Just who is training these poltroons?

[quote="Sdeve"]This abuse is happening every single day somewhere in this country.

The police, as an organisation, here are administratively, and IMO, morally, corrupt. They will routinely abuse any law to suit their purpose. [/quote]So, your fanatical, unevidenced opinions and your other rantings should be taken notice of because ....... ?

Time to steady on everyone - we've got the gist of the various points of view by now, so let's not make this another inflamed thread. If it heads that way it will be taken off, so steady down please.

So, your fanatical, unevidenced opinions and your other rantings should be taken notice of because ....... ?[/quote]After 22 years service as a police officer, watching it happen, hearing officers from other forces talking about it as if it were routine and right, helping friends who have been victimised in such a fashion, spending 8 years still in law enforcement in association with the police and still seeing it happen, discussing with police officers on other forums who acknowledge it happens, reading numerous newspaper reports about it happening, writing articles for police publications, visiting police forces in the USA at my own expense to study police related issues, I'm beginning to get the gist of it. And, of course, reading the law, understanding it, and quoting it as part of my fanatical rantings.

Apart from that, I suppose no reason at all really. What about you?

Plus ca change? I think middle aged men have had the exact same conversation throughout history. We could be sitting in the forum in the middle of Ancient Rome complaining about the vigiles (Roman police) and the rise in violent crime (which was remarkable rare in the nicer parts of the city).

I think a lot of white middle class photographers are now experiencing first hand what it was like to be black or Irish or live in a working class estate throughout most of the '60s, '70s and '80s. We didnt know how bad it was because nobody cared and it was rarely reported but knife crime was commonplace.

I dont think much has changed actually, only who is affected and how it is reported. Its a bit like swine flu.

Personally I have had many friendly conversations with Met officers while out with a camera, but on the other hand have had many MANY run ins with officious PCSOs, security guards, a traffic warden (who I photographed ticketing a car when a woman was actually buying a ticket) and an irate office manager (who told me I couldn't photograph her office because it was grade 2 listed - I kid you not).

By comparison the police are for the most part quite tolerant and (considering how much crap they have to put up with from complete morons) surprisingly polite. I am reliably informed (by a friend who is also an officer) that arresting someone does involve a huge amount of paperwork and is generally avoided if there is a good chance that its a waste of time, or if it doesnt contribute to the home office's flavour of the month crime prevention statistic.

Bad apples? Of course. Always were. I guess we have all forgotten the Met's reputation during the miners strike, or the corruption trials in the late '70s, or the Stephen Lawrence enquiry, or the Birmingham 6, or the SPG (remember the Sgt Savage sketch?). Law enforcement is a reflection of the times and has always relied on a few "willing enforcers" who read the wrong comics as kids, hence it attracts the overzealous just as it attracts the public spirited and brave. If it were entirely full of "nice chaps" it would also (sadly) be pretty useless when dealing with hardened gangs and terrorism.

I just wish they wouldn't be quite so obvious about covering things up, but then we have politicians who are quite good at that too.