Peter Reynolds

The conduct of the police has been in the news again this week for all the wrong reasons.  First there was the disgracegful, outrageous and deeply corrupt acquittal of the thug policeman, Sgt Delroy Smellie, who beat up Nicola Fisher at the G20 protest.  See the story here.  There’s also the CPS’ deplorable failure to bring to trial the police officer who was responsible for the death of Ian Tomlinson, also at the G20 protest.  See here.

Evenin' All

In the course of writing about these events and reading other blogs I came across Inspector Gadget. This is a blog by a policeman for policemen (and women).  I’m not quite clear whether the author is a serving police inspector or not.  If he’s still in the job I’m not sure that it’s entirely proper for him to be writing as he is but I’m still considering my verdict on that.

Inspector Gadget does offer an extraordinary insight into the attitudes of serving police officers.  There are hundreds of comments demonstrating intelligence, passion, anger, professionalism and, in a few cases, crass stupidity and irresponsibility.  I’m reassured that there are many police officers who see that the acquittal of Smellie and the delay in prosecuting the murder of Ian Tomlinson causes enormous damage to the police.  I am very deeply disturbed though by the attitudes that far too many of Inspector Gadget’s contributors demonstrate.

Put Up With It. It's Your Job.

It is quite clear that many officers are psychologically unsuited to the job and are not “fit and proper” people to be given the authority and responsibility of a police constable.  Judging by some of the contributors who claim to be trained in “split second decision making” and the control of violent disorder, I’d say that some of them are bordering on psychopathic.  They shouldn’t be allowed on the streets at all, let alone in a police uniform.

I think Inspector Gadget should be much more widely read, certainly within the Home Office and by those (I wish I knew who they are) who have control over the strategic direction of policing and police recruitment.  There are attitudes demonstrated that suggest to me we should be opening a whole new wing at Brixton or, more probably, Broadmoor, for psychopathic, violent ex-police officers.

Obviously this won’t make me popular with some people and, as I don’t hide my identity, maybe I should be expecting a knock on the door in the middle of the night, but I cannot stand by and let attitudes such as these prevail.

You’re not entitled to complain about being shouted at, abused,  sworn at, threatened (within limits) or protestors not obeying your “orders”.  This is all part of the job.

Your standard of behaviour must be far, far higher than the protestors.  If you cannot control your temper, even in the face of extreme provocation, you shouldn’t be in the job.

I am a strong supporter of the police.  The necessary concomitant of that is that any officer who steps out of line or goes over the top must be punished severely, more severely than if they were a member of the general public.

Anyone who cannot see the wrong perpetrated by Smellie against Fisher and by Officer X against Tomlinson is not fit to be a police officer.