A Met policewoman was today found guilty of gross misconduct after failing to take basic steps to protect a domestic violence victim who died after her husband set fire to her northwest London home.
PC Sandeep Khunkhun...
Oh! No race card? I'm shocked!
...failed to arrest Simmons or make arrangements for his arrest, interview Simmons, and take his electronic devices, witness statements or examine the lightbulb. She also did not act on a colleague's statement taken from the victim, wrongly recommended that crime reports be closed and failed to safeguard the victim by considering how she could get a panic alarm or send SOS messages.
Wouldn't have taken Professional Standards long, then?
Khunkhun's lawyer Ailsa Williamson said her client should be allowed to keep her job.
Wait, wait, this'll be good!
OK, do your best!
She urged the panel to give her either a written warning or a final written warning because Khunkhun has 'exceptional qualities' that mean she could have a 'valuable role' in another part of the force.
Really...?
She added: 'Her line manager says she is a diligent officer who provides a valuable service to the public.'
What, making sure murderers get a free kick at goal?
'She was part of a team which was overwhelmed with work, and her ability to do the work was impacted by her dyspraxia.'
Why are we employing a copper with a disability that may affect how she communicates?
'She did well as an officer in roles where there are clear tasks to follow, which was not the case here.'
But there were clear tasks to follow. She simply didn't follow them!
'The volume of work this unit was dealing with meant the level of supervision sergeants would like to have provided to those they were line managing was not possible.'
Why aren't they in the soup too, then?
'She did not know what was going to happen to the victim and this process has had a horrendous effect on her. She has found it incredibly stressful.'
Ah, yes. She's the real victim here, not the dead woman...
'She has exceptional qualities and could have a valuable role in another part of the force.
I'm not sure which, frankly. I'd say 'the canteen' but if she can't follow SOP for threats to life, I doubt she'd cope any better with a recipe for spaghetti bolognese...
'She always thinks with integrity and other officers have said they are happy to have her working in one of their teams.'
Well, doesn't that say it all!
7 comments:
I can understand Plod screwing it up. they have no risk in the game but time after time I read of this and wonder why didn't the women make a run for it. Why stay there if they are concerned enough to need Plod.
imo. The IQ on the planet has just increased a minuscule amount.
Two points-if you google "met police misconduct hearings" then you will see a certain demographic constantly being disciplined. Way out of proportion to their percentage in the job.
This woman would have been fast-tracked off response team to the community safety unit or whatever it is called now. It seems a great job on paper, no nights, office work dealing with prisoners that are already in custody,flexible shifts, no uniform grunt work. However it a poisoned chalice. You get 100 domestics and deal with 99 correctly-no fanfare. Get one wrong though and you're toast. Never in a million years would a sensible officer work on that team. They are nearly always staffed by women as well so an innocent man wouldn't get a fair hearing.
Jaded.
"What were her managers doing?" They were busy ticking lots of boxes to demonstrate what a vibrantly diverse operation they were running, despite the fact that the vibrantly diversity recruitment strategy simply delivers incompetents who either cant or won't do they job that needs doing. But none of that matters so long as the right boxes get ticked.
I'm quite heartened that there's no end to the available material, Julia, to keep you fully extended to eternity I suspect. Human folly knoweth no limits, and plod hath a goodly abundance.
Plod's inability to do anything right would amount to comic farce were we to ignore the creeping daily count of tragic consequences.
"...but time after time I read of this and wonder why didn't the women make a run for it."
It seems she did, but the ex tracked her down.
"...then you will see a certain demographic constantly being disciplined. Way out of proportion to their percentage in the job."
Indeed! I wonder if she too will turn up at Cannes like the infamous Ali Disai?
"But none of that matters so long as the right boxes get ticked."
Quite!
"I'm quite heartened that there's no end to the available material, Julia..."
It looks like I'll never be short of material!
"...were we to ignore the creeping daily count of tragic consequences."
Well, I'm counting.
It's encouraging to see that this fired PC was able to file an appeal - https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/mayors-office-policing-and-crime-mopac/about-mayors-office-policing-and-crime-mopac/police-misconduct-appeals. Numerous officers were present, and more than one manager oversaw the case, yet it was this PC, a disabled officer who was also the least trained, was fired for the collective failures of all her colleagues involved in the case. Let's hope that in this appeal, truth and justice will triumph. The MET still has a lot of lessons to learn.
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