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To feel a bit bad for the met police on bbc panorama undercover

691 replies

Bloodyscarymary · 01/10/2025 21:46

Just watching the BBC Panorama doco “Undercover in the Police” and I can’t help feeling a bit uneasy.

Yes, the behaviour shown is awful and they should lose their jobs, but having their faces, names and secretly recorded conversations, sometimes even off duty over a pint broadcast feels like a bit of a violation of privacy.

I honestly would have thought secret filming like that couldn’t even be made public, but clearly it’s legal or the BBC wouldn’t air it.

I’m not excusing what was said at all. The culture clearly needs to change. But is it fair to single out these particular officers when the problem is obviously widespread?

I also felt some of the more junior officers had just absorbed the culture around them, and at times the journalist might have been nudging them into certain topics. A few of the comments even felt like dark humour or going along with pub chat. Still unacceptable, but if you secretly recorded doctors or other professions that probably use a lot of dark humour to get through it, I’m sure you’d hear things that would seem really callous to an outsider.

Absolutely they should be fired/reprimanded, but do they deserve complete public exposure like this? AIBU to feel uncomfortable about it?

YABU they deserve everything that’s coming their way

YANBU it’s too much personal exposure when the real problem is the Met culture not these individual cops

OP posts:
shhblackbag · 02/10/2025 09:08

Bagsintheboot · 01/10/2025 22:02

having their faces, names and secretly recorded conversations, sometimes even off duty over a pint broadcast feels like a bit of a violation of privacy.

Handy hint: if you're not happy to have your name attached to it, don't fucking say it.

The end and worst possible result of these creatures going unchallenged is cases like Sarah Everards. A culture of sexual harassment, misogyny and rape myths. Racism and hatred, violence and thuggery.

How anyone can make any excuse for this is just beyond me.

Absolutely this. I'm refusing to believe you're serious, OP. Please say you're winding us up.

FlyMeSomewhere · 02/10/2025 09:07

I always wonder how they always secure jobs for undercover reporters! The jobs market is tough but somehow they can always make sure a journalist gets your job.

godmum56 · 02/10/2025 09:07

Linenpickle · 02/10/2025 08:54

This was so bias as some of those people in custody could be repeat offenders. You don’t know that the man who got hit in the cell hasn’t been kicking off 4 times already and walloped police several times. You don’t know that the woman was a repeat customer. There are lots of gaps and the reporter is a a scumbag.

still no excuse.

FlyMeSomewhere · 02/10/2025 09:06

I hope there's some actual sackings rather than just moving them to a different department! That Mclvenny bloke is horrible, as a woman I know how unpleasant it can be working with a bloke that's always pervy and sexual assault I've been there in the past! At least women have seen his face for when he's trawling online but it's a shame the footage belittles a lady he had a night with.

Crikeyalmighty · 02/10/2025 09:05

@Whatafustercluck incredibly balanced post and accurate too - the problem is partly as you say - it’s outside influences too - ok to be a bit of a Tommy Robinson/Andrew Tate and say such stuff as if it’s a joke or having a Laarrrf !

godmum56 · 02/10/2025 09:05

Bloodyscarymary · 01/10/2025 23:31

Totally! But would it be fair for a journalist to pose as a nurse, take a young nurse to the pub, tell that nurse she thinks that all the elderly patients are taking up too many beds, and then secretly record her response after 4 wines and put the recording, alongside her identity on a BBC documentary about toxic culture at the NHS? I just don’t think the identity of the nurse would be relevant to the documentary.

yes! it totally would be fair. I worked in the NHS which is well known for its "dark humour to be able to cope" ethos and I would never have expected to hear or to tolerate equivalent comments from any of my staff, drunk or sober. I do understand how difficult it might be for junior staff to whistleblow but that needs to be addressing too.

NameChange1212 · 02/10/2025 09:05

edwinbear · 01/10/2025 21:54

Really? Have you forgotten Sarah Everard? The Met Police have a rotten to the core culture and it seems they don’t really care and have done nothing to address it. If that’s been exposed (again) I’m all for it.

This, 100 per cent. there were so many red flags shown up in the Sarah Everard case. Lessons have to be learnt and action points from the enquiry forced to be implemented.

Pedallleur · 02/10/2025 09:03

Always the excuse about 'one bad apple' and that was Cressida Dick when Sara Everard was murdered by known pervert/PC Wayne Couzens. its a culture thats been allowed to continue. i daresay its a hard job and you'll see the worst of everyone but thats no excuse

Isitreallythough · 02/10/2025 09:02

“it’s too much personal exposure when the real problem is the Met culture not these individual cops”
Well it’s both. The problem is people who talk and act in misogynistic, racist, violent and dishonest ways in a position of real power. That’s them. The fact that it’s others too doesn’t mean it’s not them.

Ariela · 02/10/2025 09:02

Having worked in a very male dominated industry in the 80s, where 1 in perhaps 500 were female, I can assure you I never heard anything even mildly derogatory said about us then. We were treated with respect. No reason the police cannot do the same in this day and age.

Happyjoe · 02/10/2025 08:58

Didshejustsaythatoutloud · 02/10/2025 08:16

Agreed, there are many decent cops out there who must've been aghast at that documentary last night.

I really hope that the decent police, if they ever come across this kind of behaviour that they report it rather than turn a blind eye for fear of being ostracised or dismissing it as 'bants'.

Happyjoe · 02/10/2025 08:56

Invinoveritaz · 02/10/2025 07:49

I found it uncomfortable viewing. I think the officers who were misogynistic/ sadistic / racist while on duty were fair game however, the police are entitled to their opinions and recording conversations when they were off duty and expressing personal opinions was not right imho.

They're normalising it between themselves, even if off duty. What we should never forget is this is wholly unacceptable, end of.

Linenpickle · 02/10/2025 08:54

This was so bias as some of those people in custody could be repeat offenders. You don’t know that the man who got hit in the cell hasn’t been kicking off 4 times already and walloped police several times. You don’t know that the woman was a repeat customer. There are lots of gaps and the reporter is a a scumbag.

Linenpickle · 02/10/2025 08:52

The government annoy me as on the radio a minister was saying that better vetting was needed. What an arse as they need better training. The training and standards have been reduced and dumbed down massively so what do you expect to get in return. You don’t need a degree to be police officer, just like poor nurses don’t need a degree but to return to ‘good old fashioned’ training.

CleverTraybake · 02/10/2025 08:50

WoodenBoat80 · 01/10/2025 23:17

Do I feel sorry for the Met police.. No.
As a victim of domestic violence and rape living in London I could write an essay on the grossness inside there police force, Or I could shut up and let them speak for themselves…..

Same here.
I fled DV and had to deal with Met police. “Or so she says” comment from that pig about pregnant woman enraged me.
I wonder whether OP would feel sorry for them if she herself was in a vulnerable position on a receiving end of their misogynistic/racist/xenophobic etc behaviour

OP give your head a wobble

Happyjoe · 02/10/2025 08:49

BrickBiscuit · 02/10/2025 02:54

I sort of see your point. It provides an opportunity to distract from the 'rotten barrel' argument (mentioned in the programme notes) by making a show of dealing with some rotten apples. I think anonymising those filmed could have actually had more of an impact (they could still be identified and dealt with later, but as part of a wider initiative). The focus should be on the force, not the individuals.

Give it a month, see if the greater public even remembers what those individuals look like, let alone their names. Then in a month see if the lasting legacy of this programme is if the MET police are in a bad way or not.

Nobody will remember these officers nor care, the whole argument about naming and shaming is moot.

Zanatdy · 02/10/2025 08:46

Their behaviour is disgusting and I have zero sympathy for them. I work for the Government in immigration and the days of inappropriate comments are thankfully long over. If I was at work drinks and someone started talking inappropriately i’d ask them to stop (as i’m the most senior person there usually) but I have faith that other colleagues would also stop that conversation dead. I am thankful i’ve not needed to do that. We have standards to uphold whether in work or not, so pretty disgusting some police officers still behave in that manner. I can’t say i’m that shocked though.

alfonzi · 02/10/2025 08:45

thepariscrimefiles · 02/10/2025 08:44

39% of people who voted agree with the OP. It beggars belief.

It was 40% before, I am disgusted. Hope it was just the nighttime crew skewing results and sanity prevails during the day.

thepariscrimefiles · 02/10/2025 08:44

Dweetfidilove · 02/10/2025 08:36

Met found to be toxic again...

People feel sorry for MET officers being outed again as racist, criminal and misogynistic...

Off to practise my 'surprised face' 😒.

39% of people who voted agree with the OP. It beggars belief.

thepariscrimefiles · 02/10/2025 08:42

Pamcakey · 02/10/2025 08:33

I haven’t seen the documentary and I’m not defending the whole thing - I have seen the vile WhatsApp messages around the Sarah Everard case etc… but from reading the BBC article, I would just caution to say be careful of judging things taken out of context.

This is purely in relation to the custody sergeant who bailed the guy who allegedly kicked a pregnant woman in the stomach.
You cannot remand people just because they’re nasty. The case needs to be ready to go to court the following day. If there are further enquiries to be done before the case meets the threshold test, you cannot charge and remand someone, regardless of how horrible they are.

This is why murder suspects are often in custody significantly over the 24 hour time frame (and this needs to be authorised from senior officers and later on the courts).

I appreciate I don’t have the full story either so perhaps this isn’t the case and the option to remand was available, but I think more context is needed before slamming the custody sergeant.

The other police officers were disgusted that the sergeant had bailed the man who kicked the pregnant women in the stomach. There was a clear boot mark on her belly and when another officer spoke to him about this case, the sergeant (a complete misogynist who talked graphically about sex all the time creating an atmosphere of hyper-sexualty in the workplace) said 'that's what she said' about being kicked in the stomach. So even with clear evidence that it had happened as she said, he basically said that he didn't believe her.

I assume that the perpetrator was either the woman's husband or boyfriend and he was released to go back to the pregnant woman's home. How scared and let down must she feel?

usedtobeaylis · 02/10/2025 08:41

One of the reasons Panorama has done the undercover report is because the met ISN'T dealing with their 'bad apples'. There isn't the level of accountability there needs to be, there's isn't self-policing, there's too much pandering like the OP. Panorama is one of the last outlets that even does undercover investigations.

AguNwaanyi · 02/10/2025 08:38

Change2banon · 02/10/2025 00:09

What post?

The OP

alfonzi · 02/10/2025 08:36

Shakeoffyourchains · 02/10/2025 08:33

Yes he was horrifically racist

But I’m not sure he deserves that conversation to be completely public for the world to see for all eternity.

What the actual fuck have I just read? Why should a horrific racist NOT be exposed for what they are too all and sundry?

I know attitudes like this are vile.

Dweetfidilove · 02/10/2025 08:36

Met found to be toxic again...

People feel sorry for MET officers being outed again as racist, criminal and misogynistic...

Off to practise my 'surprised face' 😒.

usedtobeaylis · 02/10/2025 08:35

They're public servants. They should have thought of that before they utterly failed to uphold their standards.

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