A man was detained as a terrorist suspect for taking a photo of a police car being driven erratically across a public park.Another spectacular own goal by the police?
Malcolm Sleath, who is chairman of his local park society, was stopped by two officers and told he had breached Section 44 of the Terrorism Act.The police acting as bully boys again?
The law was amended in February to allow police to stop and search anyone they consider is a terrorist threat.
…Mr Sleath, acting chairman of the Friends of Town Park in Enfield, North London, was furious because police are not allowed to drive in that area of park.Oh, oh, looks like we’ve got these police bang to ri…
The 62-year-old management consultant said: 'It was coming a public footpath and leaving tyre marks everywhere and making people move out of the way.
'They are supposed to park and investigate things on foot, so I wanted to show the picture to the sergeant.
'(The officer) was clearly embarrassed to be photographed where he shouldn't have been and wanted to intimidate me.'
Oh, wait:
The two PCSOs had been dispatched to the park to look for evidence of drug use in the surrounding bushes.So, not real police after all.
Yet, they are driving a police car while engaged in police work, detaining ‘suspects’ without cause to try to deflect criticism of their own actions, and proving themselves ignorant of the law.
Does it not occur to the people in charge that their actions therefore reflect badly on the police themselves? Or, is that the point?
But their bosses issued an immediate apology to Mr Sleath after the incident and admitted the pair should have been on foot.He’s proven to be utterly incompetent at his job, unable to follow instructions and inclined to be an abusive bullyboy when (rightly) challenged by the people that pay his wages.
The PCSO concerned has also received 'formal words of advice', a police spokesman said.
Why does he still have a job…?
Maybe he was 'specially' qualified? very important in todays quota driven Met Police. Maybe he was just a numpty? Whatever, We know what he was. What he shouldn't be doing is driving a marked police vehicle and engaged in those kind of duties. reassurance, visible reassurance is the sole purpose of PCSOs, however, in line with all the warnings, they are slowly being turned into quasi-police officers.
ReplyDeleteEyebrows will be raised by properly qualified Police. Citizens reading such stories for the first time, may do so open-mouthed. I link this topic with reports in my village of another demented PCSO. He and his junior colleague walk our pavements two abreast, with 'militia are coming' style that obliges residents to step into the road to avoid collision; a hazard aggravated when the pair are engrossed in blind conversation. Another disturbing rumour concerns the use of PCSO uniform as cover for peeping Tom activities.
ReplyDeleteMr Blunkett's original idea to assist the public and enhance police performance, has been a catastrophic failure on both counts.
Apropos of "New Police", on the local London BBC News last night we were shown some jumped up traffic wardens employed by Southwark Council. These officials have been empowered to confiscate alcoholic drink or cigarettes from young people drinking/smoking in the street. Although this "initiative" meets with the approbation of the BBC (it was a very favourable report since it contrasted the social activism of a lefty council with that of Mayor Johnson) I can't see them actually making any difference. If approached the yoof in question will tell the traffic wardens to perform an anatomical impossibility and . . er . . that'll be it: what a waste of a smart new uniform!
ReplyDelete"What he shouldn't be doing is driving a marked police vehicle and engaged in those kind of duties."Agreed. Sadly, the real police aren't exactly covering themselves with gloty, either...
ReplyDelete"Mr Blunkett's original idea to assist the public and enhance police performance, has been a catastrophic failure on both counts."Yes, I think the Blind Philanderer was, on reflection, even worse than the current incumbent.
"These officials have been empowered to confiscate alcoholic drink or cigarettes from young people drinking/smoking in the street."No doubt, only from smartly-dressed, middle-class, white young people. In groups of no more than three. In the South Bank area only.
Got to consider their own personal safety, after all.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8005192.stm
ReplyDelete"The Met said the reinstated PCSO, who has an "exemplary record", has received a formal and final warning and will not be eligible to become a Pc."
ReplyDeleteOh. Well, that's all right then...
But why so lenient?
"The PCSO, who has served with the Met for about 18 months and worked with diverse communities in west London..."Ah...
Face it , its policing in the cheap . they are even talking about having another level of policing to do PCSO's jobs of issuing tickets...
ReplyDeletejobs fucked