UK Police Establish National Group to Address Epstein-Related Allegations
British police have launched a new national coordination group to manage allegations that Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking network had connections to the United Kingdom, as well as claims against his associates, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. This initiative comes in response to the release of millions of documents related to the disgraced financier in the United States, with senior policing sources anticipating a "tsunami" of allegations.
Coordinated Response to Growing Claims
At least three British police forces are currently assessing allegations stemming from the revelations in the Epstein files. The national committee, which met this week and is scheduled to reconvene next week, includes experts on sexual offending and is chaired by Louisa Rolfe, a former Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner. This group aims to avoid duplication in handling allegations involving the same individuals, similar to measures taken during the Jimmy Savile scandal over a decade ago.
The forces involved include:
- Thames Valley Police, which is evaluating two separate claims against Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to determine if they warrant full criminal investigations.
- Surrey Police, assessing another allegation against the former prince.
- The Metropolitan Police, which is part of the group and is criminally investigating Peter Mandelson for allegedly passing information to Epstein while serving as a Labour government minister.
Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied all wrongdoing. Additionally, Bedfordshire and Essex police forces have not confirmed whether they are assessing claims that airports in their jurisdictions, such as Luton and Stansted, were used by planes linked to Epstein for trafficking women.
Challenges and Investigations
A spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs' Council stated, "A national coordination group has been set up to support a small number of forces assessing allegations that have emerged following the publication of the US DoJ Epstein files. We continue to work collaboratively to assess the details being made public to allow us to understand any potential impact arising from the millions of documents that have been published."
Part of the group's role is to make formal approaches to obtain original, unredacted documents from the US, rather than each police force making separate requests. Currently, this is not a national investigation, and each force retains operational control. However, a source familiar with discussions noted, "It is not a national operation, but it is heading in that direction. The feeling in policing is this is going to grow arms and legs."
Specific Allegations Under Scrutiny
The latest release of Epstein documents two weeks ago has led to new revelations. Thames Valley Police is examining claims that Mountbatten-Windsor used his position as a British trade envoy to potentially provide sensitive information to Epstein. They are also investigating an allegation that Epstein sent a second woman to the UK for sex with the former prince in Windsor in 2010.
Despite the avalanche of allegations, one police source cautioned that media revelations might not be sufficient to prompt full criminal investigations or prosecutions, stating, "Andrew may be a barefaced liar, but that does not mean he committed a criminal offence." The Metropolitan Police has previously reviewed sexual abuse allegations against Mountbatten-Windsor twice and concluded they did not merit a full investigation.
A Surrey Police spokesperson added, "A number of police forces are currently assessing allegations that have emerged following the publication of the FBI Epstein files. As a result, nationally, policing is seeking access to unredacted versions of the material to enable a full and independent assessment of the information released."
