WITNESS APPEALS

DETECTIVES are now offering a significant £20,000 reward for the arrest and prosecution of the person/s responsible for the murder of a man in E10.

Police were called at 0300 on 6/9/06 to reports of a fire and a man injured at an address in Lea Bridge Rd j/w Salcombe Rd, E10. It appeared that the man had been trying to escape the fire when he fell from the second floor of the premises.

The victim, Mohamed Said Mohamoud (1.1.60 - 46 ys), an occupant of the address, was taken to Whipps Cross Hospital where he was pronounced dead. A post-mortem at Walthamstow mortuary on 8.9.06 gave cause of death as severe head and chest injuries.

The fire, which started in the stairwell, is being treated as arson. The residence is a five-room bedsit and four of the rooms were occupied at the time of the incident.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Kandiah, who is leading the investigation from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command (East), said: "This fire appears to have been set in the only possible escape route for the address. With no sign of a forced entry this appears to be a particularly callous act by someone who may well have known and targeted the venue. Whoever did this would have known that there were another four people in the building - all of which were placed at considerable risk."

DCI Kandiah added: "Although Mr Mohamoud lived alone at the address he leaves behind two young children aged just seven and eight years. He appears to have been a popular man who was striving to make a good life for himself and his children. We hope that this reward of £20,000 will encourage anyone who is yet to come forward to speak to police and assist us with this investigation."

Whilst officers retain an open mind regarding any motive, at this stage they do not believe the incident was racially motivated.

There is no suspect(s) description to issue at present.

Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 020 8345 1585; if you wish to remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 800 555 111.

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Met Employer of the year

THE Metropolitan Police Service has been named as 'Employer of the Year' and 'Best Police Force' in the Pink Paper reader's awards 2007.

The Met is proud to receive such recognition. As London's largest single employer, the Met has around 50,000 members of staff.

Initiatives like the targeted 'Can you be gay?' campaign illustrate how the Met strives to be the employer of choice for the people of London.

The Met has various systems in place to support Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) employees. The organisation responds to the different needs of staff, as well as promoting diversity, building trust, confidence and satisfaction within London's communities. The Gay Police Association provides advice and counselling to ensure that the working environment within the Met is supportive and enabling to all.

Director of Human Resources, Martin Tiplady said: "Getting the Pink Paper reader's award for 'Employer of the Year' and 'Best Police Force' is excellent, as it is voted for by members of the public. TheMet is now one of the most forward-thinking and inclusive police services, where diversity is celebrated. We offer our employees as much support as possible and encourage individuals from all communities to see a career within the organisation as a viable option - we will continue our efforts."

As well as being the Pink Paper's 'Employer of the Year' and 'Best Police Force', for the second year running the Met are in the top 50 of Stonewall's workplace equality index (WEI). Stonewall is an organisation that works to achieve equality for LGBT people and the WEI features the Top 100 employers in Britain for lesbian and gay people. The inclusion in the WEI is based on the positive practices and policies the Met has demonstrated in regards to being a diverse organisation.

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