Police recruits to Britain's largest force were banned yesterday from having visible tattoos in a sweeping reform of its public image.
Scotland Yard Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said body art that can be seen by the public 'damages the professional image' of the service.Really? According to whom? Have you ever been asked, or polled?
No. Me neither.
And he ordered a 'tattoo amnesty' in which anyone who already has marks on their hands, neck or face must declare them within weeks or be sacked.Ummm, if they are visible, don't they already count as 'declaring themselves'?
But rank-and-file representatives claim associating tattoos with criminals is old-fashioned and police should reflect the public they serve.Well, quite! Just try Googling the phrase and see what you get! It drips from the lips of politician and union member, pressure group leader and civil servant alike.
'It will be a requirement, by the Commissioner, that all officers and police staff with existing tattoos defined as 'visible' must register such tattoos as a formal written declaration to their line manager before November 12.'Why can't their line managers just look at their staff and note down the tattoos? Are they all blind? Or is that a loaded question right at the moment?
Met officers have already questioned how officers from islands in the South Pacific where cultural tattoos are common will be affected.Do we get a lot of those, then? I suppose we would if the top brass thought it would help their diversity scores!
And they highlighted that many servicemen may find they are unable to join the police after leaving the Armed Forces.Ah, now, I suspect that's not something that'll worry Bernie and his cronies - in fact, the useless top brass probably consider it an advantage, preferring straight-out-of-university, easily-moulded footsoldiers!
Of course, if Bernie was really worried about public image he'd just make sure all his Taser-wielding officers had gone to Specsavers...
45 comments:
Bunny
Julia you know that is unfair and the tazer incident happened in Lancashire and not London. I cannot imagine any Met officer mistaking a blind man's stick for a samurai sword. However in the officer's defence a thin white stick to assist the blind in mobility (a blind 60+ year old) must closely ressemble a samurai sword. As relatives who fought in Burma used to say, when didn't know whether it was the Japanese Imperial Guard attacking or some old architect from Chorley.
Scotland Yard Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said body art that can be seen by the public 'damages the professional image' of the service.
Face meet palm, palm meet face.
That particular horse is well over the horizon Bernie, trying to slam the stable door now is futile.
A long time ago there was said to be a Peer in The Lords, a former admiral, who when young was tattooed. It was on the whole of his back and consisted of a pack of hounds with a mounted hunt. They were chasing a fox about to go down a hole, I say no more.
Julia, you are being unfair with this latest taser incident.
I mean, it's easily done, isn't it? Mistaking a blind man's cane for a samurai sword, and an old cripple for drunken thug.
I did it myself once; I saw a guy with a table leg in a plastic bag, but I thought it was a shotgun, so I said anyway, and shot him to death on the grounds that I thought he looked a bit shady.
Oh no, I remember now, it wasn't me, it was the Police.
Again.
Yet more evidence that we should be taking weapons away from plod, not giving them more, particularly firearms.
Cue the defense of the indefensible from Ivor, Jaded, Pense, et al.
Bunny beat me to it with the Lancashire point.
As for tattoos I unusually agree with BHH.It doesn't happen very often!
Police should not have visible tattoos,it gives a bad impression.I realise i'm a dinosaur.
My first Sergeant once said to me "not all people with tattoos are criminals,but all criminals have tattoos".A sweeping generalisation but not far from the truth.
Jaded
The tazer incident was reported on BBC NorthWest last night. The newsreader said: The incident has left him shaken.
How he read that bit out and kept a straight face, I'll never know.
NTN,we were posting at the same time!As for the tazering in Lancashire it seems the PC made a genuine mistake and the police have apologised.The "victim" will make a full recovery and get some money.Fair enough.When humans are involved in anything then things sometimes go wrong.
For every negative police story on here (and in the Mail) there are 100's of good ones that don't get publicised.
Next time i'm faced with a violent man I will give you a ring and ask you what you what you would do in my shoes.Try and reply without swearing.
Jaded
The "victim"
Why the quotation marks? He's a victim of an unprovoked attack.
Bunny
Jaded a genuine mistake would be mistaking something that genuinely looked like a samurai sword from the distance and not a very thin white stick for feeling obstacles in your way. This was an act of abject stupidity and the officer responsible deserves all the stick (no pun intended) he gets for it.
Having tazered the old man to the ground and then obviously realised their terrible mistake why did they then cuff him? I can possibly see that a mistake was made with regard to sword/stick but once the guy was on the ground and the sword had turned out to be a white stick cuffing him is indefensible.
Imagine if the victim had been black. There would have been a riot and Chorley's JD sport would have been out of trainers.
Sorry Jaded, but you're trying to defend the indefensible here.
The copper responsible needs to take a walk down the labour exchange as he is totally unsuited to the job.
Now before anyone chimes in about "You weren't there, you don't know the full circumstances", let me put it this way, I don't think I've ever seen an old blind man tap tapping a white stick along the road and thought to myself Fuck me, there's a ninja waving around a samurai sword, better nip this in the bud right sharpish before there's some serious public order.
why did they then cuff him?
@ Anon.
In a video interview the gentleman makes it clear that the second policeman realized what had happened and ordered that the cuffs be removed. He then immediately took the gentleman to hospital and was, presumably, no longer available to look for the real sword-waving lunatic.
The one bright spot is that there was no collusion; the error is down to one hysterical policeman seeing ninjas all over the the place.
Budvar,i'm not defending him,I said he made a mistake.
As for losing his job,that's a difficult one.He might have an exemplary service record before this incident,he might not,I don't know.Should every public servant get the sack when he/she screws up?Each case on its merits.
Jaded
Jaded,
I'll keep it simple, just for you.
You are defending him, by mitigating rank stupidity down to the level of a mistake.
Yes, every last single public servant that shoots a blind man with an electro shock weapon should be summarily dismissed.
Try to reply without assaulting the nearest passer-by.
I can only assume that the this tasering policeman was of a very nervous disposition or he is an utter cunt! Whatever - this was another disgraceful incident.
BUT!
That said, once again commenters besmirch the reputation and, at times, honour of the thousands of front line police officers who daily acquit themselves bravely or just get on with the routine job of wiping up the arse end of society in the face of a government and managerial class who are selling the police service (and other great UK institutions) down the river whist doing ever so nicely for themselves.
Just because 1 police officer is a stupid wanker does not mean that all police officers are stupid wankers. Just because a banker is a greedy cunt doesn't mean that those working at branch level or at customer services are all greedy cunts. perspective Noggin and the rest of you please.
I went to the doctors last week and he mis-diagnosed me.I want him sacked.My dustman spilled rubbish on my drive.I want him sacked.The librarian tried to charge me for an overdue book that I had returned.I want her sacked.Just a question of scale really.
Let's hope NTN you never make a mistake at work.Whatever that work is as you've been a bit shy on that front.
No passers-by were assaulted during the composition of this post.
Jaded
As "mistakes" go, this has to be up there with "Sorry luv for shagging your sister, it was an easy mistake to make, could've happened to anyone, you look so much alike...".
Hey we all make mistakes, we all have to live with the consequences of our actions. I have my doubts the officer involved was some Constable Freshface straight out of the training depot, if he had a tazer.
Cockups of this magnitude, require the sack, if for no other reason, roided up fucktards like him will get you killed.
I wouldn't work with him. Not only that, his job's fucked anyway. Picture the scene, PC Tazer is stood in the dock, the brief of one "Chavvy McScrote on trial for robbing the gas meter of a little old lady, says "On the night of the 15th at 3am, a dark and moonless night if I recall, you saw my client from 15 yards away climbing out the downstairs bathroom window of no26, is that right?. After a chase of over a half mile, over garden walls and fences, my client was arrested. My client claims a case of mistaken identity, How is your eyesight?...".
Ivor, my comments are directed at the individual concerned, and in no way are directed at police in general.
Jaded, are you seriously comparing the events that transpired in Chorley with binmen trailing rubbish up your garden path or some clerical error by some frumpy librarian?
If so, it begs the question, ever wonder why there are posters who try to tar you all with the same brush?
That should read "Wasn't Constable Freshface".
Jaded,
As I am not sucking the tax-payer tit, what I do for a living is none of your business. Rest assured I do not need to suspend my conscience nor assault old cripples to turn a shilling.
If the dustman assaulted me, I'd want him sacked. Same for the librarian, and if the doc made a mess of it and it cost my life, I would want him struck off.
Everybody makes mistakes, including me. I am not looking for perfection from the Police, or anyone else for that matter. What I do want is the reassurance that, when a Police Officer misuses or abuses his far reaching powers, in cases of violence, like this one, that that Officer is removed from service and disciplined, properly.
A definition of 'properly' could be found by comparing the public sector with the private. If the local greengrocer electro-shocked an old blind man, kneed him and cuffed him, because he thought his cane was a samurai sword and the shambling old man an unruly thug, I would not expect the Guild of Grocers to explain it away as a mistake, nor suggest that cash would make it better. Nor would I expect that man to keep his job, after criminally assaulting a customer.
What makes these things SO much worse is muppets like you claiming that ABH is no big deal, he'll get better (you hope) and some hush money will sort everything out, just a mistake, you see?
The difference is-a question of scale as I mentioned-is that everyone makes mistakes.In my job they are often more serious and widely publicised and used against us by people with an agenda.
Does anyone seriously think the PC involved said to himself "there's a blind man,I don't care that he's innocent i'm going to tazer him even though I could lose my job over it?"
No ones mentioned De Menzes or Hillsborough yet,i'm very disappointed. And for gods sake WHERE'S MELVIN???Oh yes he's down at "Lawnmowers R Us".
Jaded
Jaded,
You are correct, it is a question of scale. Electrocuting blind people is toward the top end of that scale.
Do you REALLY believe he mistook a blind cane for a samurai sword?
Really?
Odd incident on my lawn today. A burglar, complete with swag-bag, caught me almost unawares and was running towards me his jemmy raised. Instinctively, I threw my lawn aerator at him in an effort to repel the insane charge.
Bit of a goof, really. I had genuinely mistaken our regular Postie, 'Ginger', for a criminal intent on injuring me. As it turned out, he was actually walking away from me when my javelin skewered his left kidney.
Fortunately, Ginger has a surplus kidney plus a terrific sense of humour. You have probably made the same kind of mistake yourselves - Ginger and I are still laughing at mine.
Bunny
Jaded. While I normally have sympathy for your viewpoint, this is not a 'mistake' this is a potentially fatal error of judgement. Especially to carry it through to hand cuffing the unfortunate gentleman. In this instance you are defending something which is very hard to defend and retain credibility, the officer in question tazered a man whom he mistook for being a samurai sword wielding mad man. This poor gentleman was in his 60's and is in delicate health, he could have been killed or had another stroke.
I am compelled to endorse and support the contributions made by our distinguished and educatid plod residents. Remember - we learn more from our failures, not from our successes.
It must be cold down there, Jaded. Permit me to assist with an offer to sharpen your blunt spade.
Melvin,I graciously accept the offer of your blunt spade.I assume it wasn't stolen in the great shed burglary?
I use the word mistake as I can't imagine he did it deliberately.
Jaded
Bunny,
Jaded there is a difference between negligence and a mistake. This is negligence, a duty of care was breached.
For the love of God, Jaded, will you please stop digging. You'll never hear the last of this one.
Yes it's possible the blind guy could have been victim in a horrible case of mistaken identity, however improbable, but to compound this "mistake" by manhandling him, slapping the cuffs on him as the guy as he shouting "I'm blind, I'm blind" and it being patently obvious he's no spring chicken as the officer arriving on the scene can plainly see, as he tells him to get off him and remove the cuffs before taking him to hospital?
Even for me though, I think the likelihood of geriatric ninjas being the cause of huge public order problems even in one horse towns like Chorley is stretching credulity a little bit too far.
Ok he was negligent.There you go.I'm outnumbered.
Jaded
jaded you looser sarje sed we was too lie threw us teef like at hilsburrow innit
Jaded,
It's nothing to do with numbers, it's all to do with basic decency.
Things like not hurting the disabled, and not defending those who do.
NTN Don't lecture me on basic decency,i've seen some of your posts on other blogs.
Jaded
Miaaaaaaaarrrraaaaawow
Jaded,
Don't take the moral high ground with me, It's crumblimg under your feet, just like the public's respect for para-military thugs who electrocute cripples and their cheerleaders.
You got a ra-ra skirt Jaded?
noggin jaded dunt tel lies cos off a truf tatu on her knek
Give it a rest Noggin, and tell that little twerp MTG to stop hiding behind you. You're like a nasty bully with his cowardly supporter in a playground. There have been some pertinent comments on this ghastly incident but once again you smear every police officer. Jaded bravely tries to deal with tsunami of hateful prejudice but, thanks to some of the utter cunts employed as police officers, he is often on a losing wicket - that said there's debate and there's being a cunt. You seem to enjoy the latter. I would love to know what you do, I'm sure many could find examples of total and utter cunts in your line of work whilst acknowledging you are one of the professionals. Grow the fuck up! Melvin can't because he is mentally ill, maybe you have a chance.
Oooh look children, it's Ivor The Engine talking through his whistle....again.
Ivor uses naughty words when his boiler runs short of nice Welsh Steam Coal.
Ivor,
Bite me.
Oh Noggin...what an acerbic and witty put down....NOT!
Nice change of name again there Melvin, you can be quite witty, when you've taken the nice medicine.
When Noggs has finished with you in the school lavs perhaps you can give him some pointers.
"As relatives who fought in Burma used to say, when didn't know whether it was the Japanese Imperial Guard attacking or some old architect from Chorley."
:D
"Bunny beat me to it with the Lancashire point."
Ummm, Jaded, there was a certain amount of nuance in that..
"Police should not have visible tattoos,it gives a bad impression.I realise i'm a dinosaur."
I think it depends on the tattoo - as with so many other things, less is more. One or two small, discreet tattoos, OK. Face full of them? No.
"For every negative police story on here (and in the Mail) there are 100's of good ones that don't get publicised."
Jaded, you might as well argue that the news doesn't concentrate on the hundreds of doctors who cut the right leg off patients, and focuses on the one who cuts off the wrong one!
That's just life. 'Man fulfils training and does job' isn't news - 'man fails miserably at job despite training' is.
That's never ever going to change.
"Having tazered the old man to the ground and then obviously realised their terrible mistake why did they then cuff him?"
It seems the same idiot that's trigger happy with the Taser has a weird fondness for his handcuffs too.
As WoaR points out, his partner seems to have realised what a bloody liability he is...
"Just because 1 police officer is a stupid wanker does not mean that all police officers are stupid wankers."
Quite so.
But until you can figure out which ones are the stupid wankers, best you don't increase the chances of stupid wankerdom becoming widespread by handing out Tasers to all, eh?
"Cockups of this magnitude, require the sack, if for no other reason, roided up fucktards like him will get you killed."
THIS!
"What makes these things SO much worse is muppets like you claiming that ABH is no big deal, he'll get better (you hope)..."
I find this comment of Gadget's rather extraordinary.
A man so wedded to his belief that he'd accept 'accidents' to his own family, well...
"For the love of God, Jaded, will you please stop digging. You'll never hear the last of this one."
Well, I'm not so sure about that one. When this story broke on Twitter, I recalled the diabetic coma man tased by some idiot, and was surprised to find many people didn't remember it.
Some of them police. You'd think it'd form part of their training?
"...Jaded bravely tries to deal with tsunami of hateful prejudice but, thanks to some of the utter cunts employed as police officers, he is often on a losing wicket..."
Then perhaps the time has come to stop defending them, both on blogs and on the job?
If the police didn't close ranks, and rooted out their own bad apples - especially didn't re-employ them when they WERE rooted out (remember PC Harwood?) - you might just regain some of that public trust.
Just a thought.
Dear Noggin
'Ivor' cries a great deal. He sees balcony jumping as a permanent solution and requires an extra wide berth.
Trust me on this.
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