Tag Archives: IPCC

The Powers that be

Posted on by
Reply

So another Chief Constable bites the dust. Chief Constable Sean Price, sorry Mr Price, has been found guilty of the misconduct offences relating to honesty and integrity. In a remarkable turn of events, he was sacked rather than being allowed to retire or just brush the allegation under the carpet and fade away. Apparently, he is still under investigation for another matter so I had better wind my neck in about that. This comes on the back of Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison, soon to be just Sir Norman who also has a size 11 in his gob after his diatribe about Hillsborough.

Are the general public beginning to see through the ACPO facade which designates the two rules of the police service:

  1. ACPO are never wrong
  2. When ACPO are found to be lying, cheating and conniving, close ranks and refer to rule 1

Of course, there are many good ACPO officers working hard to get the job done efficiently and properly without treading all over the backs of honest, hard working officers who risk their lives on a daily basis. If only we could get back to the times where the support of the front line officer from those on high was a genuine sentiment rather than a passing fad. The Chief officer commanding his force and ensuring proper discipline rather than looking for people to blame and persecute when things go wrong. Apparently, subject to any appeal process, Mr Price is a liar. The simple truth is he probably got sacked because he couldn’t find anyone else to blame.

Noble Cause Corruption

Posted on by
1

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.

Reports of my Demise are Grossly Exaggerated!

Posted on by
1

What a great day May 10th 2012 was for all the wrong reasons. In that I mean it was a fantastic turn out of possibly 30,000 off-duty police officers who were worried about the future of policing. I applaud everyone who attended and the many who gave comment about the dangers we all face if the police is privatised or the conditions of service are changed so dramatically that the special nature of being a crown servant and unable to enter into industrial action is forgotten. The police are not to be tinkered with or put on an industrial employment footing if you want to retain impartiality and integrity.

ACC Steve Heywood - Rewrites the definiton of a Racial Incident to suit his and GMP's own circumstances.

In another issue I have to marvel at the senior command of Greater Manchester Police who can, somehow, manage to dismiss a racial issue by stating it is not a racial issue. It would be funny if it wasn’t so serious. Even the head official of the Ramadan Society went on television to state publically that he knew that the Asian men who preyed and groomed the white girls for their own sexual gratification were doing so because they were white. The would not get away with it had they done the same to an Asian girl. I know it, they know it, the head official of the Ramadan Society knows it yet Assistant Chief Constable Heywood simply dismisses GMP’s own definition of a racial incident and denies it.

BY doing so Heywood has lessened the true impact of this incident. Whether the intent of the offenders was racial or not is immaterial to the recording of the incident. I have lost count of the number of officers who have fallen foul of inadvertently misdiagnosing a racial incident only to have the uPSD or IPCC criticise and discipline them accordingly. Of course, we know it is one rule for them and another for us.

An email from part of a series I have received albeit about three weeks ago accused me of being involved in a rant which I could neither evidence nor justify. I have been asked by the contributor not to publish their comments as they do not wish to contribute to the site. He or she simply wishes to berate me. So be it. I do enjoy reading the well structured and superbly constructed arguments which form an opposing opinion to mine. However, this pr*ck could not string more that a few sentences together in a form of pigeon english and, as they know who they are, you could do with reading some books and working out how to punctuate. That way I might actually think you have something pertinent to say.

To further evidence my point of view I should refer the email pr*ck to the new investigation into the Corruption in the Metropolitan Police in respect of the Stephen Lawrence enquiry. The allegation is that the Met failed to pass potentially relevant material to the 1998 public inquiry into Stephen’s death. Another in a long series of corruption type incidents from ACPO officers all around the country. ACPO being that private business who control the police and allow non police officers to join their ranks and develop policy. At what rank do you think this decision was taken? Just like Steve Heywood’s remark from GMP there is no doubt in my mind that this reflects the decision of senior officers within the Met irrespective of who ends up biting the bullet. At some stage, surely, the public should realise that the integrity of ACPO and senior command in many forces in this country should be subject to a root and branch enquiry.

I Told You So…!

Posted on by
1

So, do you feel taken for granted and lied to? I do. Finally an ACPO idiot has broken ranks to show exactly what ACPO think about the men and women under their command who risk their lives day in and day out for the benefit of the public. That’s right, ACPO don’t give a toss!

How proud South Yorkshire chief constable David Crompton must feel about his latest missive to replace police officers patrolling the street with personnel with limited powers and often limited ability. Despite there being some very good PCSO’s around, people prefer police officers . It must have taken all of his 10 days or so in office to come up with this bolleaux. It would be laughable if it wasn’t so serious. ACPO want to effectively break up and rebuild the principle and model of policing. Ladies and Gentlemen, these are the idiots in charge. I have warned you regularly but clearly you are not listening. It is about time you sat up and took notice. 

Should we worry. Yes we should!

If idiots like this get their way then the police will become a storm trooper force, simply bashing down doors and responding to fights, arresting and penalising. They will not be policing by consent but would just be enforcers of the law. No police officer joined to perform that role. It tires me when I hear the crap often trotted out by uninformed senior officers that many of the tasks performed by officers could be performed by someone who is not warranted. What they fail to recognise is that most of the thing cops do is all part of the service, it is visible and provides reassurance to the public and a deterrent to errant miscreants.

If Cops werem only tasked to respond in a shock and awe fashion then the police would be feared, disrespected and the consent they need to exist would be removed. David Crompton looks old enough to have been instructed that the first duty of every cop is:

“The protection of life and property. The prevention and detection of crime”

Note the order the duties come in. Pseudo cops like Crompton should be admonished for the abandonment and dereliction of the duties of officers. They are so far removed from the real principles of real policing, seeking comfort in balance sheets over and above the safety of the general population. He should be fighting for more constables not banishing them out of view.

Mark my words, this is the thin end of the wedge. That is until the next idiot comes up with replacing police functions by using security firms. Hang on a minute…….!!!!!!!

Get A Grip!?!

Posted on by
1

Has anyone been shocked by the level of collusion between some senior officers in the Metropolitan Police and journalists from the News of the World? I have been astounded by the double dealing in the application of standards throughout my police service never more highlighted than when senior officers get in the mire. Only on this occasion, they have no-one else to blame other than themselves.

However, the difficulty I have with the scenarios that I have seen throughout the press and media relating to our old favourites Andy Hayman and John Yates is how a Federated Rank would be dealt with in a similar situation. I am certain that there would have been criminal enquiries into the conduct of an officer facing such allegations but, it seems that officers of this rank simply cast it aside with a flippant flick of their wrist or phrase.

The evidence against John Yates includes the press seemingly wishing to call in favours or bottles of champagne as they call them. The evidence that meals and drinks were paid for on Police credit cards is offensive to my integrity and when I feel that something is wrong, it normally is. Even if he paid the money back. The fact that he wined and dined journalists at super expensive restaurants is highly unprofessional.

The public need to know that the police is at serious risk of being fatally undermined by managers like these. In the latest news it seems that at least 2 police forces are seeking to outsource crime investigation and street patrols in a multi-billion pound package. Money which would be better spent by ACPO Ltd and the Police Authorities on real police. Otherwise, make sure you have your credit card handy when you want to report a crime!!!

Is it any wonder when the calibre of Senior ACPO rank feel that it is in order to consort with the press? The mere fact that they chose to do so, should be investigated in the same way I would be. When will someone get a grip?

Be Careful who you Befriend!

Posted on by
Reply

Noble Cause Corruption is an honourable person. I am concerned for the well-being of officers facing danger and criminality at every turn with ever decreasing resources, lack of numbers and lack of equipment. However, for me, it is the lack of support from senior officers which is my main motive for reporting through the blogging medium. At the same time I expect to receive support from my National Federation who I have faith in to get the best deal possible in these austere times. How then has this happened? In a follow up to the debacle that was the overturning of the wholesale theft of money from Police Pensioners injured in the line of duty you may find it sickening to know that Mr. Gilbert, author of the (now unlawful) guidance is retired from the civil service and is engaged as a ‘pensions consultant’ by the Police Federation. This has come to me through a third party who has interest in the overruling of the Police Pensions Theft. Serving officers might like to know that the Federation is taking care to employ such high-quality professionals. Injury pensioners have over the last few years received some supportive publicity in some places to great effect. Nothing works more effectively against public bodies than sheer embarrassment and ridicule. I wonder what value a defector can bring to the table?

A19 Ruling

In Smooth Waters

In a second pensioner issue, Greater Manchester Police Authority have unanimously decided to rule that A19 should not be used in Manchester to reduce those officers who have already qualified for a police pension. The ruling means that those officers still in service who have significant skills and abilities can remain in post without a loss of those skills in one fell swoop. It would have been interesting to see whether the A19 ruling was applied arbitrarily across the board as the the Chief Constable of this force has more than 30 years service and therefore could be for the chop. The strong money was on the odds which favoured that only the lower ranks would be dispensed with because Captain Constable Fahy has his own special employment arrangements with the Police Authority. After all, with a competent captain at the helm in calm waters, a ship would never run aground, would it, and neither would Greater Manchester Costa Concordia………….. ooops, sorry, I meant Greater Manchester Police.

Get Shafted and Carry On

Just to let everyone know who has emailed in for these T-Shirts, I have forwarded the emails to the relevant party who should be in touch very soon. Wear them with pride!

Good Riddance. Hypocrite

Posted on by
Reply

I was reminiscing this week-end with a colleague about the “olden days.” Back in the day when a mistake was dealt with by a punishment parade in front of a Chief Superintendent who would bollock you up hill and down dale. The reason you accepted it was because you had respect for the boss mainly because he had been in your position and had done your job, rising through the ranks in the process. Nowadays, all I seem to find are intellectuals with little or no real understanding of front line policing. However, they do know how to arrange meetings. One such former Chief Inspector colleague was, until recently, a member of our uPSD deciding whether an officer was guilty or innocent based on the biased investigations presented to him. I only really thought about him because he was mentioned in some Police Authority minutes and thanked for his help and assistance over the years. His name came up in the conversation. What he forgets is, I remember him when he was a constable and we worked on the same shift.

Clouseau of the uPSD

This bastion of self righteous discipline was a bit of a puncher in his early days. Not his own prisoners, of course, but those that did not belong to him. #slapslap as it might be quoted on Twitter but he would then walk away leaving you to pick up the pieces. He was also a shagger. In fact he once bonked a women inside an empty police station that we had a responsibility to check during a night shift in a violent inner city conclave. I could never understand the philosophy of those who, simply because they got away with it in their early days, chose to become zealots in their application of the regulations into police malpractice.

He adopted the “marble in the head” policy. That is, your livelihood and your career was decided by which side of his head the marble fell when you disturbed him, one side you were guilty and should be sacked, the other side, you were innocent and the investigation would be tailored accordingly. The only positive I can say about this officer is that he is no longer in the police and therefore cannot promote his misguided Noble Cause Corruption. Never content in weeding out the dishonest and grossly incompetent, an honourable and noble undertaking, he mastered in the demise of the careers of many very efficient, effective officers who made small errors of judgement but didn’t meet his threshold test.

Like many others in the uPSD he wasn’t very good at the job, often scared of meeting an angry man,. He was good at exams and promotion panel bullshit which allows many idiots to progress to high ranks within the police. He changed his local accent to the best BBC English and developed a fabulous ability to chair a meeting with tea and sandwiches at the expense of the taxpayer.

I do hope I meet him in the street so I can tell him what I truly think of him. What should I actually say? That he is a hypocrite, that he sold out or should I tell him that he was part of the last bastion of corruption still to pervade the police, namely the uPSD. Actually, I don’t need to bother, he will know that already.