The Law - Newspaper of the Essex Police May'86 No 181 (ocr)

OPERATION STRANGER a joint investigation of the child murders of Jason Swift aged 14 years and Barry Lewis aged 6 years was formally announced recently at New Scotland Yard.
The operation formally links the Essex Police and the Metropolitan Police in enquiries into both murders and it is the first time that the Home Office Large Major Enquiry Computer System (HOLMES) has been used for such an operation.
The body of Jason Swift was found in a copse at Stapleford Tawny ner Ongar on November 30 last year. he had been missing from his Hackney address since July.
Barry Lewis disappeared from his home at Walworth SE17 in September last year. His body was eventually discovered buried in a field at Waltham Abbey. Although this area is part of the Metropolitan Police District the two locations are only six miles apart. Although there has always been close liaison between the two Forces, as the enquiries continued it has become apparent that there were striking similarities between the two incidents. This gave rise to a strong possibility that both murders were committed by the same person.
It was agreed between the Chief Constable and the Metropolitan Police Commissioner that Commander Phillip Corbett of New Scotland Yard's Criminal intelligence Branch (C11) would co-ordinate the enquiry.
The incident rooms at Brentwood and Walthamstow have been linked by HOLMES and are working in tandem under the original investigating officers. Detective Sup Jim Kenneally for Essex and Detective Supt Bill Hatful for the Met.