Having demanded an inquiry in the Lords on July 12 (see below), Alistair Lexden summarised the reasons why it is essential in a letter published in The Times on July 16:
Sir, Many will feel sympathy with Wiltshire police’s request for additional resources (“Police seek extra cash and staff to cope with novichok crisis”, July 13). But it should be remembered that the force would today be some half a million pounds better off if it had not embarked on a reckless campaign to try to prove that Sir Edward Heath was a child sex abuser.
The tone of the campaign was set by the former chief constable, Mike Veale, who was quoted as saying that he was “120 percent certain” that Sir Edward was guilty. Having spent Wiltshire’s money lavishly, Mr Veale was given a Home Office grant of £1.1 million to help him ransack the voluminous Heath papers in the Bodleian Library.
Not a shred of evidence was found, but to save face Wiltshire police refused to close the files on a handful of allegations (one of which was shown to be groundless by The Times recently.
An independent inquiry is essential to restore public confidence in the ability of the force to manage its affairs properly. The local police and crime commissioner refuses to institute one, so the government must act, as I demanded in the Lords last week.
Lord Lexden
House of Lords