But as Littlejohn points out, the behaviour of the police in all this should concern us all, shouldn't it?
The heavy-handed nature of some of the arrests is also troubling. Why was it necessary to nick Davidson as he arrived at Heathrow Airport, as if he was some kind of international terrorism suspect?
What was the urgency? And if there is an overwhelming case against him, why has he been released without charge until March?
Police also raided one of Davidson’s homes in Hampshire and emerged carrying boxes of ‘evidence’. Were they seriously expecting to find evidence of a 25-year-old sexual assault tucked away in a sock drawer?This will, no doubt, bring statements such as 'Just doin' our job!' and 'We just gather evidence, it's up to the CPS!'. They should ring hollow.
Stuart Hall, who is 82, was arrested at his Cheshire home in a full-scale dawn raid. What were they expecting him to do — leg it over the back wall or try to blast his way out with a sawn-off, screaming: ‘You’ll never take me alive, copper!’
Just before Christmas, Greater Manchester Police smashed down the front door of Fred Talbot, former weatherman on This Morning with Richard and Judy, in connection with an allegation which dates back to the early Seventies. Talbot was on holiday in the Caribbean.
Given that the police wanted to question him over a complaint about something which is alleged to have taken place when he was working as a teacher 40-odd years ago, couldn’t they just have waited until he got back and invited him in for an interview?Littlejohn wonders if this high-profile activity (cameras often invited) is related to the US 'perp-walk' procedure. Something you might expect those who claim to be above this all to decry?
Curiously, the scale and methods of these operations seem not to concern the usual Left-wing ‘human rights activists’ who are always ready to howl about police misconduct, abuse of civil liberties and the presumption of innocence.Quite! Though the 'Guardian' did put up a 'sympathy for the Devil' piece just yesterday, it's unlikely to start to wake up and smell the coffee until a beloved Left-wing figure is arrested by our Theatrical Squad.
The police chiefs are always banging on about the need to have the police farce properly accredited - who knew they meant by RADA?
15 comments:
I think it's all do do with the "visible presence" sham isn't it? - perhaps they assume that if we see them marching celebs off to the nick then we'll conveniently forget that it's more usual to see only their pretend police (CSOs) on the street.
Yup, agreed.
It's also about "OK, we ignored horrendous allegations however well-founded for decades but now we are going into full-bore attack mode on the merest whiff of evidence-free antediluvian bottom-pinching. That's better isn't it?!"
I wondered why Fred, the mild mannered and knowledgeable weatherman from Granada Reports, had suddenly disappeared from the screen. Maybe his climate scepticism, which has a parallel with paedophilia if you believe certain alarmist types, has landed him in deep doo-doo.
RJ - spot on as ever! They'll have nabbed their computers especially, try and get them on something there. Damage done.
The modern police service controlled by a corrupt political class and overseen by a now Stalinist/Nazi hierarchy, the drones devoid of discretion, common sense and any real knowledge of law, procedure and POLICING SKILLS as were and who view US the public as the enemy....all of us.
Under Labour all the police forces set up huge public relations department with the object of convincing the public that the police, and therefore Labour, were doing a good job.
Publicity stunts like we are witnessing are the inevitable result.
Whilst the recent and unlamented Labour regime has a great deal to answer for in the destruction of the police 'service', the theatrical dawn raid, accompanied by drooling media predates the ascension of St. Tony.
I well remember the rozzers going to the house of Kevin Maxwell when he was being investigated for fraud following his dad's looting of the Mirror pension funds. The TV news bulletins all showed several coppers go up to the front door at about 6:30 am, and lustily bang on it. How we chortled when Mrs. Maxwell looked out of the bedroom window and said that she would call the police, only for the lead plod to say 'we are the police'.
Although it's quite 'entertaining' to see some high profile person humiliated in this way, surely it is quite unjust. Kev was later acquitted (yeah, I know, he could afford a top Brief), but I still clearly remember, twenty years later, the dawn raid put on for the cameras.
I suspect part of the problem is that those in charge now learn most about 'policing' from watching Hollywood rather than the experienced 'old' colleagues.
The simple lack of common sense evident in these raids staggers me. Even assuming a person is a potential threat (eg. average resident of any sink-hole estate in the country) wouldn't the sensible thing to do be to wait until they exit for their copy of The Guardian instead of lining up Swat and Tac-teams for the inevitable three ring circus.
I remember, years ago, a copper (and a martial artist of some renown) being called upon to deal with a sword wielding drunken/mad person in the street. As his partner stood some distance away watching, distracting and keeping the public away, he ran around the block and then just stood quietly behind the ranting 'ninja'. The man turned around because the crowd were laughing at him, saw the copper and.. dropped the sword and 'came quietly'.
Today we'd have people removed from homes/shops/businesses and a cordon put up, roads closed, Armed response units, Senior officers mouthing platitudes to the TV cameras and 'hand wringing' at the day long drama of it all.
I wonder just what went wrong.
The Police are now completely politicised and utterly out of control.
Quick anecdote? Well I do them everywhere else...
I ate Jim Davidson's Pizza! As you know, I live in Bristol. There is a Restaurant/Bar in Kings Street, called Renato's that is frequented by folk in the Music and Theatre business, it doesn't really start till 11pm and is still open at 4am. It's somewhere to eat and let your hair down after a gig.
Well Davidson was a familiar sight in Bristol in the 80s, being married to Allison Holloway, a local news presenter (second or third wife, can't remember, neither can he). The relationship was what is described as "difficult" and he was almost permanently pissed at the time. Well he was in the restaurant one night and completely legless and ordered a big Pizza. By the time it arrived he'd passed out. So Mama Renato (lovely old Italian lady) divvied it up to all the ajacent tables, including mine, and charged him for it. He never even knew he hadn't eaten it.
Which is kind of the point I'm making, he was so off his face back then, that any attempt to mount a defence against malicious accusations, well he hasn't got a chance has he?
This witch hunt has gotten completely out of hand. I have yet to hear one scrap of real corroborative evidence, against any of the Celebs arrested so far. And as I used to work in the Crown Court, and know well enough what level of proof you have to have to convict in a case that happened a month ago, let alone 20, 30, 40 years ago, this whole firago is looking more malicious and farcial by the day.
It had to happen eventually but I actually agree with one of your anti-police stories.The devil is in the detail with Littlejohn and the DM though.I read the whole article and two small paragraphs are the key to the rant.
"Dozens of journalists have had their houses turned upside down" and "Met boss BHH has effectively criminalised all contact between the police and the press".That's the reason he is on the attack at the behest of is editor who is working for the government.
Back to the arrests-I think they were done to send a message that they we DOING SOMETHING and possibly hoping that more victims will come forward after the publicity. I don't think many of them will get charged in the end.
Jaded
It's all about keeping the real perpetrators out of the limelight........you know the elite and their circle of cronies.
This smacks of a cycle that a lot of police districts here in the States have been engaging in over the past decade or so:
Township police force acquires funding for SWAT team. (Makes certain members feel important, okay?)
Police force needs to do something to justify continued funding of SWAT team. (And continued feeling of importance.)
Police force uses SWAT team to raid homes of citizens on the thinnest of pretexts. (He/she was potentially dangerous! we're just doing our jobs!)
Of course, this has been happening on the federal level for some time. You might recall the ATF (now the BATFE; even the acronyms of bureaucracies grow to consume all available resources) getting into a little scuffle of dubious necessity in a place called Waco, Texas some years ago, right before they were due to justify their budget.
"...perhaps they assume that if we see them marching celebs off to the nick then we'll conveniently forget that it's more usual to see only their pretend police (CSOs) on the street."
They clearly have a low opinion of the public then. Perhaps they shouldn't be so quick to base it on their usual clientèle?
"...but now we are going into full-bore attack mode on the merest whiff of evidence-free antediluvian bottom-pinching. That's better isn't it?!""
No. But I can see why some might think that.
"Maybe his climate scepticism, which has a parallel with paedophilia if you believe certain alarmist types, has landed him in deep doo-doo"
I believe poor old Johnny Ball got the same treatment!
"...the theatrical dawn raid, accompanied by drooling media predates the ascension of St. Tony. "
Just so! I, too, remember the Maxwell Raid.
"The simple lack of common sense evident in these raids staggers me."
It's the toxic effect of conflicting PR opportunity plus 'elf n' safety, innit?
"... this whole firago is looking more malicious and farcial by the day."
And certain people are making out like bandits thanks to it!
"That's the reason he is on the attack at the behest of is editor who is working for the government."
*sigh*
And me, Jaded? And Anna Raccoon, and all the others raising concerns?
Who is paying us? Because, I have to say, the cheques damned late!
And so what if they don't get charged? The process is the punishment, these days. It stinks.
"This smacks of a cycle that a lot of police districts here in the States have been engaging in over the past decade or so"
Use it, or lose it to budget cuts, eh? Maybe...
The Daily Mail employs Simon Heffer, Peter Hitchens and Melanie Philips. All of them fully paid up members of the Call-Me-Dave Fan Club. Not!
Shot yourself in the foot there, Jaded. Mind how you go.
Post a Comment