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Mail on Sunday (London)
December 21, 2008 Sunday
Questions over wedding car hire firm run from top terror police chief's home
Martin Delgado
QUESTIONS have been raised over the judgment of Britain's top anti-terror police chief after it emerged that a wedding car hire business - including one of his own cars - is being run from his home.
Promotional photographs show classic cars parked on the front driveway of the home of Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick.
The business uses former police officers as chauffeurs for the stable of vintage Rolls-Royces.
Mr Quick, who sanctioned the highly controversial arrest of Tory MP Damian Green and the raid on his House of Commons office, has been told to carry out checks on publicity material and internet advertising for the business.
The senior policeman, who is in charge of combating the Al Qaeda threat, even hires out his personal seven-litre 130mph Jensen sports car through the business.
One senior Yard source said: 'Bob Quick needs to ask himself whether he is happy that all this is out and about. There will need to be a review, bearing in mind his position. He needs to review all of this.' Yard sources admitted that the website and promotional material could pose a threat to his personal safety and said they would look at removing some of the details they contain.
It is understood that Mr Quick did not inform his superiors that the car hire business was being operated from his home. However, he is not under obligation to do so as it is run by his wife Judith.
The fact that steps are being taken only now to check for security breaches shows that, since he took up his post in March, there has been no thorough and effective assessment of the Assistant Commissioner's security.
Mr Quick was widely criticised for ordering the arrest of Conservative immigration spokesman Mr Green during an inquiry into the leak of confidential Home Office information..
The arrest of Mr Green and a search of his Commons office enraged MPs and triggered an inquiry by a senior officer from an outside force.
The inquiry concluded that although the search by anti-terrorist officers had been legal, there were serious doubts over whether it was proportionate to the alleged offence.
Mrs Quick is understood to have started the business when her husband was Chief Constable of Surrey, the job he left in March.
Mr Quick says he plays no part in running the business, which describes itself as a 'family-owned business' employing 'professional drivers'.
Mr Quick's 1973 Jensen Interceptor Mark III is available with a chauffeur for around £500 a day.
The sleek blue vehicle is one of a fleet of classic models, including four Rolls-Royces, offered for hire - all of which have been their own pet name.
Jensen owners have included Inspector Morse star John Thaw,
Sir Cliff Richard and former boxer Sir Henry Cooper. The Interceptor has also appeared in Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson's list of 100 top cars.
Mr Quick, 49, the son of a London taxi driver, bought the Jensen in February last year from a specialist dealer. Recently restored and renovated, it is one of only 6,175 models of that type ever produced.
Capable of accelerating from 0-60mph in 7.5 seconds and with a top speed of around 130mph, it does an environmentally unfriendly 14 miles to the gallon on the open road and under ten in traffic.
When Mr Quick bought it, it had 89,000 miles on the clock. He is registered as the owner by the Jensen Owners Club, which has logged it as being in good condition.
Although it is not known how much he paid for it, similar models are valued between £15,000 and £30,000 depending on their condition.
Photographs of the tourer, which boasts Brienze Blue coachwork and ivory leather interior, appear on the wedding car hire business's website, along with a fleet of other vintage vehicles including Bentleys, some of which are garaged at Mr Quick's home.
According to an advertisement in a magazine, the business is 'committed to working with you to make your wedding day a truly special occasion'.
Other events it will provide cars for include same-sex civil partnership ceremonies, race meetings, theatre trips and corporate functions.
As well as the Jensen, cars available include a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II, a Silver Seraph, a Silver Spur III and a 20/25 limousine. The collection's pedigree is such that some have been shown at specialist car festivals.
However, no financial information about the business is available because it is not registered at Companies House and neither Mr Quick nor his wife, who are both divorcees and married in 2001, are listed as holding any directorships.
One client of the business, Diane Davies, who booked two cars for her daughter Shelley's wedding in September, was full of praise for the service provided. 'Nothing was too much trouble for Judith,' she said.
'We got chatting while we were making all the arrangements and she told me about her husband's job.
'I met him by chance at a garden centre a few weeks after the wedding.
He seemed a very nice and friendly man. Judith said he was not involved in running the business.
'The driver who took Shelley to the church was caring, courteous and extremely professional. We had two cars for the day and paid around £800, which seems very reasonable in view of the excellent service we received.' Despite, or perhaps because of, their age, Jensens are still admired for their stylish appearance.
David Newby, chairman of the Jensen Owners Club, said: 'The Mark III is a beautiful car to drive. It's well up with the Aston Martins and big Jaguars from the late Sixties when it was first introduced.
'The cars were hand-built at West Bromwich around an Americanmade engine. Sadly, Jensen went out of business in 1976 but there's a very active owners' club with around 1,400 members and there are at least 500 or 600 cars still on the road.' Last night, Mrs Quick, 43, declined to comment and asked that any questions about the business be put to Scotland Yard. But a Met spokesman said: 'Inquiries about the company should be referred to the company.'
At your service ... cars with former police officers at the wheel 1973 Jensen Interceptor III Engine size: 7.2 litre Top speed: 130mph 0-60mph: 7.5 seconds Cost then: £4,500 Miles per gallon: 9-14 Name: James 1936 Rolls-Royce 20/25 limousine Engine size: 3.6 litre Top speed: 76mph 0-60mph: 20+ seconds Cost then: £2,000 Miles per gallon: 16 Name: Philippa 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph Engine size: 5.4 litre Top speed: Limited at 150mph 0-60mph: 6.8 seconds Cost then: £125,000 Miles per gallon: 23 Name: Emma
It raises questions about his judgment'His wife told me about his job'
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