[Yug]

Constable Savage is alive and well

The only events for which Metropolitan police chiefs authorised the potential use of baton rounds in the past six years were black-led gatherings, documents show.

The weapons, intended to be a less lethal alternative to regular firearms, have been cleared for use at Notting Hill carnival since 2017 and the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

Known as plastic bullets, baton rounds have never been fired during public order incidents on the British mainland, but have been used in Northern Ireland, where earlier versions of the weapons led to deaths.

The authorisation emerged in documents released after a freedom of information request by Liberty Investigates, the results of which were shared with the Guardian.

Amnesty International said the decision to authorise their use was an example of institutional racism in the Met, which the force denies. A report by Louise Casey in March found the Met to be institutionally racist.

A spokesperson for London mayor, Sadiq Khan, who oversees the Met, said the revelation was “very concerning” and that he would seek answers from the force’s leaders...

https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... oi-reveals

The Met said: “It is inaccurate and irresponsible to imply the ethnicity of those likely to be involved in an event or protest influences the tactics considered.”

If the Met know this, why did they do it? - They're not racist, they just don't like nig-nogs.

[MisterMuncher]

Plastic bullets were always a peculiarly selective weapon in their deployment.

[Boiler]

Just when you thought the pigs couldn't get any worse: Police on Steroids

WARNING: This episode contains disturbing audio from the very start as well as bad language, offensive comments and descriptions of a sexual nature. It also refers to drug taking and dealing.


The shaky mobile phone footage was harrowing. Filmed by his neighbour, Andre Moura can be heard screaming for help, telling the police they are hurting him and begging to speak to his children. He’d been sprayed with CS gas - a shocked eyewitness describes watching a police officer kneeing him several times.

In police bodycam footage of the same incident, PC Chris Bolger is heard telling the warehouse worker he won’t win “this fight” and that the officer would, “put him to sleep”. Soon afterwards the dad of four suffered a massive heart attack in the back of a police van and died

Late last year, the footage was played to an inquest jury tasked with determining how Andre had died. But what the jury weren’t told was that the police officer and keen body builder accused of attacking Andre had been convicted of selling steroids and resigned before he could be sacked by Greater Manchester Police.

Disturbed by the case, campaigner Gail Hadfield-Grainger sets out for Radio 4 out to investigate whether this was an isolated case, or if it could be symptomatic of a wider steroid issue amongst the Police

With in-depth interviews, Gail explores why some police officers feel they have to take anabolic steroids, if addiction to muscle building substance is putting them at the mercy of criminal dealers, and whether “Roid Rage” could be risking lives by causing some officers to use excessive force in high tension interactions with the public.

Gail also explores whether it could be fuelling sexual crime by police officers and speaks to one expert who says he believes, when it comes to Anabolic Steroids the authorities may have “fallen asleep at the wheel”

I listened to this on the way home and it left me stunned, to say the least...

[The Weeping Angel]

I did some digging and found an article on the incident

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk ... r-25764206

A dad-of-four died having suffered a cardiac arrest in the back of a police van after taking cocaine and being involved in a 'significant' and 'high-stressing, physical struggle' with officers, an inquest jury has concluded.

Andre Moura, 30, was detained by cops outside his home on Seventh Avenue in the Limeside area of Oldham on suspicion of a breach of the peace following a number of emergency calls from his long-term partner and mother of his children about his behaviour on Friday, July 6, 2018.

[The Weeping Angel]

Oh and before I get brickbats thrown at me, I'm not defending the actions of the police officer just pointing out additional information about the case.

[Boiler]

Oh and before I get brickbats thrown at me, I'm not defending the actions of the police officer just pointing out additional information about the case.

Nobody's going to lobs bricks at you TWA, least of all me - what you highlighted does get mentioned in the programme along with audio taken from the phone of the arrest. (I did listen to it, after all)

It's the rest of it that's alarming, especially the bit about armed response officers being encouraged to take them by their fucking trainers - and the effect of steroids on libido and some of the content of the WhatsApp messages.

[The Weeping Angel]

Oh and before I get brickbats thrown at me, I'm not defending the actions of the police officer just pointing out additional information about the case.

Nobody's going to lobs bricks at you TWA, least of all me - what you highlighted does get mentioned in the programme along with audio taken from the phone of the arrest. (I did listen to it, after all)

It's the rest of it that's alarming, especially the bit about armed response officers being encouraged to take them by their fucking trainers - and the effect of steroids on libido and some of the content of the WhatsApp messages.

Thanks for that, I'll listen to thay when I've got the time, as for the throwing of brickbats I'm sorry for saying that I know you wouldn't do that, It's just I was worried people might think I was defending the police which I wasn't.

[Watchman]

Not so much rotten, as incompetent.
I don't know if all police forces use the same software, or have their IT managed by a third-party, but following on from the PSNI leaks this is not looking too good, especially as it was the same circumstances, responding to a FoI request

://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66510136

[Bones McCoy]

Not so much rotten, as incompetent.
I don't know if all police forces use the same software, or have their IT managed by a third-party, but following on from the PSNI leaks this is not looking too good, especially as it was the same circumstances, responding to a FoI request

://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66510136

You'l find a comment from me somewhere above.
The context was outsourcers avoiding tendering for Met business.

Yes it's almost all outsourced, much running in cloud or within the outsourcer's estate.
At present the data must still be UK resident.
But that might not survive the next trade deal negotiations.

Imagine the prospect of all our police records residing in a country which doesn't have a 2 way extradition treaty with us.

[Yug]

Just what we need. Walts in positions of authority

A chief constable has been placed under criminal investigation and suspended over claims that he wore a military medal from the Falklands campaign despite not having fought in it.

Nick Adderley, the chief constable of Northamptonshire police, is under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which will examine whether the offences of misconduct in public office and fraud by false representation may have been committed.

Adderley, now 57, and 15 at the time of the Falklands conflict in 1982, had been pictured wearing a medal given to those who served during the conflict. He explained that the medal belonged to his brother, who had served in the war.

It is understood that IOPC investigators are examining whether other references were made to Adderley having served in the Falklands conflict, with his knowledge.

An IOPC spokesperson said: “The Independent Office for Police Conduct is criminally investigating the chief constable of Northamptonshire over allegations that he has potentially misrepresented his military service, both in public and in communications with the police, fire and crime commissioner...

https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... -complaint

I could wear my grandad's WWI medals - on the right-hand side of my coat to show I'm wearing them for someone else. This twat wore his brother's medal on the left, like it was awarded to him and, apparently, lied about his military service.

Makes me wonder what else he's been lying about.

[Bones McCoy]

I humbly submit.

One of the last things our police forces need is leadership who have a hard-on for the military.
It's an unhealthy direction.

[Youngian]

If a bent 57 year old pulled that stunt it would show how thick villians are but a chief constable! Is society getting more stupid?

[Yug]

Unfortunately, yes.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Another Met rapist.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... mpted-rape

A serving Metropolitan police officer has been charged with attempted rape, allegedly committed 10 years ago, the force said.

Sgt Elliot Butler, attached to the Central East command unit, was also charged with causing a male to engage in penetrative sexual activity.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Byeline Times are reporting that the case (sexual assault, 4 complainants) against Tory MP Julian Knight has been moved from the Met to Essex Police because

The complainant thought her allegations against Julian [Knight] were not being taken seriously by The Met. She felt officers assigned to the case were not competent and didn’t appear to know what they were doing.
Given the Met had an armed Metropolitan Police officer working around Parliament who went on to kill a woman, and the Casey report said there might be others, she didn’t think it could be trusted to investigate her allegations.

https://bylinetimes.com/2023/11/27/mps- ... yny-fears/

[Samanfur]

Including obligatory dig at Sadiq Khan from Susan Hall:

Met detective sacked for racism has been reinstated and sent on leadership course

A Metropolitan police detective initially sacked for racism has been reinstated and sent on a leadership course, the Guardian has learned.

DS Neil Buckmaster was dismissed in 2021 after a discipline panel found him guilty of gross misconduct. The panel heard he had used racist terms, which he gave to avatars while playing an online football game.

A public complaint led to an investigation, and Buckmaster was sacked and placed on a list barring him from employment in policing, Scotland Yard announced.

When asked about Buckmaster’s continued services, the force said he had been dismissed but an appeal tribunal set aside the guilty finding.

The Met added that a new misconduct hearing date was set but its directorate of professional standards reviewed the case and decided not to proceed.

It also said the case added to the strength of the commissioner Mark Rowley’s argument that he, and not an appeals tribunal, should have the final say about who works in the Met.

Buckmaster is now back in the Met and is still a detective sergeant. In 2021 the Met said the officer’s behaviour was “offensive and utterly unacceptable”.

Buckmaster is based in south London and is understood to be assigned to a programme to help transform the Met, which is battling to win back public trust.

[Yug]

Whine whine grizzle

The head of the Metropolitan Police, Britain's biggest police force, has criticised "armchair commentators" who film on-duty officers.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley claimed the prospect of frequently being filmed and critiqued on social media might put off future police recruits.

Writing on LinkedIn, he said: "The reality is that policing is complex, challenging and can look messy."

He said officers regularly found themselves caught up in public debate.

Sir Mark said: "We expect officers to arrive on scene quickly and act with limited information based on what they see.

"They don't have the benefit of being able to watch a full incident unfold before deciding what to do, they have to be decisive and act quickly.

"And they do so in the glare of hundreds of people ready to film their every moment."

He added: "There aren't many professions where from the minute you arrive at an incident to the minute you leave, you are filmed and then critiqued by an army of armchair commentators."..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-l ... 533904.amp

I wonder what could have given the general public the impression that the Met are not to be trusted and it would be a good idea to make a record of their actions? Because from where I'm sitting, it doesn't appear that they're doing very much to clean up their act.

[Andy McDandy]

I've seen police rush in mob handed, and I've seen police defuse tense situations by separating people, slowing things down, making use of words to warn people off or clarify what's going on.

[Abernathy]

I see Mark Rowley's head on a platter is being demanded again, this time by a prominent campaigner against anti-semitism who was advised by a met police officer not to cross a road down which a vociferous pro-Palestine demonstration was proceeding, apparently on grounds that it might trigger a disturbance or endanger the campaigner's safety and/or the safety of others on the march.

It would seem that the police officer described the campaigner, who was apparently wearing a kippah and carrying a prayer shawl, as "openly Jewish". Ouch. Another situation in which a clumsy choice of words un-necessarily inflames a situation. Seems to me that "identifiably Jewish" might have been the better, somewhat less freighted-with-mild-racism phrase.

Braverman, of course, has jumped on the "hate-marchers" bandwagon, despite admitting not to have seen the full recording of the incident now available.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

An innocent passer-by who had in his entourage three bodyguards, a film crew and a photographer.

'Innocent...'

(Braverman apparently said that she didn't need to see the whole video, she had already made her mind up...)