Unprovoked assault on woman by G20 police - do you recognise this officer?

[Digsy 10]

Well tell you what - go and check the facts for us. This is why forums can be a bit unhelpful - people turning hear say into fact.

 

Don't need to, you will find happy hippy already corrected it.

[TeaFan 10]

If a police officer removes his ID no. from his uniform, then it's reasonable to assume that he's gone to work with the intention of breaking the law, isn't it? And we're paying their wages?

 

But what's more worrying than assorted assaults on one particular protest, is the emerging picture that the police are taking it upon themselves to decide whether protest is allowed at all.

 

Today the police arrested 114 people on suspicion of a direct action protest at a power station in Nottinghamshire http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/14/protesters-power-station-arrests

 

It will be interesting to see how this story evolves, since the police should have something pretty bloody good to go on to arrest over 100 people who haven't yet actually done anything. If there aren't a good number of serious charges brought, it's would be hard to escape the conclusion that the police just want to stop protests that they don't like.

 

Two things worth noting from the article: the police claim to have seized "specialist equipment", which appears to have been... bolt cutters. I've got some bolt cutters in my cellar head, you can buy them at B&Q. How is that "specialist"?

 

Plus this unnerving quote from the police spokesman

 

The spokesman said: "Information received during the operation indicates that a number of those arrested may be linked to a group of climate change protesters who have set up climate camps."

 

So some people might be linked to some other people who have previously protested? In a democracy, how does that amount to a good reason to arrest someone, or even subject them to surveillance?

[Digsy 10]

I was there. There were groups really going for the police that day. There was some pretty scary stuff going on. To be honest the vast majority of the police did nothing more than form human barriers for most of the day and take verbal abuse. Most of the aggressive pushing and shoving came from people in the protest who wanted to start a fight (there was one group who wanted to pull a copper into the crowd).

 

I'm all for protesting and I've never been prouder of my country than when I marched with the 1 million or so people who protested againt the Iraq invasion in 2003 in London. That was an amazing experience. But the idea that the police are all out of control is just wrong - we have one of the most regulated police forces in the world. You want out of control spend a couple of weeks in Thailand. Of course the copper should be made to explain his actions (and then any disciplinary/criminal procedures).

 

 

Lets be a little bit careful about how we talk about the police in general. I know a few coppers (School and Uni friends) when I've seen them at the pub or a reunion I'v asked them about how work was going, some of the replies included:

 

-they had scraped a 20 year old biker off the road after he got hit by truck

-being stabbed in the leg with a needle by a drug addict (he didn't catch anything)

-being spat at in the street by a ****** granny

-holding kid's head together waiting for the paramedics to arrive

-holding off kids throwing rocks at the Fire Brigade whilst they tried to put out a house fire

 

Does your job involve that? Mine doesn't.

 

Mine neither, and for the most part I think the police do a very good job, I am by no means anti-police, but I am anti-armed men/women attacking unarmed innocent citizens.

 

I've watched footage where people are taunting the police, far worse than this lady appears to be doing, and the police refrained from attacking.

One officer even took a metal pole over the head, if it hadn't been for his (ordinary flattopped) helmet the strike could have done some serious damage.

I was equally as disgusted over those provoking and attacking the police.

But unfortunately nobody wants to discuss that side of it.

 

Now my point is, does it take someone to die before an officer is suspended and investigated for their wrongdoings?

 

Not to mention it doesn't just look bad on the police, it looks bad on britain as a whole.

 

I aint alone in my thinking either:-

 

The shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling described the revelations as "alarming" and said they left, "big questions to be answered by the police".

 

And that was just over reports that Ian Thomlinson had been beaten prior to the recorded shove, more revelations are being drip fed slowly about other unprovoked beatings.

Edited April 14, 2009 by Digsy

[Digsy 10]

So some people might be linked to some other people who have previously protested? In a democracy, how does that amount to a good reason to arrest someone, or even subject them to surveillance?

 

Yeah don't you know protesting is the new form of terrorism.

[Smithster 10]

Yeah don't you know protesting is the new form of terrorism.

 

Well this is just it isn't it. Now we are seeing why the govt was so adamant about bringing in the 42-day anti-terrorist rule. Now they've got that to hide behind, they can go and arrest whoever they want and lock them up for a few weeks, and then claim that they had 'intelligence' which indicated that the suspect was involved in terrorism. And due to laws against releasing this intelligence on the grounds that it might compromise the operatives who obtained it, they don't actually have to present this evidence publically.

[Digsy 10]

I just think all this, takes away what the protest was all about, its marred what looked like a good day for some.

[PK80 10]

Well this is just it isn't it. Now we are seeing why the govt was so adamant about bringing in the 42-day anti-terrorist rule. Now they've got that to hide behind, they can go and arrest whoever they want and lock them up for a few weeks, and then claim that they had 'intelligence' which indicated that the suspect was involved in terrorism. And due to laws against releasing this intelligence on the grounds that it might compromise the operatives who obtained it, they don't actually have to present this evidence publically.

 

Has this actually happened?

[mh01 10]

just seen this incident on the news the officer has been suspended probably getting his full pay while a ipcc investigation is carried out. he'll get a slap on the wrist, a bit of re-training then put back on the beat no doubt

[Rioja 10]

just seen this incident on the news the officer has been suspended probably getting his full pay while a ipcc investigation is carried out. he'll get a slap on the wrist, a bit of re-training then put back on the beat no doubt

 

In the past he'd have got away with it but now we are a you-tube generation, with mobile phones to film everything that goes on, plod is brought more to account. Even "losing" CCTV footage can't protect them nowadays.

[verona 10]

Police officers are always coming in for stick. They do a very tough and demanding job and get very little praise. However, on this occasion the officer in question could have used a number of restraing techniques get the women away. Batons should only be used as a visual deterent at first and strikes used when you feel your life is in danger. Anyway I believe this officer has now been suspended pending further enquiries.

[PK80 10]

Police officers are always coming in for stick. They do a very tough and demanding job and get very little praise. However, on this occasion the officer in question could have used a number of restraing techniques get the women away. Batons should only be used as a visual deterent at first and strikes used when you feel your life is in danger. Anyway I believe this officer has now been suspended pending further enquiries.

 

I don't think there was too much wrong with his baton strike, he was in a public order situation and she's been told to back off.

 

The slap across the chops might be a bit harder to explain though.

[Dave650 10]

I agree with Matty, she got warned several times and she was screaming abuse at a Police Officer - usually they get arrested and charged for that.

 

but a slaps ok?

How about being hit with a dangerous weapon?