Conflict International Limited - Private Investigation Agency

Secret tours at the Tower exposed

5 March 2010, 2:40 pm

Secret tours at the Tower exposed

Conflict International understands that guards at the Tower of London, affectionately nicknamed ‘Beefeaters’ and famed for their guided tours of tourists. What is less well known is that the Beefeaters also gave private evening tours. They have been accused of charging £50 a head for unauthorised nocturnal private tours of the crown jewels at the Tower of London.

The allegations were made by a security firm called in to investigate the guardians of the Tower. It found that late-night tours, which ended up in the Tower club, a private bar run by the Beefeaters, were commonplace.

One Beefeater is even accused of taking female tourists back to his grace-and favour apartment in the Tower for sex.

Allegations were also made that one Beefeater grew cannabis for his own use in his garage at the Tower, while another let his house out to tourists after advertising it on the internet and secured a seven-day pass for those staying there which allowed access to private facilities not open to the public.

As part of the undercover surveillance strategy hidden cameras were placed around the Tower during the investigation by London private detectives, in conjunction with the Metropolitan police, chaired by the former commissioner Lord Stevens.

It was called in by the governor of the Tower, Major General Keith Cima, when he took over in 2006. A Tower spokesman said: “The governor was made aware of some allegations relating to the residents’ social club, known as the Tower club, and evening tours.

“He took these allegations very seriously and immediately instigated a full and thorough investigation, conducted by an independent, external company.”

Private investigators spent months monitoring the Beefeaters. One whistleblower stated that: “I was called into the new governor’s office and he asked me what the hell was going on.

“He could see there was a lot of money and said he’d walked around the Casemates [where the Beefeaters live] and seen expensive cars. One Beefeater had a top-of-the-range Mercedes SLK. The frequency of the private tours was getting silly — every night — and the governor said he knew certain things were going on.”

The daughter of a Beefeater who was suspected of helping the inquiry was allegedly assaulted. No action was taken against any individuals because of lack of evidence, but a spokesman for the Tower said: “The investigation concluded that weaknesses in the operation of the Tower club and poor administration could have left members open to allegations of impropriety.

“However, allegations of individuals making personal gain could not be substantiated by hard evidence.

“Subsequently a series of recommendations were implemented to improve the operation and administration of the Tower club and evening tours, measures which continue to this day.”

The damaging allegations come after revelations last year that the first female warder in the Tower’s 1,000-year history, Moira Cameron, was bullied and harassed by two yeoman warders, who were later sacked. She said the bullying caused her “unprecedented stress to the extent that my hair fell out”.

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