Another Top Police Official Resigns in British Scandal

LONDON — Britain’s phone hacking crisis claimed an other major victim on Monday when John Yates, the deputy commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police resigned, a day after Britain’s top police officer quit and Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of Rupert Murdoch’s News International, was arrested on suspicion of illegally intercepting phone calls and bribing the police.

Prime Minister David Cameron cut short an African trip on Monday and ordered a special parliamentary session back home to debate the widening phone-hacking scandal.

Mr. Yates is a high profile officer who had been involved in earlier inconclusive police investigations of the scandal. The Metropolitan police announced his resignation and said he would make a statement later on Monday.

With the crisis convulsing the Murdoch empire and British public life, Mr. Cameron said Parliament would be extended beyond the start of its scheduled summer recess for an emergency session on Wednesday, a day after Mr. Murdoch, his son James and Ms. Brooks are set to testify to a parliamentary inquiry into the scandal.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/world/europe/19hacking.html?_r=1&ref=world

1429: Ben Shore

tweets: UK loses 2 most senior officers at our most important police force in 24 hours. National security weakened, hysterical atmosphere #notw
1428:

London Mayor Boris Johnson says of the resignation of Sir Paul Stephenson and John Yates: "Both decisions are regrettable but the right call has been made. Nothing has been proven against the probity or professionalism of either man. But both were distracting in the run-up to the Olympic Games." He also said Mr Yates would be replaced by Cressida Dick and he praised Mr Yates for his work in fighting terrorism and "saving millions of Londoners".
1421: Robin Brant, political reporter

"Two things seem to have done for John Yates. He was the man charged with reviewing the hacking evidence. He only took eight hours to do that. And he was the man in charge of due diligence on Neil Wallis as PR contractor. It was that man who did for Paul Stephenson and it's almost certainly what has led to the resignation of John Yates."

Murdoch + Dirty Cops + Bribed Politicians = PROFIT!!!