Chapter 11
2031 to 2033
Mason needed a break; he was getting more and more grief from Garside, who was becoming increasingly unpredictable. Each time a Conpen was taken down, a Police Station attacked or a Stapo patrol held up and disarmed, Garside would fly into a furious rage. Mason often considered taking over but unfortunately, his boss still had the military on his side, keeping them sweet by allowing them unfettered funds for weapons and armaments. General Keatson was happy with the arrangement. There was no war to fight and except for occasionally supporting the police in their attempts to weed out a small group of insurgents he could concentrate on getting his army ready for a real war. That was his driving ambition. Every time he thought of the possibility of a major conflict, excitement surged through his veins. Mason could not rely on Police support either; the new Police Commissioner was out of his depth and just did as he was told.
What Mason wanted was some solid intelligence and the only way he could get that would be to get a man on the inside. Unfortunately, an insider would take time to develop. There was the possibility of capturing one of them and that would be as good. But how? He thought. He decided that his best option would be to create a situation that would force them to attack and he would be ready for them. If they took the bait, his support troops and police might wipe them out and while Garside would welcome that, it was not exactly what he wanted; he wanted the leadership and organisation. So the capture of one or more of the gang and a little subtle persuasion of the kind he personally enjoyed would do the trick. He needed to establish a target that would initiate a response from them. He retired to his very palatial offices and considered potential targets and how he might instigate his plan.
Garside had called an emergency meeting of his Cabinet. He was apoplectic, ranting and raging at both his military and police advisors. ‘You people need to tell me now what the hell is going on. I hear every day that banks are being cleaned out, Police patrols being hijacked and each time these things happen it weakens our ability to provide a stable environment for our business community and of course our citizens.’ He added the latter as an afterthought. ‘I am told that one of our patrols was attacked last night and the patrol leader wounded. Do we know who was responsible and have we detained them yet?’ Garside looked directly at Mark Slattery and invited an answer.
The Commissioner had already decided that complete honesty was the best policy and so proceeded. ‘We have absolutely no idea First Minister but it would appear to be the same group who destroyed the data banks at the CIO and Southwark Crown Court. Up until now they have been very selective with their targets but last night we appear to have caught them off guard.’
Garside exploded ‘you caught them off guard, caught them off guard! Are you mad; your men were held up, their leader shot and their equipment either stolen or destroyed and you tell us that you caught them off guard?’
Slattery responded in an almost truculent manner, ‘what I meant Sir is we don’t think their intention was a confrontation with our patrol, that their meeting was an accident.’
‘And pray tell us Commissioner how that has any significance?’ Garside asked sarcastically.
‘We believe it means they were in that area for another reason and we are working on what that may have been. As soon as we know what their target was we will be prepared if they try again.’
Henry Mason interrupted. ‘I will get some of my men on to it Sir, I’m sure that if we pool resources we can get the answers quicker. Mark, I will send some of my best analysts to you today.’
Garside appeared to be a little calmer, ‘is it at all possible that we can get these people behind bars before they do any more damage? Do we know how they are able to appear and disappear at will and why do we not have any intelligence on any of the perpetrators?’
Slattery responded, ‘when I assumed command of the force I was told that renegade police officers were the likely culprits and I had to accept that to be the case. They had the opportunity, inside knowledge and would have been well equipped, physically and materially. Since that time, I have had some trusted officers from outside the area monitor officers’ movements, checked duty and off duty times and matched them to the times of incidents. If the perpetrators came from within then, we would expect there to be some sort of pattern. We cannot find any evidence that it is my police officers who are carrying out these crimes. We conclude that this insurgent group are probably civilian, probably ex-military or retired police officers all with appropriate training. This would explain their ability to appear and disappear at will. They probably do not have jobs that require them to comply with strict start or finish times. If they are not employed, then they have even more flexibility.’
‘How do they get their intelligence then Commissioner?’ Garside asked pointedly.
‘If there are ex-policemen involved then they will no doubt have currently serving friends who may be being indiscreet or may even be deliberately helping their ex-comrades.’
‘What do you think about Mr Slattery’s theory Henry?’ Garside waited for a response from his Intelligence chief who he knew could be extremely embarrassed if the Commissioner was correct because Mason was a strong advocate of the renegade police theory.
Mason was indeed uncomfortable. ‘I think it’s a possibility, but Mark admits it still requires collaboration.’
‘So gentlemen, how do you propose to tackle this?’
Mason quickly replied. ‘The police must, first of all, identify the potential sources of intelligence leaks and then sir; I believe we should impose a curfew, say from dusk till dawn. We know that all of their activities to date have been late at night. If these people are civilian, then it will restrict them to daylight movement.’
Garside looked at Slattery, ‘well? Do you have anything to add to that Commissioner?’
‘I agree, but we are endangering law abiding citizens who may get caught up in crossfire if we are to engage with the rebels if they decide on a target in a crowded place.’
‘That’s a bridge we would have to cross if we got to it. My main concern is what sort of impact a curfew will have on our business community. Our business leaders and their executives will not be too happy about having to stop at home and play Monopoly every night. Then there are restaurants, bars and clubs, particularly casinos. All of them will be massively affected. No gentlemen, the risk is too great so I need you to come up with alternatives.’
Mason then said, ‘we are currently working to establish what their last target was before they bumped into our patrol at Ladbroke Grove Gardens. We are sure that it will give us a good indicator of their next attempted attack. We can be ready for them.’
‘Let’s not take too long over it gentlemen, the disruption they are causing is becoming tiresome. Let me know as soon as you have a result.’ Garside dismissed his Commissioner of Police and his Cabinet but asked Mason to stay behind. In the privacy of his personal quarters Garside confronted his Intelligence chief. ‘Henry, this is more than just tiresome, these rebels are a serious issue and they must be stopped. I am getting talk of some major businesses considering pulling out of the UK. Banks, especially the foreign owned ones are extremely worried and may decide to relocate. The Americans are starting to express concerns about what they call our draconian approach to the way we are running our society. For the moment, I’ve told them it’s none of their damned business but if they start shooting their mouths off at the UN, we will come under international pressure. Fortunately, we have some friendly States whose support is dependent on their current leadership’s penchant for the good life, if you get my drift. As long as I can provide that for them then I can hold off the criticism coming from over the pond. So, Henry, we cannot let this rabble do any more damage. Find them and take them out; I don’t care how you do it.’
John Judge Page 32