, but was told that the police had only received the case notes on the 8th June. Either the police lied about receiving the original notes in April or the IPCC lied about sending them. Anyway, I was told that there was nothing they could do until the DPS finished their investigations. Every week for over a month I send an e-mail to the IPCC to ask on progress and got the same reply from either Simon Keogh (e-mail: simon.keogh@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk Tel: 020 7166 3979), or his supervisor Shetal Patel (e-mail: shetal.patel@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk) i.e. there is nothing they could do until the DPS responded.
So here is an easy way for the police to get away with anything: don’t respond to complaints and the IPCC is powerless to do anything about it and eventually the problem may go away.
However, at the end of July I got a telephone call from a Mr Nick Balmath of Bethnal Green police station regarding my complaint. He asked if I wanted local resolution, which I declined, and said that he would send off the papers to the appropriate office.
On the 1 August I got a telephone call from a Detective Sergeant Brady (Tel: 020 8345 4309). She said that she was the investigating officer. A few days later I received a letter (date: 03 Aug 2009, ref: PC/03312/09) summarising the points of my complaint. I replied immediately correcting a few details in her letter. Since then there has been nothing.
As soon as there is any reference to the FTAC, all complaints are dropped. The FTAC are free to do whatever they want to anyone and nobody holds them to account for there actions.
Update (14 Sep 2009): Last Monday, I e-mailed the complaints department at the IPCC asking for an explanation. A few hours later that day I got a reply from a Mr Douglas Cleaver who claims to be the Head of Internal Complaints promising to respond to my complaint. A week later and nothing has been forthcoming. I sent another e-mail at 9am this morning; there has sill been no response.
