The dark climate secret of self-driving cars

Rob Waugh
·Contributor
Mon, 16 January 2023

Is there a dark environmental secret behind self-driving car technology? (Getty)

In many visions of the future, self-driving electric cars will whoosh through our cities, picking up passengers - but is there a hidden environmental cost to the technology?

New research from MIT suggests that the energy required to run the computers in a global fleet of autonomous cars could generate as many greenhouse gas emissions as all the data centres in the world today.

The research highlighted the sheer amount of computing required to keep billions of self-driving vehicles on the road - with up to 21.6 quadrillion calculations per day (one quadrillion is 1,000 trillion).

Data centres account for about 0.3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, or about as much carbon as the country of Argentina produces annually, according to the International Energy Agency.

MIT researchers built a statistical model to study the problem.

Read more: Melting snow in Himalayas drives growth of green sea slime visible from space

They determined that 1 billion autonomous vehicles, each driving for one hour per day with a computer consuming 840 watts, would consume enough energy to generate about the same amount of emissions as all the data centres currently on Earth.

The researchers warn that to minimise the impact may require more efficient computers - perhaps requiring faster upgrades than the current rate of technology evolution.

Lead author Soumya Sudhakar, a graduate student in aeronautics and astronautics, says, "If we just keep the business-as-usual trends in decarbonisation and the current rate of hardware efficiency improvements, it doesn't seem like it is going to be enough to constrain the emissions from computing onboard autonomous vehicles.

Read more: A 1988 warning about climate change was mostly right

“This has the potential to become an enormous problem. But if we get ahead of it, we could design more efficient autonomous vehicles that have a smaller carbon footprint from the start.”

The researchers built a framework to explore the operational emissions from computers on board a global fleet of electric vehicles that are fully autonomous, meaning they don't require a back-up human driver.

The model is a function of the number of vehicles in the global fleet, the power of each computer on each vehicle, the hours driven by each vehicle, and the carbon intensity of the electricity powering each computer.

"On its own, that looks like a deceptively simple equation. But each of those variables contains a lot of uncertainty because we are considering an emerging application that is not here yet," Sudhakar says.

Read more: Why economists worry that reversing climate change is hopeless

When they used the probabilistic model to explore different scenarios, Sudhakar was surprised by how quickly the algorithms' workload added up.

For example, if an autonomous vehicle has 10 deep neural networks processing images from 10 cameras, and that vehicle drives for one hour a day, it will make 21.6 million inferences each day.

One billion vehicles would make 21.6 quadrillion inferences.

To put that into perspective, all of Facebook's data centres worldwide make a few trillion inferences each day.

Sertac Karaman, associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics says."After seeing the results, this makes a lot of sense, but it is not something that is on a lot of people's radar. These vehicles could actually be using a ton of computer power. They have a 360-degree view of the world, so while we have two eyes, they may have 20 eyes, looking all over the place and trying to understand all the things that are happening at the same time,

UK
Starmer calls for tighter gun laws after church drive-by shooting

David Hughes, PA Political Editor
Mon, 16 January 2023 at 3:24 am GMT-7·2-min read

Laws on gun ownership should be tightened, Sir Keir Starmer has said following a drive-by shooting at a church in his constituency.

The Labour leader said he had been given a police intelligence briefing on the “awful” incident, in which four women and two children were injured.

A seven-year-old girl is in a serious but stable condition after the shotgun attack on mourners at a memorial service at St Aloysius Church in Euston, central London, on Saturday.

Four women and two children were injured in the gun attack at St Aloysius Roman Catholic Church in Euston (Yui Mok/PA)

Sir Keir, a former director of public prosecutions, said the Euston incident, and shootings such as the killing of five people in Keyham, Plymouth, in 2021, show the need for reforms to gun laws.

“We’ve had these incidents from time to time with guns,” he told LBC Radio.

“And every time there is, there’s evidence, which I am concerned about, that people have access to guns that they shouldn’t have access to.

“Now, if it’s illegal access, obviously, that’s a pure matter of the criminal law.

“But other people, where better checks should be taken over circulation of guns…

“So I think that we need to look again as to whether those laws are strong enough, that may or may not help this particular case.”

He added: “There are many illegally-owned guns out there and there are legally-owned guns, which I don’t think should be in the hands of the people who are legally owning them.”

Sir Keir added that he does not back an outright ban on gun ownership, saying that exemptions should be allowed for famers and sports shooting clubs.

A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder over the Euston incident.

Bulgarian political crisis: President asks Socialists to form government

Euronews
Mon, 16 January 2023 


Bulgaria's president asked the Socialists to form a new government on Monday, amid a long-running political crisis.

Rumen Radev gave the Socialist Party a mandate to try and create a new government in a last attempt to avoid the country's fifth general election in two years.

Amid a cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine, Bulgarian politics has taken a bumpy turn recently, with successive governments collapsing due to resignations and no-confidence votes.

Although their chances of success are dim, Socialist leader Kornelia Ninova said her party would make every effort to establish "a regular government, which this country badly needs at this point.”

Radev's move came after the two main groups in Bulgaria's parliament – the centre-right GERB party and the reformist We Continue the Change party — failed to find enough support to form their own coalitions.

Political parties with the strongest election results are given the first two mandates, but a third one can be offered to one of the president's choosing.

Austria blocks Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria, while Croatia gets green light

In Bulgaria's most recent election in October, the Socialist Party finished fifth.

GERB and Democratic Bulgaria have previously said they will not support a Socialist-led government, mainly because the left-wing party is pro-Russian and has repeatedly voted against military aid to Ukraine.

If the Socialists fail to find coalition partners, the president must dissolve parliament, appoint a caretaker government and schedule another early election to be held in two months.

Analysts expect another election would produce a similar outcome.

This would mark a continuation of the political showdown that has gripped the country since 2020, when thousands of Bulgarians took to the streets to demand reforms in the judiciary and efficient anti-corruption actions.

The political crisis adds to the economic woes of the European Union’s poorest member.

More volatility could delay its plans to join the eurozone and the EU’s visa-free Schengen Area, as well as the timely receipt of billions of euros in EU recovery funds.

UK
Charities and organisations call for social energy tariff

Josie Clarke, PA Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Mon, 16 January 2023 


Almost 100 charities and organisations are collectively calling for a social energy tariff to help low-income and vulnerable older and disabled households heat their homes.

In an open letter to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, the group including Age UK, Fair By Design, National Energy Action (NEA) and Scope warn that many older and disabled people, their carers and low-income households, are facing an uncertain future as they grapple with unaffordable energy bills.

A survey for Age UK suggests that 24% of over-60s are living in homes which are colder than they would like them to be, rising to 27% for older people with a disability.

The letter calls for targeted support for those on means-tested benefits, disability benefits and carer’s allowance, as well as those missing out on welfare support but still struggling with their bills.

It describes “deep concern” that the withdrawal of universal energy support from April “will leave many older and disabled people in a increasingly desperate situation”.


Charities said they were being inundated with calls from people in “dire need”, including those relying on medical equipment like dialysis machines and who were facing a daily struggle to keep their equipment turned on and stay warm and well.

NEA estimates that the energy crisis has pushed more than 6.7 million UK households into fuel poverty, up from 4.5 million in October 2021.

It predicts that the figure will jump to 8.4 million households when the Government’s energy bills support scheme comes to an end.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “Imagine having to choose between staying warm, feeding your family or powering essential medical equipment.

“This is the reality for increasing numbers of older and disabled households across the country.


“Older people are struggling to get by now, and that’s before another energy price increase comes their way in a few months’ time.

“Many will simply not be able to cope with further price rises and we’re extremely concerned their health and wellbeing will pay the price.

“There needs to be much more protection for those who have no other means of paying such extortionate energy costs.

“The Government must introduce a social tariff for the energy market whilst prices are so high, and ensure we never face a crisis like this again.”

Martin Coppack, director of Fair By Design, said: “We need to make sure vulnerable households are protected from future hikes in energy prices.

“This is why Fair By Design has been calling on the Treasury and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to introduce an energy social tariff.

“This would benefit those in greatest need, who would no longer be faced with the impossible decision of going without essentials such as food just to be able to heat their homes.

“The number of signatories to our joint letter to the Chancellor shows there is broad consensus on what the solution is.

“We urge the Government to make good on its commitment to work with organisations like ours to consider the best approach for those struggling with their bills.”

James Taylor, director of strategy at disability equality charity Scope, said: “Astronomical energy bills are pushing disabled people to the brink.

“Our helpline has been inundated with calls from disabled people whose bills have doubled or even quadrupled in a year.

“Prices will rise again this April but disabled families have nothing left to cut back on.

“They can’t turn off vital, life-saving equipment and budgets can’t stretch any further.

“The Government must introduce a social tariff, a discounted energy rate, for disabled people before it’s too late.”

Huge Tornado Crosses Iowa Highway

A tornado swept through Conroy in central Iowa on Monday, January 16, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

Credit: Matt Krieger via Storyful

 Scientists unearth megaraptor fossils in Chile

Mon, 16 January 2023

STORY: These are the fossils of megaraptors a carnivorous dinosaur that inhabited parts of South America some 70 million years ago

Location: Valle del Rio de Las Chinas, Chile

Scientists say its remains are helping them shed new light on how dinosaurs went extinct

The fossils are the southernmost discovery recorded outside Antarctica

They were unearthed in Chile's Patagonia region

Some measure as long as 10 meters

New species of lizard discovered in Peru national park

Mon, 16 January 2023


Scientists have discovered a new species of lizard in a protected natural area in Cusco, southeastern Peru, national park officials said Monday.

"Otishi National Park reveals a new species of lizard to science," the National Service of State-Protected Natural Areas said in a statement.

The new species, named "Proctoporus titans," was found high in the Andes mountains at an altitude of 3,241 meters (10,600 feet).

The lizard is dark gray with yellow and gold flecks on its sides and head. It has a tail that is longer than its body, and grooved dorsal scales and prefrontal scales.

The Otishi National Park is a protected area in the Cusco and Junín region, covering almost 306,000 hectares (756,000 acres) of mountainous forests.

cm/ljc/gm/jh/mlm

UK
Consultation launched on by-laws to prevent damaging fishing practices


Aine Fox, PA
Mon, 16 January 2023 

A consultation on banning damaging fishing gear in certain areas of England’s waters has been launched by the Government in a bid to “protect vital marine ecosystems”.

As part of its environmental efforts, a proposed by-law will be considered to ban bottom-towed gear in 13 more marine protected areas (MPAs).

Should such restrictions come into effect, they would protect an area of more than 4,000 square kilometres and, when combined with existing by-laws, would bring the total area protected from such fishing gear to almost 18,000 square kilometres.

Bottom trawling is a harmful activity in which weighted nets are dragged over the seabed, ploughing it up to catch fish.

Starfish (Andrew Parsons/PA)

By-laws to prevent such activity are already in place in areas including Dogger Bank and The Canyons and are part of Marine Management Organisation (MMO) efforts to protect all 40 English offshore MPAs from harmful fishing activity by 2024.

The offshore sites included in the consultation are Cape Bank; East of Haig Fras; Farnes East; Foreland; Goodwin Sands; Haig Fras; Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton; Hartland Point to Tintagel; Land’s End and Cape Bank; North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef; Offshore Brighton; South of Celtic Deep; Wight-Barfleur Reef.

The Department for the Environment described Cape Bank as being home to ecologically important species such as pea urchins and a type of starfish called a cushion star, while Haig Fras is a site that supports a variety of fauna including jewel anemones and solitary corals.

Oceana UK has raised concerns that the laws might not protect entire MPAs.

Executive director Hugo Tagholm said: “While we welcome more proposed by-laws to restrict damaging fishing activities in MPAs, we are concerned they only protect reef features and not the whole MPA.

“Destructive bottom trawling and dredging inflict huge damage to biodiversity and the health of unique marine ecosystems. They are a crime against nature at a time when we must be urgently restoring it.”

The consultation, launched on Tuesday, will run alongside a call for evidence to gather views on the impacts of anchored nets and lines, bottom-towed fishing gear and traps on valuable marine features such as reefs and sandbanks, the department said.

Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said: “The UK has a strong track record on marine protection and we want more countries to step up and protect 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030.

“Today’s plans will deliver more crucial safeguards for vital biodiversity and help restore England’s marine ecosystems.

“We will listen carefully to the responses so that we can help habitats and species recover whilst ensuring we have a sustainable and successful fishing industry for years to come.”

The formal consultation and the call for evidence will run until March 28.

UK

Serial rapist served as officer for 20 years as Met Police failed to spot ‘escalating pattern’ of abuse

Lizzie Dearden
Mon, 16 January 2023 

Police failed to identify an “escalating pattern” of abuse towards women by serial rapist David Carrick, leaving him free to target more victims for two decades.

The former Metropolitan Police firearms officer was allowed to remain in the force despite police recording nine incidents, including rape and violent assault, because he was never prosecuted.

Carrick, now 48, started his campaign of abuse before joining up, with the Metropolitan Police investigating him in 2000 for allegedly harassing and burgling a former partner after refusing to accept the end of the relationship.

No charges were brought and when he was vetted as part of his application to join the same force the following year, he passed the checks and was allowed to become a constable.

Despite coming to the attention of police again in 2002, 2004, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021, none of the incidents resulted in prosecution and Scotland Yard repeatedly decided that he had “no case to answer” for disciplinary proceedings.

Months after Sarah Everard was murdered by another serving Met officer in March 2021, Carrick was finally arrested by Hertfordshire Police for raping one of his victims and placed on restricted duties.

But the investigation ended with no action being taken and in September 2021, the Metropolitan Police said it “determined that he had no case to answer in relation to any misconduct matters” and lifted all restrictions.

That same month, then-commissioner Dame Cressida Dick vowed to do “everything in my power to ensure we learn any lessons” from the murder of Everard, adding: “Here in the Met I commit to keep working with others to improve women’s safety.”

Carrick has admitted 49 offences, including 24 rapes, against 12 women between 2003 and 2020 – all committed during his career in the Metropolitan Police.

Senior officers said that Carrick’s colleagues had never raised concerns about his conduct, despite nicknaming him “b*****d Dave”, and that although he was the subject of five public complaints between 2002 and 2008 none were of a sexual nature.

Allegations of rudeness, incivility and the use of force were all dismissed, withdrawn or “dealt with by management action locally”.

Assistant commissioner Barbara Gray, who is responsible for anti-corruption and misconduct issues in the Metropolitan Police, admitted that a retrospective review of incidents investigated by Scotland Yard, Hertfordshire Constabulary, Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Police revealed a “pattern of behaviour” that should have been spotted and acted on.

“Carrick is a prolific serial sex offender who preyed on women over a period of many years, abusing his position as a police officer and committing the most horrific, degrading crimes,” she told a press conference.

“While much of his offending was not known to the Met, there was an escalation of abusive behaviours that should have been identified.”

Ms Gray said there was “no explanation” she could provide on why officers in the Directorate of Professional Standards appeared to have dealt with each known incident individually, rather than looking back at Carrick’s history and joining the dots.

“The man should not have been in the police, there’s no doubt about that,” the senior officer admitted. “The pattern of offending should most certainly have been identified.”

She did not directly answer questions on whether she felt Scotland Yard was responsible for leaving him free to rape more women through its failings, but commended the bravery of the victims who came forward and said: “I am truly sorry they have suffered at the hands of this man.”

Ms Gray said that issues relating to the case had been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, while there is an internal review into Carrick’s unit and a probe into serving police officers and staff subject to past allegations of sexual offences and domestic abuse.

“The duration and nature of Carrick’s offending is unprecedented in policing and regrettably he is not the only Met officer to be charged with serious sexual offences in the recent past,” Ms Gray added.

“Our work to rid the Met of these people is urgent and it is far-reaching. We will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who corrupt our integrity.”

Carrick technically remains a serving Metropolitan Police officer, because disciplinary processes could not start during the live court case, but an “accelerated misconduct hearing” is to be held on Tuesday where he will be formally dismissed.

It is less than 18 months since he was allowed to remain in the force after being arrested for raping one of his victims – a crime he later admitted. The assistant commissioner claimed that she would “not expect anyone with his pattern of behaviour to be in the police service today”.

Scotland Yard said that vetting requirements had become “more robust” since 2017, when Carrick last passed checks, and that someone with Carrick’s history would not be allowed to join the force or pass re-vetting.

A statement added: “Cases where no further action is taken in relation to criminal allegations are now more likely to be further interrogated to identify any underlying concerns.

“We have a dedicated team of officers who make up the Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offences Unit in our Directorate of Professional Standards who are taking allegations forward, supporting victims and ensuring we build evidence against officers where we believe they have a case to answer.”
Timeline:

2000: Met Police investigate former partner’s two separate allegations of malicious communications and burglary after Carrick “refused to accept the end of their relationship”. No arrest, no further action.


2001: Carrick joins the Metropolitan Police and becomes a response officer in Merton.


2002: During Carrick’s probation period, Met investigates former partner’s accusation of harassment and assault. No arrest, no further action, no disciplinary process.


2004: Carrick “involved in a domestic incident” and Met responds. No criminal allegations were made, he was not arrested. No arrest, no further action, no disciplinary process.


2005: Carrick moves from Merton to the London borough of Barnet.


2009: Hertfordshire Constabulary officers respond to a third party report of a domestic incident involving Carrick. No arrest, Met informed but no “formal referral” made.


Also 2009: Carrick transfers into Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, becomes an armed guard at parliamentary, government and diplomatic premises.


2016: Carrick an initial suspect in a Hampshire Police investigation following an allegation of harassment. No arrest, investigation closed.


2017: Thames Valley Police officers speak to Carrick after he was ejected from a nightclub in Reading for being drunk. No arrest, no referral to Met.


2019: Hertfordshire police receive allegation that Carrick grabbed partner by the neck during a domestic incident. No further action, matter referred to Met but officer only “given words of advice in relation to informing his chain of command about off duty incidents”. Force finds no case to answer in relation to misconduct.


July 2021: Carrick arrested by Hertfordshire Constabulary following rape allegation. Case dropped in August after victim decided not to proceed, although Carrick has now admitted offence. Met puts Carrick on restricted duties but after investigation stopped, determines “he had no case to answer in relation to any misconduct matters” and lifts work restrictions in September.


October 2021: Hertfordshire Constabulary arrests Carrick for rape a second time and he is charged.

'Deeply rotten': Is the Metropolitan Police damaged beyond repair?

The news that a serving Met officer was one of the UK's worst ever sex offenders has led campaigners to ask whether the force can keep the public safe.


Ross McGuinness
Tue, 17 January 2023 

David Carrick carried out a number of sex attacks while serving in the Metropolitan Police. (PA)

The Metropolitan Police has been plunged into further crisis after one of its officers was revealed to be one of the UK's worst ever sex offenders.

PC David Carrick, 48, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty to 49 offences across two decades, including 24 counts of rape.

The police missed multiple opportunities to stop him, allowing Carrick to attack at least a dozen women during an 18-year-period. He faced no criminal sanctions or misconduct findings despite coming to the attention of police over nine incidents, including rape allegations.

The case has sparked widespread anger, coming two years after Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens murdered 33-year-old Sarah Everard, as campaigners say women cannot trust the force.

Yahoo News UK outlines the crisis in the Metropolitan Police in 9 points

The crimes: PC David Carrick pled guilty to 49 offences, including 24 counts of rape. Some of his victims were locked in a cupboard under the stairs or forced to clean his house naked. Carrick whipped one woman with a belt and urinated on some of his victims.

Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick admitted carrying out sex attacks on 12 women over an 18-year period. (PA)

Evading capture: Carrick had come to the attention of police over nine incidents, including allegations of rape, domestic violence and harassment, between 2000 and 2021, but faced no criminal sanctions or misconduct findings. He was allowed to continue working as a police officer and continued to abuse his victims.

Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley apologised over the David Carrick case. (Alamy)

Met apology: The Met acknowledged its failures in the care. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: “This will lead to some women across London questioning whether they can trust the Met to keep them safe. We have failed. And I’m sorry. He should not have been a police officer.”

Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens was given a whole life prison term for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard. (AP)

Wayne Couzens: Carrick's case comes less than two years after serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens kidnapped raped and murdered Sarah Everard. Couzens used his police badge to falsely arrest his victim. The case led to intense scrutiny of misogyny and wrongdoing on the part of police officers.

Met review: The force admits that despite these two high-profile cases, it has not expelled potential sex offenders from its ranks. A spokesperson confirmed 1,633 cases of alleged sexual offences or domestic violence involving 1,071 officers and staff are currently being reviewed from the last 10 years. The accusations range from arguments to the most serious sexual crimes including rape.

Campaigners' reaction: Harriet Wistrich, director of the Centre for Women's Justice, said Carrick's crimes revealed "the deeply rotten misogynistic culture that has been allowed to fester within the Met". The Women's Equality Party said: "They knew. The Met knew about the allegations for 20 years. They did nothing as a serial rapist abused his power. They are complicit."

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was 'sickened' by David Carrick's crimes. (AP)

Political reaction: Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: "There must be a full, urgent review on how serial rapist Carrick could serve as police officer for so long. Government promised action after Sarah Everard’s murder but too little changed." Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "I am absolutely sickened by the truly abhorrent offences that David Carrick has committed."


The Metropolitan Police were criticised for their handling of a vigil for murdered Sarah Everard on Clapham Common in March 2021. (AP)

Previous scandals: Cressida Dick resigned as commissioner last year following a number of scandals, including the Couzens case and the police mishandling of a vigil for Sarah Everard. The Met was also accused of "institutional corruption" over the unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan.


Met response: The force said staff who have previously been accused of sex offences or domestic abuse are subject to an ongoing review. Officers who abuse their positions of trust are also being investigated and identified, the Met said.

Sir Mark Rowley admits Met Police ‘failed’ women over rapist officer

Victoria Ward
Mon, 16 January 2023 

David Carrick

Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, admitted the force had “failed” after David Carrick, a serving officer, pleaded guilty to dozens of rape and sexual offences against at least 13 women.

Sir Mark said: “All I can say is I’m sorry. I’m sorry that we have let you down.”

He told Sky News: “Not only have we let down the women in this case, the survivors who have courageously come forward, but I completely recognise that’s going to be the reaction of women across London and indeed more widely.

“You have my absolute word that we are going to be ruthless about sorting this out, about getting these people out the way and creating an organisation that’s better at dealing with the plague of sexual violence that we are seeing across the country.”

Carrick, 48, committed dozens of depraved attacks on at least 13 women in Hertfordshire and London between 2003 and 2020, despite being employed as an armed officer responsible for protecting Parliament, government offices and other high-profile locations.

He used his position as a police officer to gain the trust of his victims, sometimes flashing his warrant card and telling them they would be “safe” with him.

After attacking them, Carrick would say they would never be believed because he was a policeman and it would be his word against theirs.

Scotland Yard bosses have apologised to his victims after admitting missing numerous opportunities to prevent his offending and failing to act on repeated complaints about his behaviour.

Sir Mark said: “This man abused women in the most disgusting manner. It is sickening. We’ve let women and girls down, and indeed we’ve let Londoners down.

“The women who suffered and survived this violence have been unimaginably brave and courageous in coming forward. I do understand also that this will lead to some women across London questioning whether they can trust the Met to keep them safe.

“We have failed, and I’m sorry. He should not have been a police officer. We haven’t applied the same sense of ruthlessness to guarding our own integrity that we routinely apply to confronting criminals.

“We failed in two respects. We failed as investigators, where we should have been more intrusive and joined the dots on this repeated misogyny over a couple of decades. And, as leaders, our mindset should have been more determined to root out such a misogynist.

“These failures are horrific examples of the systemic failures that concern me and were highlighted by Baroness Casey in her recent review. I do know an apology doesn’t go far enough, but I do think it’s important to acknowledge our failings and for me to say I'm sorry.

“I apologise to all of David Carrick’s victims. I also want to say sorry to all of the women across London who feel we've let them down.”

 

Met Police chief faces crisis over serial rapist officer

Sir Mark Rowley says force ‘failed’ over David Carrick, who has pleaded guilty to 49 charges against 12 victims

ByMartin Evans, 

CRIME EDITOR

 and Camilla Turner, 

CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

16 January 2023 • 10:05pm



Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, faced his first major crisis less than five months into the job on Monday after it emerged that a Scotland Yard officer had carried out scores of rapes.

David Carrick, who joined the Met in 2001, has now pleaded guilty to 49 charges against 12 victims covering a total of 85 separate offences, making him one of Britain’s most prolific rapists.

He used his position as a police officer to gain the trust of his victims, sometimes flashing his warrant card and telling them they would be “safe” with him.

Most recently, Carrick served as an armed officer protecting Parliament and MPs, and the force has acknowledged that nine potential opportunities to catch him were missed.

These included that Carrick was arrested on suspicion of rape three months before he was eventually charged, shortly after Wayne Couzens had admitted the rape and murder of Sarah Everard, but was never suspended from the force. Carrick also missed vital vetting checks but then passed with flying colours, despite having numerous red flags against his name.

Sir Mark, who took over as Britain’s most senior police officer in September, spoke out on Monday night amid mounting pressure over the blunders and criticism from MPs after a day of silence. Politicians called for an investigation into the failings in the Carrick case.

He had previously held the role of Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations at the Met, which Carrick’s unit came under.

Sir Mark said: “This man abused women in the most disgusting manner. It is sickening. We’ve let women and girls down, and indeed we’ve let Londoners down.

“We have failed, and I’m sorry. He should not have been a police officer. We haven’t applied the same sense of ruthlessness to guarding our own integrity that we routinely apply to confronting criminals. I do know an apology doesn’t go far enough, but I do think it’s important to acknowledge our failings and for me to say I’m sorry.

The scandal represents Sir Mark’s first crisis since taking over from Dame Cressida Dick, who was forced to resign after losing the confidence of Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London.

He has insisted he will root out those who are corrupting the service, but the scale of the task was laid bare on Monday when it emerged that more than 1,000 officers accused of sex offences or domestic abuse are to have their cases reviewed.

Scotland Yard has admitted failing to spot Carrick’s escalating pattern of behaviour, and there are concerns that there could be many more predatory males in the ranks.

As well as pleading guilty to more than 40 rape offences, Carrick sexually assaulted, beat, humiliated and controlled his victims, banning some from eating and even locking one, naked, in a cupboard under his staircase for up to 10 hours.

A year after joining the Met, and while he was still in his probation period, he was accused of actual bodily harm following an attack on a girlfriend who wanted to end their relationship. Two years later, in 2004, he was involved in another suspected domestic incident, but neither incident resulted in any action from his Scotland Yard bosses.

There were further domestic abuse allegations made against him in 2009 and again in 2019, but no action was taken against him on either occasion other than words of advice from his bosses.

In July 2021, Carrick was arrested by a neighbouring force on suspicion of rape. Scotland Yard was informed and Carrick was placed on restricted duties, but when the victim later withdrew the complaint he was cleared to return to work. He has now pleaded guilty to that attack.

On Monday night Priti Patel, a former home secretary, said new laws were needed to stamp out police sleaze, adding: “We have got to break the locker room culture and all this subjectivity.

“We have to take statutory measures to help rebuild trust and confidence of the public in policing and give women assurances that they are being taken seriously when they report crimes against them.”

Meanwhile, MPs said the new commissioner would be judged on his ability to quickly reform the Met, which has been hit by a string of scandals in recent years.

Lee Anderson, a Tory MP and member of the home affairs select committee, said Sir Mark should identify those within the police who had failed to spot Carrick’s escalating pattern of behaviour and sack them.

He added: “People in high places get high wages, therefore they should be held accountable. How can the public have confidence in the Met Police solving sex crimes when it is happening right under their nose?”

Tim Loughton, another Tory MP who is a member of the home affairs select committee, said: “There’s got to be full transparency. The mindset has got to change where you have officers who are aware of it going on – they have a duty of care to call it out.

“Just turning a blind eye, let alone condoning, it is unacceptable and makes you almost as guilty as the perpetrator. Sir Mark Rowley has to throw the light of scrutiny and transparency into police practice.”

Louise Casey, the government official who recently published a damning report into the Met’s handling of misconduct cases, has written to Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, asking for a review into the Carrick case.

Baroness Casey's report found that up to 60 per cent of misconduct allegations made against Met officers resulted in a “no case to answer decision”.

She also found that the force’s threshold for deciding when it could sack officers was set too high, meaning that many of those guilty of offences such as repeated sexual misconduct were allowed to remain on the force.

Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said an urgent review of the blunders in the Carrick case was needed, adding: “For the sake of his victims and survivors, there should be an investigation into how the alarm bells and red flags have been ignored in this case. Without swift action, the public will not regain trust in the police.”

Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, also said there needed to be urgent reform if trust and confidence were to be restored to policing.

She said: “The next Labour government will introduce new national compulsory standards on vetting, checks and misconduct. We urgently need action to raise standards and restore confidence in the vital work the police do.”

Despite the pressure on Sir Mark to make swift and meaningful changes in the Met, a Home Office source insisted he had the backing of the Home Secretary, saying: “We are fully supporting the Commissioner in his work to reform the force.”

On Wednesday, Mrs Braverman will set out detailed plans to review ways in which police disciplinary procedures could be streamlined to make it easier for chief constables to sack corrupt and under-performing officers.

How George Orwell’s Animal Farm is helping Ukraine 76 years on


Liam James
Mon, 16 January 2023 

(Jarndyce)

A first edition Ukrainian language copy of George Orwell’s Animal Farm is set to go on sale to raise money for a charity supporting refugees who fled the Russian invasion.

The Ukrainian translation of the seminal satire of the Russian revolution was the only one to feature a foreword from Orwell – written at the behest of his publisher, who felt the author should introduce himself to the edition’s intended audience of Ukrainians displaced by the Second World War.

Ihor Sevcenko, who translated the book, told Orwell that these “poor people with strained nerves” could be “extremely self-conscious and sensitive, especially as far as contacts with the West or Westerners are concerned”.


The 1947 copy of the book, also dubbed the “refugee camp edition”, is now set to be sold by London antique bookshop Jarndyce for £1,850 on 20 January on a first come, first serve basis.

Orwell avoided discussing his work in the introduction, writing “if it does not speak for itself, it is a failure”, and instead covered “how easily totalitarian propaganda can control the opinion of enlightened people in democratic countries” and “the negative influence of the Soviet myth upon the western Socialist movement”.

The author was very wary of those who admired Josef Stalin’s Soviet Union despite the hardships the state forced on its people.

Cover of the Ukrainian edition with title changed to mean ‘A Collective of Farm Animals' (Jarndyce)

Reflecting on his career in the essay Why I Write, Orwell said: “Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism, as I understand it.”

Sevcenko chose to render the book’s condemnation of Stalin still more explicit by eschewing a direct translation of the title “Animal Farm” in favour of “A Collective of Farm Animals”, in reference to the Soviet Union’s collective farms that had the previous decade caused the deaths of millions of Ukrainians through famine.

The translator obtained a copy of the English edition of Animal Farm when he was twenty-four and wrote to Orwell to ask for permission for a Ukrainian edition, as he had been giving readings in the language.

“Soviet refugees were my listeners. The effect was striking. They approved of almost all of your interpretations. They were profoundly affected by such scenes as that of animals singing ‘Beasts of England’ on the hill,” he wrote.

The copy to be sold by Jarndyce was donated by a customer. The entire sale price will be donated to Families 4 Peace.