To think the sad death of two public servants killed in the line of their work should be treated equally

[katedan]

Last week we heard the very sad news of PC Harper,s murder while on duty but the murder of social worker Belinda Rose last weekend who was killed while visiting a service user has gone largely unreported.

Why has there been such a difference in the media coverage of these two incidents? Belinda's murder has gone mainly unreported.

Is this as a result of the public having more sympathy with the police service or the fact that PC Harper was young and very recently married and Belinda was a 60 year old women.

AIBU to believe any person murdered while doing a job to help people should both receive the same attention and that Belinda deserves to be honoured as highly as PC Harper?

[BlueSkiesLies]

Belinda Didn’t have a photogenic young wife and a sad newly wed story

[RightOnTheEdge]

YANBU that's terrible. I hadn't even heard about Belinda Rose.

I've never understood how some news is reported. Some trivial

[RightOnTheEdge]

Celebrity news on the front page and some terrible murder given a tiny column on page seven

[BoJoIsABellend]

Yanbu...absolutely tragic. This terrifies me as Dh works in the same field 😞

[Plexie]

Some stories just snowball while others are overlooked (not necessarily a bad thing, if you don't want to be dragged into a media circus during your grief). Happens a lot with murders and disappearances - for every high profile story there are loads that don't get a lot of attention.

I hadn't heard of Belinda Rose so thank you for drawing attention to it.

[Ilikethisone]

@RightOnTheEdge that's quite a poor thing to sahm it was widely reported as soon as it happened before anyone knew he was a newly wed or had a 'photogenic young wife'.

One if the reasons that the death was so heavily reported is that in recent weeks there have been quite a few serious police attacks, this seems an escalation.

The other reason is because of the media itself. The portray social workers in a negative light they are only in the news for bad things, for failing or for stealing children.

The police protect the general public and it could be any if us that need them on any given day. Alot of people feel any association with SS will end up in them being labelled as 'bad' and not able to cope with life. Saying you needed police assistance has a lot less stigma than needing SW assistance

Public perception of the police and Social workers are very different. I would kay the blame very much at Media outlets doors. I can believe that people behind news outlets, care less about Social Workers.

Also it also leads to conversations about how bad the Tories are for cutting police numbers. So has a much talked about political objective.

I also suspect there is some sex based bias in there.

Both deaths should be widely reported and condemned. That poor woman.

[TellySavalashairbrush]

Both deaths are equally tragic and being in the social work field myself, I often underestimate the potential dangers. However, I think it is extremely insensitive to state the story of the Police Officer made more news due to the attractiveness of his new wife 😡. As the parent of a police officer, I can’t even begin to comprehend how his parents are feeling at the loss of their son.

[Hoppinggreen]

Because Police Officers are all Saints and Social workers are all overpaid evil baby snatchers
Or so The Press would have us believe
Both cases were terrible tragedies and I feel for their Loved Ones

[The2Ateam]

Police officers are authority figures. We expect a civilised society to respect the police and be fearful of them to some degree, when
They are not it is an indication of the society we are living in. Budget cuts and falling police numbers v raising crime is a very important issue and also, the murder of a police officer in the UK is still rare so when it happens it is in the wider public interest.

[nothingsreallynewunderthesun]

www.communitycare.co.uk/2019/08/20/woman-killed-birmingham-social-care-worker-carrying-home-visits-reports-say/

www.thesun.co.uk/news/9756286/belinda-rose-knifed-to-death-man-charged-murder/


I just googled her name. There seems to be one article in the Sun and one in a local Birmingham paper, but very, very little.

The mainstream media covers the stories which get maximum views/ sales, nothing to do with what's actually important. A sentimental angle or massive shock value (wierd, brutal or very public) gets coverage, not seriousness or worthyness.

[TheSharkInTheDark]

Actually, I've seen just as many online articles about the murder of Belinda Rose as I have about Andrew Harper. Not sure if that's just cos I live locally and obviously follow local news pages online etc.

[TheInebriati]

I heard there was also a WPC murdered by her partner in the last week, but I can't find a news article.

[LakieLady]

As someone who did similar work for many years, this has really got to me.

The organisation I work for takes risk incredibly seriously. Annual training on handling dangerous situations is mandatory, no-one does lone visits until a risk assessment has been done and a risk management plan is in place (and reviewed every 3 months) , managers would never baulk at staff doubling up on visits or visiting a client in a community setting even if the only concern was that the worker felt that something about the client made them uneasy, all staff carry a locater that calls an emergency respose centre at the press of a button and every risky incident that occurs because of the behaviour of a client is reported to the board. Just today, I terminated a visit because the client was off their meds and got a bit mouthy, and that was in a supported residential setting with staff trained in C&R techniques milling around.

In 12+ years, I've never heard of any staff member having any worse experience than being sworn at.

This is just tragic, and I'd bet my house that her employer's risk/safety procedures are not as good as those I'm used to.

That poor, poor woman.

I was told on a training course that 2 social workers a year are killed in the course of their work. If that's true, it's really alarming.

[AriadneCrete]

I hadn’t heard about Belinda Rose either. Thank you for drawing attention to it, how tragic.

[LemonTT]

The police often have strong links with the media and this is reciprocated. The police will provide news stories and press releases in the course of doing their work. They aren’t usually bond by client confidentiality. The have suspects and the people they arrest don’t usually expect confidentiality about the crime.

People in health and social care can’t provide regular stories and can’t talk about their clients. They don’t have the same links.

There is also the possibility that there are reporting restrictions surrounding the murder of Ms Rose to protect people.

[Therarestone]

It's pretty common though for some stories to be reported on and not others. Some missing children are headline news and others barely register. It's sad and I'm not saying it's right but surely they can't give headline news to everything

[DogInATent]

There is also the possibility that there are reporting restrictions surrounding the murder of Ms Rose to protect people.

Quite likely if it was a service user. But in this case a man has been charged and named by the police, and will be facing trial next year.

[Watchingthyme]

It’s totally because of the fact he’s newly wed and there are nice new wedding photos of him and his pretty wife. And that the perpetrators were a bunch of thieving youths who most of the country think should be locked up from birth.

It plays into every single thing the media want and need to sell column inches.
People baying and frothing for justice. Bring back hanging etc etc. Poor loving wife never given the chance at happiness. It’s lazy journalism

[ReTooth]

Both are equally tragic but I wonder if the death of the police officer was more newsworthy due to the way he was killed.

[ourkidmolly]

Really sad and very iniquitous. RIP Belinda.

[LatteLove]

I hadn’t heard about Belinda Rose at all, until a colleague posted this on fb earlier today

socialworktutor.com/why-is-a-male-police-officers-life-more-valued-than-a-female-social-workers/

I suppose also if someone was arrested and charged right away it also makes it a bit different to PC Harper’s murder.

[koshkat]

This is misogyny pure and simple.

[Diagonalli]

murder by traveler's rather than murder by a person with mental health issues?

[BarbariansMum]

I dont think it's "misogyny pure a d simple" at all. The murders of men get far less attention than those of women, by and large. I think it's a whole host of things, ageism being large amongst them.

[LeysaV]

That is interesting @LackieLady

My DS has had SS involvement in her life . The last time (last year) an assessment was done over a new reason, and only one came out to assess. I wonder if its because of the fact that past SWs had done assessments (in pairs then, as you say) and seen she is not a dangerous type of person so its safe enough to send one SW to assess , such as this latest time ?
They decided this time she did not need intervention .