Scotland Yard has confirmed that it will not be launching a criminal investigation into SPAC Nation.
Despite calls in the House of Commons for a full police inquiry, the police will not be pursuing the claims against the church.
Last year, the Metropolitan Police were made aware of allegations of fraud and numerous other offences in regard to the activities of people associated with the London-based church.
After winning publicity for its work to tackle youth violence in the city and beyond, SPAC Nation has come under fire following safeguarding concerns for their vulnerable members.
After MPs in parliament called for a full investigation just last month, the police have now completed the review. They told Huffington Post UK: “Officers from central specialist crime carried out a review to identify if any criminal offences had been committed”.
They added: “The review is now complete and no criminal investigation has been launched into these specific allegations. However, during this review detectives identified two separate, similar allegations of fraud reported in different parts of London. The allegations relate to the actions of individuals, not the actions of an organisation, and are being investigated by detectives locally.”
While senior pastor Tobi Adegboyega has welcomed the decision, former members of the church have criticised the outcome of the investigation. One alleged victim has claimed that she’s not even been in contact with detectives despite reporting an alleged offence via Action Fraud.
After a SPAC Nation pastor made her a guarantor on £10,000 wroth of loans without her consent, 28-year-old Toye-Mary Sofidiya of East London has said: “It’s poor on the police’s part. I feel like they just can’t be bothered because it’s not like there isn’t evidence to show these allegations.” She added: “So on what basis are they not willing to continue with the investigation is my question really?”
In response to several former members criticising the investigation, Steve Reed MP – Labour’s shadow minister for child protection – has said that he intends to raise the issues with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, next week as he’ll seek a full explanation of “what is or is not going on in terms of investigating SPAC Nation given the scale and nature of allegations that we’re hearing from right across the capital.”