The MDP bids farewell to Assistant Chief Constable Paul McLaughlin who retires later this month, after serving for more than 34 years with the force.

Paul joined the MDP in 1984, following an early career in the Merchant Navy. His first MDP posting was as a beat patrol officer at the Royal Navy Armament Depot (RNAD) in Beith, Ayshire, moving to the Clyde Marine Unit as a police coxswain 5 years later. In 1992 Paul was promoted to Sergeant and transferred to RNAD Coulport.

After successfully gaining a National Police Trainer qualification at the Scottish Police College at Tulliallan, Paul moved to the MDP’s Police Training Centre at Wethersfield, where he was consequently promoted to Inspector and, in March 1999, became Head of PTC, on temporary promotion to Chief Inspector rank.

In July 2001 Paul was substantively promoted to Chief Inspector and returned to Scotland, stationed at RNAD Coulport as an Operational Shift Commander. Two years later, Paul moved back to MDP HQ taking up position as Head of the International Policing and Secondments Office. This involved overseeing and briefing on the operational arrangements for deployments to locations such as Kosovo, Pitcairn Islands, Kenya, Bosnia and Iraq.

In 2004 Paul was promoted to Superintendent, as Head of Learning and Development (HoLD), with full responsibility for the delivery of police training in the force. At the time the MDP had agency status along with the Ministry of Defence Guard Service (MGS), known as the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency (MDPGA), and Paul was therefore ultimately responsible for coordinating, developing and integrating all MGS staff training and development needs in addition to those of MDP staff.

From 2008 to 2010 Paul was Senior Police Officer at AWE Aldermaston, before returning to MDP HQ to lead the review and restructure of HQ staffing, following which he took up post as Head of the new Operational Capability Centre (formerly the PTC). In 2012 Paul was promoted to Chief Superintendent and took up post as Nuclear Commander at Abbeywood, where he set up and led a new Nuclear Command structure.

At the beginning of 2014, Paul was appointed Temporary Assistant Chief Constable for Force Operations and, following successful completion of the National Chief Police Officer Strategic Command Course (SCC), was substantively promoted to ACC in 2016. During his time as ACC Paul has led on a range of change/improvement projects including infrastructure reorganisation, increased capability, programme planning, the Force complement reset and as strategic lead on both critical and routine operational and business incidents.

Reflecting on his MDP career, Paul said:

Looking back, I’m really happy with the choices I made during my MDP career. I’ve been fortunate to have experienced some challenging command positions, in addition to leading on key strategic change programmes. The successful outcomes of some of my work are still prevalent in the Force today and it’s that contribution, coupled with the resulting benefits to our staff, that gives me the greatest pleasure and which I’ll remember most.

What is important to me, in just about every single thing I’ve ever done in my career, is that I’ve gone into my work with the right intentions and that goes a long way. I consider myself as a stalwart ambassador for all things MDP and as I look forward to my retirement on leaving the force, it’s the people that I will miss most, every element of my success has been influenced one way or another by the MDP workforce. I will look back with fond memories, thank you.

Chief Constable Andy Adams commented:

Paul’s career has been exemplary and his boundless enthusiasm to get the job done is an example to many. He has been an outstanding MDP officer and I know that everyone in the force will join me in wishing him all the very best for a happy retirement with his family.

Mother and son who ran a restaurant in Blackburn have been disqualified after they under-declared the company’s full cash takings to the tax authorities.

Ching Yau Yu and Vincent Wai Kit Yu were directors of Kai Hing Limited. The company was incorporated in January 2011 and traded under Yu and You Restaurant and Bar, a Chinese eatery in the Copster Green area of Blackburn.

The restaurant featured in the TV programme, Ramsay’s Best Restaurant, in 2013.

However, Kai Hing Limited entered into difficult trading conditions and because the company couldn’t pay its debts, Vincent and Ching Yu liquidated the company in January 2017, owing their creditors close to £385,000.

Independent insolvency practitioners were appointed to wind-up the business and reported to the Insolvency Service that the company had a substantial amount of tax discrepancies.

This triggered an investigation by the Insolvency Service, which discovered that Vincent and Ching caused the company to under-declare its full cash takings as soon as Kai Hing Limited started trading in September 2011.

Further enquiries found that Vincent and Ching Yu had already been warned that they had failed to declare more than £600,000 worth of additional sales between October 2011 and January 2016, which would have led to additional tax liabilities of just under £120,000.

And despite making no payments towards the balance of the increased liability, Kai Hing Limited continued to trade until January 2017, while submitting quarterly returns and paying them in full.

Both directors agreed to provide an undertaking to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and industrial Strategy, which prevents them from becoming directly or indirectly involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company.

Vincent Yu has been banned for 7 years, effective from 24 December 2018, while his mother is disqualified for 4 years and Ching Yu started her ban on 14 December 2018.

Rob Clarke, Chief Investigator for the Insolvency Service, said:

This wasn’t a one-off incident where Vincent and Ching Yu failed to declare their full income as the misdemeanour sustained itself throughout the history of the company.

Directors are expected to carry out their full responsibilities regardless of their role, including paying the right amount of tax. The Yus bans should serve as a warning to others that we will investigate misconduct and pursue disqualification where serious breaches of this nature occur.

Vincent Wai Kit Yu is from Blackburn and his date of birth is November 1979.

Ching Yau Yu is from Blackburn and her date of birth is August 1948.

Kai Hing Limited’s company registration – 07489022.

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

The Insolvency Service administers the insolvency regime, investigating all compulsory liquidations and individual insolvencies (bankruptcies) through the Official Receiver to establish why they became insolvent. It may also use powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK. In addition, the agency deals with disqualification of directors in corporate failures, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7637 6498

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People who use emollient creams to treat dry and itchy skin conditions are being warned that residue can build up on fabrics, such as clothing or bedding, and cause them to catch fire more easily.