DETECTIVE ALLEGES MASS CORRUPTION BY SENIOR POLICE

SENIOR members of the Metropolitan police force have taken cash
payments of more than A350,000 in return for sabotaging undercover
operations, an anti-corruption detective alleged yesterday.

Detective Chief Superintendent David Wood, head of CIB 3, Scotland
Yard's elite anti-corruption squad told the Sunday Telegraph that
corrupt senior officers were passing information onto criminal gangs
for large sums.In the first interview since he became head of the
squad last year, Mr Wood said he knew of cases where the undercover
officers investigating drug gangs had been identified by corrupt colleagues.

He said: ''They are callously putting their colleagues' lives at
risk.

''The kind of criminals involved in large-scale drug smuggling don't
hesitate to use violence.''And he said the officers involved were at
high levels in the force, tending to be successful detectives who have
worked in special squads within the CID.

He said: ''They are often highly successful and energetic in dealing
with criminals.

''Ninety days out of 100 they will successfully be pursuing
criminals.

''Then on the 100th day, they're taking money from criminals in
exchange for destroying evidence or sabotaging investigations.''

Mr Woods, who has had 25 years experience as a detective and received
14 commendations, said he was committed to rooting out such corruption.

He said: ''Our main priority is to get corrupt officers out of the
force or out of positions where they can do damage.''

He added that it was very difficult to get an officer convicted for
corruption as often, informants could not give evidence at trials.

He said: ''We can move them so they can't do any harm to
anyone.

''But the Met still pays their wages and pensions when really, they
should be rotting in prison.''

And he added he believed corruption within the force could pose just
as serious a threat as the recently highlighted problem of racism.

More than 50 police officers are currently suspended on suspicion of
corruption.

The first in a series of trials is expected to begin in October.