Two complaints from victim-survivors about the Met Police's
handling of allegations they made against Mohamed Al Fayed, will
be investigated by the Met's Directorate of Professional
Standards (DPS), under the direction of the Independent Office
for Police Conduct.
We received two voluntary referrals from the force in November
after two complainants raised concerns about the force's
investigations into separate allegations they each reported to
the Met in 2008.
No charges were ever brought against Mohamed Al Fayed before his
death last year and the Met is currently reviewing 21 allegations
that were reported to the force prior to his death.
As part of our assessment of these referrals we have been in
ongoing contact with the Met's DPS about its review to identify
if there are any further matters that may require investigation.
IOPC Director of Operations Steve Noonan said: “Our sympathies
are with all the victim-survivors who reported allegations
against Mr Al Fayed.
“There is widespread public concern around this case, with a
significant number of allegations reported over many years while
Mr Al Fayed was still alive.
“It's important that an investigation is carried out into these
complaints to identify if there were any missed opportunities or
failures by officers to properly investigate these reports made
back in 2008.
“We've decided to direct these investigations as the Met's
ongoing review of 21 allegations means it could become much wider
than two complaints, and also it will help information sharing
between DPS and the on-going criminal investigation into those
who potentially enabled or assisted the alleged offending.
“The complainants will be kept regularly updated throughout the
investigation.”
