Exposed: Police worker’s BNP link

By Rob Waugh | Thursday, 26 May 2005 Source: Yorkshire Post

A POLICE community support officer – today revealed to be a British National Party member – has been arrested after the Yorkshire Post received information that he allegedly misused his position to 'spy' on anti-racist activists.

Andrew Matthews, who works out of Morley Police Station in Leeds, is the first police employee in the country to be exposed as a member of the far-Right party since membership was banned for all police staff in January.

He was detained by West Yorkshire Police detectives yesterday afternoon following an investigation based on information obtained by this newspaper and passed onto the force.

Mr Matthews is alleged to have arranged for vehicle checks to be carried out on the force computer on behalf of senior BNP activists in West Yorkshire.

He has also allegedly been asked to obtain information about ongoing police investigations into BNP members and provide information on specific individuals from police sources.

It is understood one of those alleged requests involved Karl Hanson, BNP Parliamentary candidate for Huddersfield, who last week pleaded guilty to a drugs offence.

A Leeds MP last night described the revelations as "deeply worrying" and they will come as a blow to West Yorkshire Police which has worked hard to cultivate a progressive image and shed suggestions of any racial bias in the ranks.

The concerns of senior officers will heighten if any other officers are found to have knowingly colluded with the alleged misuse of the Police National Computer and other force resources.

Mr Matthews' ranking as a community support officer did not allow him direct access to the computer system.

Officers from West Yorkshire's professional standards department arrested Mr Matthews, who is on the verge of becoming a regular police officer, when he arrived for work at Morley Police Station at lunchtime yesterday.

Last night, a force spokeswoman said: "Detectives from West Yorkshire Police professional standards department involved in investigating the unauthorised disclosure of information from police computer systems today arrested a 29-year-old police community support officer.

"He is at present detained at a police station pending further inquiries."

It is understood a search was carried out at Mr Matthews' home before he was interviewed by detectives last night.

The force has so far declined to comment publicly on Mr Matthews' BNP membership.

Colin Challen, Labour MP for Morley and Rothwell, said the arrest and BNP membership were "extremely worrying" and added he expected the chief constable "to respond very firmly".

He said: "The fact this is coming into the public domain is very important and we need to see action being taken to prevent it happening again." Mr Challen said a lot of BNP members had criminal records and members of the public might think twice about providing information to the police if they thought their identity might be exposed by BNP members or sympathisers in the force.

Mr Matthews, of Garforth, near Leeds, is a card-carrying member of the BNP in spite of membership being banned after a directive from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

The association endorsed the ban – which covers all police staff – last July and it was formally adopted by police forces across the country in January this year.

West Yorkshire chief constable Colin Cramphorn recently issued a reminder to all staff in the force about membership of the BNP being banned. The Yorkshire Post has learnt that as well as being a paid-up member, Mr Matthews has regularly attended meetings for the last two years although he avoids meetings in Leeds where he fears being recognised.

Instead, he has attended meetings of the Kirklees branch of the BNP and is understood to be known to Kirklees BNP councillor David Exley and the BNP's Yorkshire organiser Nick Cass, who is based in the same area.

Information received by the Yorkshire Post was passed on to West Yorkshire Police professional standards department for investigation.

As well as the criminal investigation, Mr Matthews is likely to face disciplinary action over his BNP membership.

Coun Exley wouldn't comment publicly on Mr Matthews' membership but denied he had asked for any information to be obtained from the police.

He said the BNP would support anyone who loses their job because of their involvement with the party.

Asked about the allegations of supplying information, Nick Cass, the party's Yorkshire organiser who is based in Kirklees, said: "I would never jeopardise anyone's job by asking them to do anything like that."

He said BNP had a number of members and supporters in West Yorkshire Police but their identity would remain secret because of potential reprisals.