The Horse at the Gates Read Online Free PDF Page A

Saeed. He ordered a blanket censorship.’
    Tariq.
    Bryce held up the sheet of paper between his thumb and forefinger, as if the contents were somehow contagious. ‘What about the suspects? The witnesses?’
    ‘Some of the incidents were captured on CCTV, but Minister Saeed had the footage seized. He promised an internal inquiry but it’s yet to happen. The casualties have been explained away as accidents, suicides, that sort of thing.’
    ‘He’s covered this up?’
    Davies hesitated. ‘Well, that sort of accusation is above my pay grade, Prime Minister. However, I can tell you that Minister Saeed’s office makes very little attempt to liaise with Operations these days, unless it’s to restrict our effectiveness in some way. I’ve raised concerns with my own chain of command, but I’ve been told in no uncertain terms to shut up and crack on.’
    Bryce handed the sheet of paper back to Davies. ‘This is unacceptable.’
    Davies locked the report away and swept a hand towards the window. ‘The simple truth is, out there beyond the wire the rule of law is an imported one. They have their own leadership hierarchy, operate a working Sharia court system, manage their own disputes, you name it. One by one our integration programmes have been scrapped and my staff no longer patrol the accommodation blocks or any of the public areas.’
    ‘Why?’
    Davies looked pained. ‘Minister Saeed believes our presence intimidates the refugees.’
    Bryce got up and went to the window. Rain continued to lash the camp, urged on by the strengthening wind. The roof above creaked before its power, but Bryce was oblivious to the fast approaching storm. ‘You’ve spoken to the minister directly about your concerns?’
    ‘I managed to get a moment with him a few weeks ago. He told me in no uncertain terms that the running of the camp must not be interfered with.’ Davies leaned back in his chair. ‘I’m not sure if you’re aware of the influence he holds here, Prime Minister. He gave a speech in Terminal Five the other week. You could hear the roar of the crowd from here. It was more like a political rally.’
    Bryce pointed to Davies’ computer screen. ‘Can you show me the footage?’
    The security chief shook his head. ‘All monitoring systems in the terminal buildings are disabled when Minister Saeed visits. Privacy issues.’
    Bryce stared across the dark expanse of Heathrow. This was getting worse by the minute. ‘You were right to contact me directly, Mr Davies.’
    The Chief of Operations took a sip of coffee. ‘There are other concerns, Prime Minister.’ He put his mug down and began ticking them off on his fingers. ‘We have a rising birth rate that our medical facilities cannot cope with, we’re seeing disease outbreaks, we’ve got tribal and family disputes, many ending in some form of violence. And we’re losing refugees too, a thousand in the last six months, just disappearing into the night. Some we pick up outside the wire, most we don’t. I haven’t got the resources to combat it.’
    Bryce thought he’d misheard. ‘Escaping?’
    ‘Every day. We can’t cope,’ Davies admitted, holding up his hands.
    Bryce was finding it hard to take it all in. Control of the site had been lost, that much was clear, and Tariq had allowed it to happen. Worse, he appeared to be actively encouraging it. Behind him, Davies took advantage of the Prime Minister’s silence.
    ‘It’s like another country out there, a country of over one hundred thousand. And rising.’ Davies lowered his voice and Bryce had to face him to hear what he said. ‘The fact is, it doesn’t feel like a humanitarian effort anymore. It feels more like a siege.’
    ‘That’s dangerous language, Mr Davies.’
    The security chief didn’t blink. ‘It’s the truth.’
    Bryce turned back to the window. So, the monthly brief he’d been receiving from Tariq’s office was deliberately evasive, a smoke screen to hide the true nature of what was