John Yates

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For other persons named John Yates, see John Yates (disambiguation).

Assistant Commissioner John Yates is a senior police officer in the London Metropolitan Police Service. Currently he is one of five senior police officers who hold the rank in the Metropolitan Police, the statutory police force for Greater London excluding the City of London, which is policed by the City of London Police. Assistant Commissioner Yates came to prominence for heading the Cash for Peerages investigation. His promotion to Assistant Commissioner was confirmed by the Metropolitan Police Authority on the 18 December 2006 - he had previously held the position on a temporary basis.^[1] ^[2]

A press release issued by the Metropolitan Police Authority stated that Yates will be a member of the MPS management board: "John Yates will help formulate the strategic direction of the largest police service in the country and will manage a major business area."

He has been dubbed 'Yates of the Yard' by the British press following his involvement in a number of cases with a high media profile. ^[3]

1 Biography
2 Cash for Peerages
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Biography

Yates has served as a senior detective in North and West London, according to the MPA press release, and had been the senior investigating officer on over 20 murders. He led the complex corruption inquiries of recent years that led to the imprisonment of six serving detectives for sentences totalling 46 years. He has served on the Association of Chief Police Officers committee on rape^[4] Promotion to the substantive rank of Assistant Commissioner, comes with an annual salary of £159,135 and benefits according to the MPA. It also published online, a detailed job description for the role.^[5]

[edit] Cash for Peerages

See main article: Cash for Peerages

As Deputy Assistant Commissioner, then acting Assistant Commissioner, Yates heads the team of detectives investigating the allegations that life peerages were awarded in return for cash, and it was a member of his team who interviewed the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair in December 2006. John Yates was also the Met Police's senior officer who travelled to Brazil to meet the family of Jean Charles de Menezes who was shot dead after being mistaken for a terrorist during the London Bombings of 2005.^[6]. The profile pre-dates his substantive promotion to AC.

Yates's team handed its main file on the cash for peerages inquiry to the Crown Prosecution Service on Friday 20 April. Under English law, it is now up to the CPS to decide whether to bring charges against any of the 136 people interviewed.^[7]