Jimmy Savile in Dec. 1986. (John Redman/AP)
British police insist they played no role in protecting disgraced former TV personality Jimmy Savile from facing numerous allegations of sexual abuse against minors, despite an internal inquiry that describes a close personal relationship between Savile and the cops in his hometown, who often turned to the celebrity to promote crime-prevention campaigns. “It seems to me that West Yorkshire Police over the years failed to join up the dots,” said lawyer Alan Collins, who represents just 40 of the close to 500 that have come forward with sex abuse claims against the entertainer since his death in 2011. “There seems to be a collective myopia," Collins said. "Savile was able to run rings around the police for decades. He used police officers. He was ingrained with them, dovetailed with them.”