Date: 29 September 2009
Hampshire police launch national appeal following series of hate mail
Hampshire detectives are today appealing to the public to help them identify a person believed to have sent more than 50 racially abusive hate mail letters to addresses across the country.
The appeal for help will be featured on tonight's (Tuesday, September 29) Crimewatch programme on BBC1, and officers are also appealing direct to the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to help them find the writer.
The investigation, called Operation Heron, was launched in January 2009, after officers in Hampshire became aware of a linked series of letters, which date back to 2007.
The letters, nearly all of which are post marked Portsmouth and Isle of Wight, were sent to addresses across England and Scotland over a two year period, and individual forces were initially conducting their own investigations.
However, Hampshire took the lead when officers became aware of the potential connection to the county, and when co-ordinated enquiries between the forces showed clear similarities in hand-writing, post mark, and content.
So far, the investigation is in receipt of more than 50 such letters, the last of which was posted in July to a private address in Havant. Officers have every reason to believe the series will continue if the offender is not found.
Hampshire police have been liaising with colleagues in Fife, Strathclyde, Lothian & Borders, Derbyshire, Merseyside, Lincolnshire, Bedfordshire, and the investigation is being assisted by the National Domestic Extremism Team (NDET).
Letters have been sent to schools, hospitals, mosques, universities, doctors surgeries, and privately addressed individuals both in Hampshire and across the country. In April, a letter was sent to the Prime Minister's constituency office in Fife.
The letters are all pro-English in content, racially inflammatory, and some are sexually explicit. All are offensive and racist against a wide variety of nationalities and cultures.
The BBC is also mentioned regularly, and the writer expresses anti-BBC views, and accuses the corporation of racial bias. The Scottish Parliament and system is also a regular target for abuse.
The letters are often accompanied by highly stylised cartoon-style drawings.
Numerous letters appear to have been sent in response to Daily Mail articles and clippings from that newspaper have been included in the envelope.
"So far during the investigation, we have taken hundreds of statements and the Forensic Science Service has examined hundreds of articles for fingerprints and DNA," said Detective Sergeant Kate Gunson, leading Operation Heron.
"We have made some progress, but we need the public's assistance in helping us find the person responsible for sending this nasty series of racially abusive letters, some of the recipients of which have been left extremely distressed by the content.
"From our inquiries so far, it is reasonable to believe that the letters are the work of one person. The cursive script used in some of the letters indicates that it may be the writing of an older person.
"Repeat phrases used also indicate this, especially reference to 'working for 50 years' and regular reference to pensions.
"The Portsmouth and Isle of Wight post mark covers a huge geographical area in Hampshire, but from the local knowledge displayed in some of the letters, it would be reasonable to believe that the writer is local to Portsmouth or the Isle of Wight.
"We are hoping that someone will recognise the handwriting, or the particularly distinctive style of illustration used in many of the letters.
"Do you know someone who does drawings like this? Do you recognise the writing? Perhaps you work in a post office and recognise the writing of a regular customer? If so, we urgently want to hear from you so we can bring an end to this series of racial abuse."
Other commonly used phrases in the letters include:
- "English Parliament"
- "Exit Europe"
- "Repatriation"
- "BBC Shutdown"
Anyone who has any information regarding the identity of the letter writer is urged to contact Hampshire Constabulary by calling 101, from within Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Callers from outside the county should contact 0845 045 45 45, quoting Operation Heron.
Information can be left anonymously by calling the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
