A nice walk home

Not wishing to comment on an individual case, and every sympathy to this man's family and friends.

But this does again raise a general question in this age of mass communication, blogs, twitters, etc - at what point does press speculation and public chatter become possibly prejudicial to the fair conduct of justice?

One could also argue that it makes it easier to ask / answer the question "who guard's the guards?" Especially, if it is shown that initial statements were following the McLaren approach.

I think you've completely missed the point James.
It took six days for the video of Ian Tomlinson being assaulted by the P.O. to emerge,
because the person who shot it saw in the media that the victims family were being fobbed off by the Met.
I see more footage has been revealed today (C4) showing I.T. being struck by another officer with a baton prior to being pushed.
Maybe the officers involved mistook I.T. for a Brazilian plumber?

absolutely disgusting. anyone else, ie, not the law (or an arse of one) would be up in court on a manslaughter charge after collapsing and dying after being hit and pushed to the ground, it will be interesting to see if the police involved face the same charges. somehoe i very much doubt it! bastards!

This is a truly appalling indictment of police behaviour and I am as shocked as any thinking person would be after watching.

Personally I think the police are the least effective and professional of all the response services from my experience. Far too many of them seem to do the job so they can spend time sitting in layby's trying to book minor motoring offences, while many others seem incapable of controlling their aggression and react in wholly inappropriate ways.

They seem to be paid extremely handsomely for doing a very poor job on the whole.

I'm really not sure who are the biggest thugs nowadays but you have to wonder if it's the police themselves...

Finally I fail to understand why they spend so much money on new cars and equipment when the army seems so underfunded. Give 'em 1975 Morris Marinas to run around in I say!!!

Jonathan

quote:

Give 'em 1975 Morris Marinas to run around in I say!!!

It'll be quicker to walk.

That's what Ian Tomlinson thought Biggy.

For six days after Ian Tomlinson died the Met claimed he had no contact with them.

When the video emerged of IT being assaulted the police, their explanation changed to
we were coming to his aid whilst under a G20 protester thrown barrage of bottles & stones.
But all video & CCTV so far revealed contradicts this.

The Met appointed pathologist found coronary artery disease as the cause of death.
But today the IPCC & family appointed independent pathologist found abdominal haemorrhage to be the cause of death.
Does anyone feel a bit intimidated?

Indeed the officer in question has been questioned on suspicion of the manslaughter of Ian Tomlinson. Thank god for the availability of devices for recording video. I know of many reports (many of which I belief) and the frequency of Police beatings (mainly in cells) to think that it is unfortunately still common practice is scary. The Territorial Support Group (TSG) officer involved in this deliberately had his Police ID covered over (why?). The TSU has had many complaints about its overly aggressive attitude to particularly black and asian individuals. Without real evidence such as that posted on youtube the Police would investigate itself and nothing would happen. With this evidence they have no choice but to do it properly.

The Police have a very hard job to do and come across violence and deal with most of 'crap' situations that many people don't even skim the surface of. Many many officers do a wonderful job under great pressure. Thuggery, bullying and possibly manslaughter however should not be tolerated.............. Like any job you get your good staff and your poor however sometimes there needs to be a seismic cultural shift to affect change.

Mild rant over

I have asked the plain question "for what the purpose does the police service exist?"

The same question, when applied with respect to HMG inevitably must cause questions over the nanny state approach to new laws and and the conduct and starting of wars like the current Iraq expedition...

These people have to learn for what it is that they are being paid, and indeed being paid for by all of us who remain their masters, and not the other way round.

The police are by no means my favourite people in the way they behave today, while the current Government has taken behaviour of public servants to a new low only nearly matched by the behaviour of the modern police service.

Time for change in both areas, I feel ...

ATB from George

If reports that the Police Officers who allegedly assaulted the man who subsequently died are true, in the suggestion that their identification numbers had been obscured, then frankly the book should be thrown at those particular Officers. Jail would seem the suitable resort, if they are found guilty of manslaughter, but manslaughter implies lack of planning. I would call it murder as clearly the individuals - if they had covered the ID numbers up - had every intenton of concealing their identity up when they committed their [under the circumstances] obvious planned in outline, actions. Yes, Life for Murder would be suitable, were these allegations found to be proven.

And any other officers who also are recognisable [by the authorities, and also by members of the general public] should also have the book thrown at them.

I would have thought such actions amount to "gross misconduct" and should result in immediate sacking without financial compensation for lack of notice period, and a complete banning from ever working in the public sector again.

We have to ensure that the rogue element in the Police Service is in the minority and not the majority, as the wall of silence and general inactivity on the issue seems to indicate may sadly already be the case.

The Police Service wonders why it no longer has the widespread co-opperation of the majority of law abiding people. Consensus Poilicing. People are rightly affraid of them, and their cavalier attitude to the law and the society who they are employed to serve in the cause of making the place safer, by protecting the law abiding from the non-law abiding.

Seems like the Police themselves are slipping [actively in some cases and passively in many more through inactivety in the face of severe misconduct of collegues] into the set the law abiding public would refer to as non-law abiding.

That the Government has presided over this slippage, is no fine reflection on the Home Office, and various Home Secretaries over the last decade, or even the Prime Ministers of that time.

ATB from George

The Metropolitan Police is to be investigated over its handling of the media following the death of Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission inquiry follows complaints police misinformed the media.
Police G20 media response probed

The world is becoming a dangerous place, I am worried about it.