The force is facing criticism of its response to the attacks, including why the attacker was allowed to wander the city for as long as he did. The Labour MP for Perry Barr, Khalid Mahmood, asked why the suspect had “two hours to run around the city centre” despite the high number of CCTV cameras. “Where was the monitoring? Both the public and police were put at further risk.”
It's a fair question. As the first of the reports were coming in, people were begging for a description. As you would expect. They needed to know who to potentially be wary of.
The West Midlands police and crime commissioner, David Jamieson, defended the force, saying it had had to trawl through thousands of hours of CCTV footage.
He told Times Radio: “They had to find significant quality of pictures to be able to put out so people could give some sort of recognition. So that did take time.
“What we had initially in the first few hours was a very broad description of the person, but of course thousands of people in Birmingham look like that, it’s not very helpful putting out that rather broad description, we need to have something more specific.”
Really? That's your excuse? You needed a picture for the media? It would have been just terrible if people had avoided young black men in the city centre, or given them a wary glance or two?
More terrible than having other people stabbed in the meantime?
It beggars belief but it seems our emasculated police force really does put political correctness above public safety. And here's the proof.
It's looking more and more likely that WMP and the local Crime Commissioner are bullshitting big time about the lack of a description of the suspect. Granted that private CCTV from bars may have had to have been viewed by why wasn't public CCTV overseen by Birmingham City Council being viewed live by officers? Maybe all of the available officers for live CCTV viewing were at some sort of 'diversity' course or something, wouldn't surprise me when it comes to WMP. I find it absolutely astonishing that the alleged Somalian Stabby McStabface was allowed to carry on his spree for at least two hours whilst WMP officers desperately tried to work out the difference between arse and elbow or whether putting out a description of the suspect would be 'racist'.
ReplyDeleteWMP has been very heavily penetrated by identity politics and Islamic grievance mongering types and the top brass there seem also to be very enthusiastic about 'Bramshill Bullshit'. Over at my place I've put up a list of stories about WMP (not even a full list of their mentions) where WMP have either been overly and overtly politically correct or where they have pandered to particular groups all at the expense of the safety and security of the average law abiding Brummie no matter who they are.
Nothing to contest...nail and head this morning.
ReplyDeleteWell I wouldn't stand close to a young black man because they invariable smell odd and unpleasant, regardless of their stabby tendencies. (It's a peculiar mixture of cannabis and stale sweat).
ReplyDeleteIt's about time that something was done to reduce knife crime in the black community for all our sakes.
I've a friend who's been working for that particular Farce for 16 years. The stories he's been telling me since day one are horrifying.
ReplyDeleteWMP = WiMP
ReplyDeleteWe have hundreds of CCTV cameras in our town but the council said due to cutbacks we can only afford one person in the CCTV room. Some of us who had done such work before offered to cover shifts free of charge as volunteers but we were told we needed to be trained. A friend of mine who runs CCTV training offered to train volunteers for almost nothing but then the council came clean and said they had contacted the CCTV room out and the company didn't want us. We still have only one person and cover is totally unacceptable but that's whats required in todays world it seems.
ReplyDeleteTo Just Trevor. Having monitored some of the stuff coming out of WMP for a few years now and spoken to those who have the misfortune to be policed by this force, I can well believe your friend's horrifying stories. I believe that WMP has been on the ethical skids for a while now and although Dave 'Burkha' Thompson is an egregious example of a very modern chief constable, some of his predecessors are from a similar vein. One CC of WMP was alleged by the Chief Inspector of Constabulary to have 'allowed certain communities to police themselves' and I think we all know or suspect what 'community' has been allowed such leeway.
ReplyDeleteTo Anon 1054 What a truly horrible and dispiriting story. The Council in your story seems to have lied to those residents who wanted to make a difference. The council should have come clean about the contracting out in the first place and the fact that they didn't makes me wonder whether there were some sort of shenanigans in how the contract was granted that the council wanted to obscure?
@ Farenheight211
ReplyDeleteI believe that WMP has been on the ethical skids for a while now
Since at least 1974.
Asiaseen But isn't 1974 the year they were created? Oh I see what you did there LOL
ReplyDelete@ Farenheight211
ReplyDeleteYes, the Birmingham Six - a highlight in WMP history
If that is the highlight for WMP I'd hate to see the low light, although this may be coming down the road soon as WMP have been sitting on a massive and festering can of worms in the form of Islamic Rape Gang activity which they seem to be doing very little about.
ReplyDelete"It's looking more and more likely that WMP and the local Crime Commissioner are bullshitting big time..."
ReplyDeleteI always assume they are, about everything. Saves time.
"I've a friend who's been working for that particular Farce for 16 years. The stories he's been telling me since day one are horrifying."
They do have an unenviable reputation from the 60s and 70s that they've not managed to shake off yet...
"We still have only one person and cover is totally unacceptable but that's whats required in todays world it seems."
So much for that sense of security that CCTV is meant to give us... :/