Frank Williamson - An Honest Cop

Frank Williamson had a distinguished career and indeed, rose to become an Inspector of Constabulary for Crime, a high ranking post that reported to the Home Office.  He was not held in high regard by some forces, particularly the Metropolitan Police because he was straight and honest, and would not cover up for anybody.  He had a good career in the Manchester force, and even had a run-in with the Krays.  He says that it was in the very early sixties, and he received a report from an officer in the Transport Police, that two brothers calling themselves Gray, from East London, had battered the Doorman at the Cromford Club, old fighter Jack London.  He then said that the club owner, a tough man named Owen Ratcliffe, was walking around the Midland Hotel with a meat cleaver, looking for them.

   Williamson phoned stations around the East End, twin brothers, boxers, calling themselves Gray.  "We know nothing about them" was the response from all the stations he rang.  He thought that it was not difficult at all to know who he was referring to, but he accepted this as typical London cops, bent.  He and his Sergeant went into the hotel where they were and told them to leave or else.  They went

    Examples of his honest approach to Policing, was his blocking an application by Chief Constable of Blackpool, Stanley Parr, to getting the C.C. of Lancashire post.  His rating for Parr was that he was totally unsuitable for the job, upsetting the others on the panel.  He later said that Parr had only achieved his post by crawling his way up.  He later overseen an inquiry into the C.C. of Southend, William McConnach, that seen him convicted on numerous accounts of dishonesty and jailed.  Williamson had also been C.C. of Cumbria.  But when the scandal about some Met officers in 1969, which had been exposed by the Times Newspaper, he was brought in to supervise the inquiry.  This was seen by the Met as bad news because Williamson would not overlook anything or instigate a whitewash.  He had a senior officer sent to him to help his investigation.  DCS Bill Moody, a man who a few years later was jailed for running extortion on Soho pornographers, along with other members of the Porn Squad.  He was sent by John Du Rose but Williamson fully believed that Du Rose sent him to sabotage his investigation.  He had problems with the very top echelons of the Met, and all these troubles led him to take retirement. 

    Again, the question I raise is that cops expect people to grass everybody up but if you expose THEIR illegal activities, you are thoroughly despised.  What sort of rapport do they want from the public when some see themselves as above the law?