Tag Archives: domestic violence

Noble Cause Corruption

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Glad to be back. Duty called and I had to respond.

Unfortunately it does not amaze me when I read the story of Hillsborough and the blatant attempts by a Police Force and the Senior management to change statements and evidence to alter where the true blame lies. They take out evidence which criticises their own force and then pass off the resulting statement as the truth. I do not know what the full story of Hillsborough is. I was influenced to an extent at the time by certain rags or newspapers which apportioned blame where it should not have done. I was also suspicious of the inquest verdict based on the, now, flawed evidence obviously put before it but in essence I had a little doubt. Not of those who died but of others present at the scene and I now admit that it is to my shame that I know I was wrong.

Why do so many of you who email me not believe that any corruption which may exist in the police in this country only does so in the higher echelons of the service at the most senior ranks? Yet it is the rank and file officer who faces the brunt of the public attack and anxiety. From my extensive experience, the cops on the front line, do so for a reason. They do so to make things better. They make mistakes and often those mistakes lead to sackings and even loss of liberty but I can assure you that they do not go on duty with the intention of finishing it with a potential criminal conviction and loss of livelihood.

Some senior officers, however, adopt a wild west attitude to their domain. They are judge, jury and hangman in their decision making process and they are inconsistent and even corrupt in their application of the regulations that they should adhere to. They pull the wool over the eyes of the general public who do not believe they can be wrong or corrupt or choose not to consider the possibility. This has been going on for years and years yet we hear the complaints and ignore them. Perhaps the issue stems from the inability of the IPCC to accept complaints from serving officers due to the Police Reform Act. Instead they refer the complaint back to the same officers from the same force that the complaint is being made about leaving people like me with nowhere else to go except blogging about it.

There has to be a change. If we have to have an IPCC then that organisation should be compelled to treat allegations from serving officers about a police force with the same gusto that they treat a complaint from the public. I know of many officers who have been shafted from a great height. They would welcome the opportunity to provide evidence of the shortcomings in their own matters and I know they will be watching to see if the subsequent treatment of the senior ranks mirrors their own experiences. Don’t say that you have not been told.

Criminal Case Review

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John is a male victim of domestic violence. He was mentioned on this blog back in June 2011 to attempt to highlight the issues faced by officers who may be the subject of violence against them. John is still fighting to get justice and is awaiting his latest submission to the Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC) to see whether they will agree that the case should go back to the appeal court.

www.abusedtotheaccused.co.uk

I now know John through a friend of a friend. He has decided to try and publicise his plight through the medium of the internet and has built a new website called www.abusedtotheaccused.co.uk. In time he will populate it with updates not only about the criminal court process but also about the consequences of the conviction namely his loss of house, his loss of job and the lack of access to his children. His case is a tragedy. Not only was he abused by his wife but he was prosecuted rather than investigated. Had he been investigated then evidence would have been presented to the court which would have shown him to be a victim trying to defend himself rather than an aggressor. That evidence has now been made available to the CCRC.

I know how much effort has been put into his appeal by John and a former Federation Representative and I wish him luck in his venture. It just goes to show just how precarious your position as a police officer is. John relied upon a number of factors which he thought would protect him should an unwarranted and malicious allegation be made against him. How wrong he was…….. but that is his story to tell!

All in a Day’s Work

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The sobering case of PC James Holden of Hampshire Constabulary should show what the job thinks of those of us still in it. To put this in context I need to ask those readers of this blog who are not police officers to consider the following scenario.

Imagine, if you will, getting up to go to your work. You shower and dress, eat a breakfast and possibly drink a cup of coffee or tea to wake you up for the day. You kiss your partner goodbye and, without much thought, drive or commute to your place of work. What then takes place is that you try your very hardest to do a day’s work. However, what sets PC James Holden apart from most of the non police readers is the fact that his constabulary tried to send him to prison for trying to do his very best.

Could it really be possible that you try your very hardest and some third party, in an office, looks at your best efforts and decides that you should face life changing consequences and incarceration? Welcome to the world of uPSD.

PC Holden followed a stolen van containing burglars which chose to crash through a level crossing railway barrier. The van driver was arrested on the other side of the crossing by a colleague because PC Holden did not cross the railway line. Did PC Holden instigate the dangerous driving or did he merely respond to a situation unfolding in front of him? Of course, we all know the answer. Thankfully the jury also knew the answer and took less than two hours (note: less than 2 hours!!!!) to see through the fallacy of Hampshire Senior Command. So that’s alright then. Another police officer freed following over zealous judicial process. You must be joking.

The next time PC Holden or his colleagues see a stolen van driving dangerously what is he likely to do? Try his very best and face going to prison? What would you do?

Hopefully, if I have been burgled and the thieves are trying to escape justice, officers like PC Holden will respond because it is the right thing to do. Hopefully, the public will back and support police officers dealing with errant criminal underclasses by continuing to show  the pricks that continue to lead the uPSD of many forces in this country that they want police officers to be robust and effective. Is there anything more effective than arresting burglars driving a stolen van?

As the last paragraphs of the BBC report states: “After the verdict, Hampshire Constabulary said: “Police officers do a difficult job often in very difficult circumstances and the people being pursued were caught as a result of this pursuit and convicted of burglary, vehicle theft and a number of other offences.

“Police officers involved in pursuits are subject to a high level of specialist training, adhering to national policy and codes of practice. Following the outcome of this case we will identify any organisational learning that comes out of it.”

The ONLY organisational learning is that the senior management should stop trying to criminalise hard working police officers.

From On High

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In a shocking revelation of Noble Cause Corruption of the highest order I draw your attention to the Independent Newspaper’s article about the hacking of Milly Dowler’s mobile phone and the fact that Surrey Police knew of the crime. Not only did they know but they chose to ignore the crime for many years and then, only because the sh1t had hit the fan in 2011, did they actually admit they knew.

Now you can be rest assured that this is a high ranking noble cause corruption because, if the offending officer(s) were only federated rank, particularly the lower end of the scale, then the full wrath of the misconduct and judicial process would be descending upon them from a great height. The question remains to see whether any of these high ranking buffoons will actually face the music. After all, I’ve lost count of the number of officers I have represented for failing to investigate a crime. In fact, I have seen some go to prison often in the most undeserving of cases.

It is typical of the underhanded tactics used by senior ranking officers in the police to only seek to administer discipline to the lower and middle ranks whilst they cajole each other and cover up serious wrongdoings enacted by themselves. I know a number of former colleagues who have been convicted for spurious offences, particularly Misconduct in a Public Office, when the evidence is that they may have acted like an idiot and faced a subsequent prison sentence rather than a loss of employment. I don’t know why we put up with it.

Exclusive

Just thought I'd show it again

On a different tack, Noble Cause Corruption blogged on the 3rd January 2012 a title of Misplaced Loyalties. How many of you noticed that the motor vehicle featured in the blog is the same vehicle that Greater Manchester Police have been desperately trying to cover up. Or have they? The recent newspaper frenzy has intimated that the crashed car was very recent. One of the daily rags even quoted the accident having occurred in the last few days but, of course, Noble Cause can rely on their sources implicitly. Newspapers have gone apoplectic over this story but they all missed one small fact that isn’t common knowledge. My source tells me that the last person to drive the vehicle before it was loaned to Greater Manchester Police was The Stig for Top Gear around their test track. Apparently, it has cost GMP £38000 to put this debacle right. No wonder they weren’t publicising it!

On a slightly strange note, it should be noted that one of the reporters in this Manchester Evening News piece of journalism was former Terry Duckworth from Coronation Street actor, Nigel Pivaro in his new career as a journalist. The other was Neal Kealing who always seems to get those stories about police misconduct that are “leaked” from the force.

Surely not from someone in the uPSD!!!!!!!! I wonder………hmmmmmmmmm!!!!

Don’t Hold Your Breath….!

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It really did not come as a surprise that the Police were found to be to blame for the riots that blighted this country this year. Of course, the ordinary cop on the ground suffered the greatest indignity having to stand idly by whilst gangs of feral youths burned and looted their way to an early Christmas present. The liberal bleeding hearts then roundly criticised the still weak sentences preferring to try and rehabilitate these morons in the community at your expense and at my expense.

What a pity for their morale when it was proven that crime actually dropped after the riots for a short period of time leading me to consider the following mathematical formula:

Average criminal moron + longer prison sentences = less crime?

As experienced cops, we all know that the Average criminal moron is basically a coward who seeks to take what they are not entitled to in the anonymity of a crowd. They care nothing of the community they destroy nor do they care who picks up the bill for their crimes. They just simply want!

In Safe Hands...?

However, I wonder whether there is a bigger fish to fry! The report from the Select Committee talks of a lack of leadership. The ordinary street cop facing the violent crime wave without direction or command. Does this mean that our ACPO leaders are actually sh*te at their job? Should they be looking for the culprits within their own ranks and issuing Regulation 15 notices to those who neglected their duty or brought their force into disrepute? If you are an ordinary member of the public, you can rest assured that these bastions of incompetence will not investigate their own shortcomings. They will reserve that for the front line officer who will pick up the pieces of their ineptitude.

Where are the IPCC and the Police Authorities of this country who should now be disciplining our incompetent leaders who failed to control the riots. They failed to provide proper communication, proper leadership and direction and they failed the public costing the taxpayer an arm and a leg in the process. Will any be disciplined for this costly incompetence? Don’t hold your breath!

 

The Thin Blue Line

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This week, whilst off duty and out and about, I met a colleague who I had assisted with a misconduct matter many months ago escalated beyond all proportion and reason by our uPSD to a criminal matter. It involved a minor squabble between the officer and his partner which resulted in her (probably) hyperventilating and feeling ill. Somehow a call to the ambulance service for help became a criminal enquiry into the officer for common assault. Not just any old enquiry, one that took 15 months to come to an end.

Without boring you with the fine detail, the uPSD got the matter beyond the CPS who, in this case, are just as culpable and managed to get summonses and the matter into Magistrates Court. The case was listed in front of a District Judge who refused to listen to the hearsay evidence because there was no case to answer and the matter should not have gone as far as it did. His words not mine. He was particularly scathing of the uPSD and Prosecution when it was realised that the medical evidence against the officer was obtained unlawfully because no consent to medical records had been signed by the partner. You know that you are on a loser when the prosecution, even before calling the first prosecution witness are discussing options relating to hostile witnesses!

As we left court with a resounding victory still fresh in our memory we were confronted by the uPSD officer who reminded us that our colleague still would “have his day,” a clear threatening reference to a misconduct tribunal. Eventually, after much work, time, effort and expense the officer was eventually told that he would not be facing any disciplinary procedures and he could return to work without restriction.

Back to the message. We greeted each other warmly and I remarked on how well he looked considering the stress he had suffered at the hands of an over zealous uPSD. I asked him about work and he replied honestly that he could not care less any more. It was sad that a good, honest and hard working cop had been turned into a cynical automaton. Our colleague would do what was required to get the job done, nothing more. He would not seek out work or other opportunities to improve society, he would assist colleagues and back up where necessary but otherwise he couldn’t be bothered.

I don’t blame him. What is the point of sticking your neck out and taking a hit when you don’t need to? The pay is the same. You can be the best in the world, the bravest officer but fail the marble in the head test of the uPSD officer and you are in trouble and nothing of your former career counts for anything. So my congratulations goes to our uPSD who have, once again, inefficiently and immorally turned a initiative using efficient officer into a robot who will only do what he has been programmed to do.

The consequences of Noble Cause for everybody to see.

Chomping at the Bit

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I was desperate to post about this subject matter but I thought I would let the dust settle before opening my gob and maybe putting my big foot in it. My issue today is about the South Wales matter involving the retired cops taken to court for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and ancillary offences because it was alleged they fabricated evidence against men subsequently found not guilty of a local murder. It matters not to me whether they were guilty or innocent. I would like to think that they completely innocent but the case is a classic example of the Noble Cause attitude of investigations of Police Officers.

You may disagree that the result was the right result but, being magnanimous, I would have hoped that a jury had found them not guilty rather than a judge on a point of law. However, the point of law serves to prove my assertion that, when police officers are in the frame suspected of offences, the uPSD tasked with investigating them is tainted against investigation and relies upon prosecution of the individual.

The question to be asked is, “Why else would the uPSD investigators deliberately destroy evidence which the defence believed and the judge believed would have allowed a fair trial to be heard? I’ll leave you all to answer that question yourselves.

There are too many cases where the officer ends up in court to find a judge dismissing the case at the outset or before the matter gets any where near a jury. This matter only cost about £30 million. I ask that politicians, reporters, members of the public and decent people stand up and take notice. If there are bent cops out there we want them arresting convicting and sacking. However, we don’t want them cocked up by errant and misguided stormtroopers of ACPO and other senior ranks because they believe that the public supports their stance.

Men Behaving Badly

Remember John, our sacked colleague who was the victim of 18 incidents of domestic violence only to defend himself, get convicted and then be sacked. His story can be read here if you wish to view it. Last week, it appears that his wife, who he has had nothing to do with for over two years except through solicitors and divorce court proceedings, has got her dad to photograph the clothing on his mum’s washing line in her back garden! The reason for it is that his wife erroneously believed he had police uniform hanging there drying.

Firstly, John doesn’t live with his mum. Secondly, the washing belonged to his sister. Thirdly, wife’s dad was copped taking the photo’s by a neighbour who confronted him. The local police attended and did a pretty good job in fairness. They got dad to admit his part in the debacle and the fact that his daughter was so insistent on him obtaining the evidence that he felt obliged to take action. An example of her obsession with John, perhaps or does she still want to hurt him just a little bit more?

How reassured John felt, however, when he received a letter from a senior officer in the relevant force (that sacked him) outlining that the matter was being treated as a domestic incident and a specialist unit were now available to him should there be a repeat performance. Unfortunately, it is 18 incidents and one sacking too late.

Still hanging in for a criminal case review.