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AIBU?

To think the police are bloody useless?

79 replies

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 26/08/2008 16:28

We ended up stuck in the middle of the rioting at Notting Hill Carnival last night.

It was bloody terrifying, the police wouldn't let us through to get away.

They also just kept pointlessly charging backwards and forwards. There were literally hundreds of them, why couldn't they do anything?

We saw a policeman kicking a random boy who, like us, had got innocently caught up in it.

I'm really angry about it, I've got footage on my mobile that I want to send to the police but I doubt they will be interested.

OP posts:

Report

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 26/08/2008 16:30

This is a comment from a policeman on facebook

"Dave Carrick wrote
at 4:29pm on October 15th, 2007
I've done it for the last 6 yrs, and i can't think of a worse way to spend a bank holiday weekend. Getting pushed about by groups of robbers, and Junkies, whilst they pilfer through your pockets, and help themselves to your stuff. Whilst you have the joy of watching kids hitting dustbins and music you can't hear the words or work out what they're on about being transported on the back of Stolen lorries.
But i get double time for it so carry on"

Nice additude eh?

OP posts:

donnie · 26/08/2008 16:31

yes, it's all their fault.

moondog · 26/08/2008 16:32

Read paperback called 'Wasting Police Time' for reasonswhy. V shocking and v funny.

RustyBear · 26/08/2008 16:34

They were probably all watching a mumsnetter pee in the street

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 26/08/2008 16:41

I don't know what the answer would be but the incompetence shocked me.

Thousands of police, all getting bank holiday pay and they can't control things?

OP posts:

edam · 26/08/2008 16:42

I stopped going to the Carnival for similar reasons. Got caught in a crowd of people, the police blocked the end of the road, nowhere for anyone to go. Very frightening.

They also like to push around people who are merely exercising their legitimate right to democratic peaceful protest, of course. I've seen on-duty and off-duty policemen snigger about shoving or even beating up innocent protesters. Look at the way they defended those Chinese paramilitary thugs around the Olympic torch...

donnie · 26/08/2008 16:43

you seem overly concerned at the money thing IMO. Maybe they should just use water cannon and have done with it. That would 'control' things I expect.

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 26/08/2008 16:48

moondog, I can't find such a book on amazon?

OP posts:

TheCrackFox · 26/08/2008 17:07

Maybe they should work for free on a Bank Holiday? Would that cheer you up?

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 26/08/2008 17:10

ffs at what point did the money aspect of it obviously bother me?

I just noted it as a fat waste of money all round if they can't even do the job they are being paid to do.

OP posts:

bogwobbit · 26/08/2008 17:13

Some are useless, some are great just like any other job.
And it can be a bloody difficult, thankless task being a cop sometimes.

LynetteScavo · 26/08/2008 17:32

i dont' think the p[olice are useless, overall, but it does sound like they might have handled the situation better in Nottinghill last night, from what you say, TDWP.

The French police are rather fond of chucking tear gas around to disperse crowds. Would tear gas have been useful last night?

moondog · 26/08/2008 18:57

Devil it is by 'David Copperfield'. Started life as a blog by PC designed to expose idiocy of modern policing. Only 5 quid or so. A must read.

cheshirekitty · 26/08/2008 19:13

Personally, I would not do a police persons job for all the tea in China. Long hours, crap pay, ignorant tax payers and the risk of being killed on the job.

Interested to know the job the op does for a living. I hate it when people moan about other peoples job, when they have no idea about the role.

msdemeanor · 26/08/2008 19:20

I didn't read about this, but I hate the Carnival. Used to live in Notting Hill and went away on the bank holiday weekend (only to come back to urine and excrement and piles of rubbish by our front door. Lovely.
The crowd is horrendous, but have been on the other end of terrible policing too, so really sympathise.
How the police act is ALL our business. They have power by consent. Herding people into blind alleys and being violent is NOT acceptable.

pamelat · 26/08/2008 19:26

I think the double time comment is probably flippant. Its their way of making light of what is a stressful job.

dizzydixies · 26/08/2008 19:26

its not an easy job, some can do it well & others can't. please also remember they have to follow orders by higher authorities who maybe aren't there in person

donnie · 26/08/2008 20:06

pmsl at facebook being a reliable, unbiased source of proven fact.

MuthaHubbard · 26/08/2008 20:18

they are doing what they've been told to do. they may not agree with it but that's part of the job - ie moving on greenpeace protesters.

VictorianSqualor · 26/08/2008 20:38

YABU.

They do the best they can.

I'm sure you wouldn't think they were quite as useless if you had suffered a serious crime and needed their help.

As for double time, do you know how much a police wage is? They are doing a well needed, bloody hard job for not a lot.

babbi · 26/08/2008 20:51

YABU

These guys go into situations daily that everyone else runs from.

Hard job, thankless , constant criticism from those that they DO protect....

you obviously have no idea about half the things police officers face...

VictorianSqualor · 26/08/2008 20:54

This thread has actually really angered me.

TDWP, maybe you should try getting some kind of insight into the life of a police officer, I understand that you won't have a clue what they have to do, or the hours they work, or the money they are paid, but I'm sure DP would be happy to educate you.

It really isn't all double pay and standing around at local events.

dizzydixies · 26/08/2008 20:58

MERLYPUSS · 26/08/2008 21:07

I used to work for the Met as a civilian. I sat along officers. I had no idea too. My god it is bloody awful work. Breaking the news to parents that their child has been killed. And having to sit through the post mortem. Having their weekend leave canceled because there is and 'event'. Having to investigate 'pony' crimes and then getting aggro from the victim. Being the target of assault, criminal damage and abuse. If it was the last job ever, ever, ever in the world I would never do it. It is thankless.

squiffy · 26/08/2008 21:12

My mate is in the met and had to go round picking up all the little bits of flesh after the 7/7 bus bombing.

So fuck off all you lot who complain about the police.

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