COUNTER terror police failed to consult specialist lawyers about key arrests until a week AFTER the suspects were detained, according to a damning independent report.

It is one of a series of criticisms  made in a report published today by Lord Carlile, the government's independent reviewer of counter terrorism legislation, into a botched operation earlier this year.

The North West Counter Terrorism Unit, based at Greater Manchester Police, carried out a series of raids in Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham on April 8. They arrested 12 suspects although one was immediately released.

Three of the raids were in Cheetham Hill.

Police were investigating an ‘imminent’ Easter terror attack.

The 11 suspects, all male students and mostly Pakistani nationals, were released without charge within two weeks.

Blunder

The arrests had been due to take place during the night but were brought forward when Britain's top counter terrorism officer, Bob Quick, was photographed clutching sensitive documents about the imminent raids. The Met assistant commissioner resigned because of his blunder.

In his report, Lord Carlile said the error was a ‘clear breach’ and meant police were denied the opportunity to cancel the operation at the last-minute.

Lord Carlile's main criticism was that police failed to consult with Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)  lawyers, who are security vetted and are specialised in terror law,  until a week after the arrests.

The CPS learned of the arrests the day before they were carried out through an ‘unofficial source’ and then contacted the senior investigating officer the following day, the day of the raids. It was only on April 15 CPS lawyer went to a police station in Manchester to review the evidence.

Lord Carlile's report said GMP ‘recalled discussing the arrests with the CPS but there is no record of them having sought advice’. He added it was ‘unwise’ of GMP not to seek CPS advice during the planning of the arrests, as has happened in other similar operations. He also questioned the ‘combat style’ manner of the arrests.

The report points out no chemicals, explosives or other damning evidence was found.

Police believed an email thought to have been written by one of the suspects about a wedding may in fact have been a coded signal to launch an attack.

Vague

Lord Carlile concluded the email was ‘suspicious’ but too ‘vague’ to secure a conviction.

The QC noted police were ‘surprised’ to learn there had been no grounds to continue holding the suspects. Officers believed it was enough for them to simply ask for more time to convert intelligence into hard evidence, says the report.

Officers wanted more time but Lord Carlile said he ‘found it difficult to understand what it is believed further questioning would have achieved’.

His report expresses ‘surprise’ police didn't anticipate they would have to make it clear to a judge the basis on which the suspects had been arrested before they could be granted more time to question them.

He recommends anti terror police receive more training on counter terrorism laws, especially when it comes to their arrest and detention.

And he recommends the CPS should be informed ‘well in advance’ of terrorism raids.

Lord Carlile said: “Perhaps the main criticism is that the police should have asked the CPS terrorism experts for their expert views.”

Responding to the report,  GMP Assistant Chief Constable   Dave Thompson said the  investigation is still active and the events of April had admitted the need to bring the operation forward, after Bob Quick’s disclosure of documents, had affected community relations.

He said: “It gave the case a level of media profile that wasn’t helpful for communities but it didn’t make any material difference to the investigation.”