A new recruit has been welcomed into the ranks of the The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) who provide security at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) at Porton Down.

Police Dog (PD) Meti has been licensed to join the force after passing a rigorous eight-week training course. The two-year-old German Shepherd was tested across a range of skills and abilities for his policing role essential for the safety and security of people and premises at Dstl. These include tracking, open area and premises searching for offenders and missing persons, searching for lost or stolen property, agility, chasing and detaining suspects and exposure to noise and distractions. Underpinning all of these tests was the dog’s obedience and response to his handler’s instructions which he passed with flying colours.

All dogs receive basic training by the Defence Animal Centre (DAC) before being considered for selection by the MDP. Throughout their time in the force, each year all PDs are required to complete a minimum of 80 hours of training to retain their license. The programme is devised to meet the Home Office standards used for the licensing of Home Office police dogs so that the MDP dogs can be deployed in support of regional police forces, such as helping to trace missing persons.

Meti’s handler, PC Richard Burley, who has worked with PDs for 30 years, said:

Being a dog handler is the best job in the world, even when we are out in wind and rain on Salisbury Plain. We form an incredibly close bond with the animals and it is a partnership based on mutual trust. Not every dog will make the grade and I’m chuffed that all the hours of work have paid off. Special thanks to our MDP trainers who get the best out of us all.

Chief Inspector Rodger Robbins, the senior police officer at Dstl, added:

The dogs provide an essential capability for the force and are instrumental in preserving the security of Dstl. We’re delighted to welcome PD Meti to the MDP.

2016 to Present FCO, Director Security, Estates and Security Directorate 2013 to 2016 Suva, High Commissioner and Head South Pacific Network 2009 to 2013 Riyadh, Deputy Head of Mission and Consul General 2008 to 2009 London, pre-posting training and Arabic refresher 2007 to 2008 Doha, Chargé d’Affaires 2004 to 2007 Damascus, Deputy Head of Mission 2002 to 2004 Amman, Deputy Head of Mission 1999 to 2002 Brussels, UKRep, RELEX Counsellor 1998 to 1999 Brussels, UKRep, Desk Officer Middle East 1996 to 1998 Johannesburg, Deputy Consul General 1992 to 1995 FCO, Head, West Africa Section, Africa Directorate 1992 FCO, Sanctions Desk, Eastern Adriatic Unit 1988 to 1992 Algiers, Second Secretary Political/ Economic/ Press 1986 to 1987 FCO, Full-time Arabic Language Training 1985 to 1986 FCO, Desk Officer, Philippines and Indonesia

Roderick Drummond has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

UK Renewable Investments (AD) plc was wound up on 3 April 2019 by District Judge Khan in the Business and Property Courts in Manchester. The Official Receiver has been appointed as liquidator.

In considering the petitions to wind-up the company, the court heard that between July 2015 and September 2016 UKRI sold corporate bonds to 208 people. £2.5 million was raised and investors were told their funds would go towards developing anaerobic digestion plants that generated renewable energy.

The bonds had a five-year term and were to generate an interest rate of 11% per annum. Interest payments were to be paid every six months after the first year and the bonds were to be redeemed in full at the end of the five-year term.

The majority of the £2.5 million raised was loaned to a separate company, Bio Green Energy Ltd, to pay for the construction of 15 anaerobic digestion plants in Northern Ireland. Each plant was to be held in a separate special purpose vehicle (SPV) company owned by Bio Green.

However, the anaerobic digestion plants were never completed and all 15 of the SPVs have since been dissolved. Bio Green itself was placed into Administration in May 2017 and as a result, the company could not repay the capital and interest rates due on its loan from UKRI. This in-turn meant UKRI was unable to meet the loan principal and interest payments due to the bondholders.

Investigators also found that Bio Green has only paid loan interest to UKRI totalling around £15,000, while UKRI has only made interest payments to its bond holders of just over £14,000.

The court found that UKRI’s bond scheme had failed and because the company was insolvent, it was unable to meet its liabilities, including what was owed to investors.

It was also accepted by the court that UKRI had traded with a lack of commercial probity. For example, the company had exercised borrowing powers without having obtained a trading certificate from the Registrar of Companies and failed to maintain, preserve or deliver up to the investigators adequate books and records.

David Hope, Chief Investigator for the Insolvency Service, said:

Despite accepting millions of pounds of investments from members of the public, the company failed to exercise appropriate governance and control over how those monies were spent.

Unfortunately it is the investors who will suffer and this should serve as a warning that there are strict obligations companies need to adhere to when they raise money from members of the public.

All public enquiries concerning the affairs of the company should be made to: The Official Receiver, Public Interest Unit, 2nd Floor, 3 Piccadilly Place, London Road, Manchester, M1 3BN. Tel: 0161 234 8531 Email: piu.north@insolvency.gov.uk.

UK Renewable Investments (AD) plc – company registration number 08718386 – was incorporated on 4 October 2018. The company’s registered office is at 1st Floor Suite, 6 Pioneer Court, Darlington, DL1 4WD

The petition was presented under s124A of the Insolvency Act 1986 on 16 January 2019. The company was wound up on 03 April 2019 by District Judge Khan, a Judge of the Business and Property Courts in Manchester, and the Official Receiver has been appointed as liquidator.

Company Investigations, part of the Insolvency Service, uses powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Further information about live company investigations is available here.

The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by BEIS, administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities, both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.

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

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Darlington company that sold investment opportunities in renewable energy plants has been shut down after it failed to pay back millions of investors’ funds.