When Is An Emergency Not An Emergency?

The attack was witnessed by an ex-Metropolitan Police Officer who called 999 - but police at Gloucestershire Police graded the call a 'Category Two' incident, meaning it only required a response within the next four hours.

The former policeman followed Riddall's car and again phoned 999 less than fifteen minutes later, this time giving the fiend's registration.

But officers still graded the call a Category Two, despite Riddall's registration being linked on police computers to another suspicious incident just four months earlier.

No, before you ask, none of them were sacked for gross incompetence...

The ex-police officer clearly has more integrity than any of the current sorry bunch:

'I left it to the police to do their job. If I'd known this guy had a young girl in the car with him, I'd have forced him off the road without a second's thought. I do feel bad now that I let him go.'

Yup, he actually feels guilty. Even though it's no longer his responsibility.

The woman, now living in London with her daughter, said the findings of the police watchdog the Independent Police Complaints Commission meant nothing to her family.

'The simple fact is the police should have come out when they got that call - they had a witness saying someone was being attacked in a car. How serious does it have to be before they go and check.

'Yes, they've admitted they've made mistakes and they've now made some changes, but that's not good enough. I'm disgusted with the whole system, we feel completely and utterly abandoned.'

You aren't alone. Everyone does.

The IPCC report is rather revealing, though:

The IPCC ruled the 999 calls were not dealt with efficiently and resources were not deployed to the incident, but said the calls made no reference to the victim being a child.

Because that makes all the difference? The age of the victim is a reason for taking it more or less seriously?

Is this possibly due to the poisonous legacy of these cases?

And what of the bumbling incompetents in this case? Did they receive any punishment at all?

'The control room staff were clearly unaware of her age and vulnerability,' said a spokesman, adding that two inspectors, one sergeant and five control room staff were subject to performance advice for their individual inaction in handling the initial 999 call.

*speechless*