Skip to main content.
Related sites:
Religion News Blog is a non-profit service providing academics, religion professionals and other researchers with religion & cult news
ReligionNewsBlog

Religion news articles about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues

Navigation:
Web religionnewsblog.com
Home | Site Menu | About RNB | RNB Store | Cult FAQ | Cult Experts | Apologetics Index | Cult Information Search Engine


Related

More news articles & news archive on Scientology


Advertisements *

Advertise on Religion News Blog Advertise Here *
Simple steps to financial health and a good credit score


Elsewhere

The facts behind the Da Vinci Code fiction


Scientology:

London police give Scientology access to data on security alerts

Evening Standard, UK
Mar. 20, 2007
Jason Beattie
www.thisislondon.co.uk
  • Article Tools  • Share This Story

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 17779 • Posted: Wednesday March 21, 2007  

Click here... More articles on this topic: Scientology

The Metropolitan Police have agreed to give the Church of Scientology privileged information on security, the Evening Standard can reveal.

Under the agreement, the Met has placed the church on the database of groups provided with “current, fast-time” details about safety matters.

The revelation will raise further questions about police links with the sect of which John Travolta and Tom Cruise are devotees and which has entertained City of London officers on several occasions.

The Standard has also learned that the sect may be given a prime role in a major emergency, among groups called upon in the event of a critical incident.

According to documents, the church has offered to be included on the list drawn up by the London Resilience Team, responsible for coordinating the response to an emergency.

Critics fear the move is an attempt by the sect founded by science fiction writer L Ron Hubbard to gain respectability.

Followers were among the first on the scene offering support during the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks.

A request for information by Heather Brooke of Your Right To Know discloses the Scotland Yard met sect members in November after which Chief Superintendent Ed Bateman wrote to the church’s Lord McNair to thank him for “constructive offers of support”.

The letter continued: “The church, and your personal details, have been placed on our faith stakeholder database we would seek to pass on information or seek your support.” It added that the church would be sent ” current, fast-time information” on safety via the Police Message Broadcasting System.

Last April, City of London officers received invitations to the premiere of Mission: Impossible III starring Cruise and a Pounds 500a-head charity dinner.

The force also had free use of a Pounds 5,000a-night jazz band for a police function.

Ian Haworth, general secretary of the Cult Information Centre, said: “I would be very interested to know if the police do the same for the Moonies, Hare Krishna and other groups about which concern has been expressed.”

Mr Haworth was also concerned about it working with London Resilience.

He said: “Scientology has never managed to achieve charitable status as a religion in this country.

“It could use the administration of ministry at a time of emergency to gain respectability.”

A spokesman for London Resilience Team said the church was not on its Faith Working Group, but it was “keen to ensure the Group is representative”.

A spokesman for the church said: “We have a large international team of volunteer ministers who have assisted at most of the major disasters of the past decade. They have been embraced and endorsed by numerous emergency services and officials.”

A Met spokeswoman said: “The church asked to be placed on a database of groups and individuals that are provided with regular bulletins.

“They do not receive confidential or sensitive material … contact details are retained to be given to victims of crime who request their support.”

• Original title: Met Allows Cruise’s Sect Access to Data on Security Alerts

Technorati Tags:

Religion News Blog RSS feed Subscribe: Religion News Blog RSS feed  |  Religion News Blog RSS feed Subscribe by topic: Scientology
more cult news articlemore religion news More articles about Scientology

Like this story?

Today's Most Popular Articles

Doctor Says...

Share this

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:




Article and Site Tools

» PermaLink to: London police give Scientology access to data on security alerts
   Need a shorter link? You can remove everything after the final /
» More news articles + news archive on Scientology
» More religion and cult news

Subscribe (RSS / Email) [What is RSS?]
» RSS News Feed - All Topics: Religion News Blog RSS Feed
» RSS News Feed - Single Topic: Scientology
» Headlines by Email: Daily Religion News Blog Headlines

More Article Tools
• Bookmark / Tag: Del.icio.us
• Bookmark / Tag: Furl
Save this article
Email this article
Print this article [Temporarily out of order]

More Information
Books about Scientology
Relevant books (and other goodies)

About Religion News Blog
Religion News Blog (RNB), published by Apologetics Index, highlights news items and other resources on world religions, cults, religious sects, alternative religions and related issues. RNB's non-profit news clipping service is used by - among others - Christian apologists, countercult professionals, anticult organizations, cult experts, teachers, religion professionals, reporters and other researchers.