Blair 'hate crime' claim being investigated Oct 10 2005
Daily Post
CONTROVERSIAL North Wales police chief Richard Brunstrom yesterday hinted the prime minister may be under investigation for a "hate crime".
The North Wales force launched an inquiry after Tony Blair allegedly shouted "the f****** Welsh".
The slur was said to have been made as the PM watched Labour's poor showing in the 1999 Welsh Assembly elections on TV.
The claims were in the controversial memoirs of former No 10 adviser and ex-BBC journalist Lance Price.
North Wales' chief constable Mr Brunstrom spoke of the investigation during an interview with a Sunday newspaper.
The force famously investigated TV presenter Anne Robinson for her outburst against the Welsh.
The probe cost £4,000 and involved four officers but no one was ever prosecuted.
In the interview Mr Brunstrom said: "A complaint has been made. We are investigating. It is a live case. We did not seek this.
"The government has given us laws and I think they are good laws and we must deal with that.
"We have to balance resources but we have definitely put more effort into hate crime.
"There is almost no way we could not investigate what is being reported (about Blair). It is not trivial. I cannot comment further but I can tell you we take this seriously." In the same interview the chief constable claims a decade ago police in North Wales "were seen as an English force of occupation, and with some justification".
But one retired officer said: "That's arrant nonsense. It's not the first time he's offended a huge number of former officers.
"A force of occupation is the last thing we ever were. Most senior officers were Welsh by birth and upbringing, fiercely loyal and proud of being Welsh."
icnorthwales
