Page 25 | To feel a bit bad for the met police on bbc panorama undercover

Bloodyscarymary · 2025-10-01T20:46:43+00:00

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

TeenLifeMum · 01/10/2025 23:08

Name and shame! They do not deserve the position and to be around very vulnerable people, which they inevitably will be in their role.

sugarapplelane · 01/10/2025 23:06

Happyjoe · 01/10/2025 23:03

Forget the sex, just ashamed! It's crazy eh?

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Crazy indeed!
Only reason I asked their sex is because I thought Women stood up for each other, and not the scumbags that think a pregnant woman lied.
i’m gobsmacked

MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack · 01/10/2025 23:05

Dappy777 · 01/10/2025 22:19

I’m increasingly suspicious of the BBC and its motivations. It is a left-wing organisation, and the left have always disliked the police, who they regard as “tools of the capitalist oppressors.” It’s hard to imagine the BBC exposing ANTIFA or Just Stop Oil, put it that way.

You see their left-wing bias everywhere. Radio 4 can’t even discuss Jane Austen or Tennyson without linking them to slavery or colonialism in some way.

Personally, I don’t think we give the police anywhere near enough credit or support. The majority of police officers I have met have been thoroughly decent men. If I had to deal with vicious, ignorant, foul-mannered little scumbags day in day out I’m sure I’d blurt out horrible and offensive things as well.

Edited

Yep, from what you've said, I'm pretty sure that you'd blurt out horrible and offensive things as well.

CheeseyOnionPie · 01/10/2025 23:05

Being a police officer is a position of authority and this behaviour is disgusting and wholly unacceptable. No, I most certainly do not feel sorry for them, they deserve to be named and shamed and be stripped of the opportunity to hold a privileged position ever again.

Being a police officer requires taking a high degree of personal responsibility.

FrauPaige · 01/10/2025 23:05

Anyahyacinth · 01/10/2025 22:41

Trouble is the head of the Met has appeased his officers (after the armed officers work to rule etc..) when he came into post and said the service had no institutional racism or sexism...it looked like change might happen with Sarah Everard and Mark Duggan but they just dug in and circled the wagons rejecting criticism and change.

I agree. It was disappointing when Rowley would not use the term "institutionally racist" however he did accept the findings of the Casey review and did accept that the force had systemic and cultural issues with racism, homophobia, and misogyny.

This is miles better than Cressida Dick and Boris Johnson shielding the Met's impropriety behind the tired mantra of "a few bad apples".

Progress, yes, but clearly much, much more to do.

Lougle · 01/10/2025 23:05

Bloodyscarymary · 01/10/2025 22:29

I’m clearly in the minority based on the comments. I guess I feel that people committing crimes (eg police brutality) are fair game for publication but recording them expressing views (no matter how much I disagree with them or find the views repugnant) in private when off-duty and publicising that with no blurred face etc is a bit Orwellian to me.

The whole point is that they don't get to be off duty. Ever. They are held to the policing standards at all times that they are a serving police officer, whether on duty or off duty. Just as Nurses can be hauled before the NMC for their conduct whilst off duty, and Social Workers can be brought before Social Work England for their conduct.

Public Professionals have to maintain and embody the standards of their profession in their daily lives. They can't just 'put them on' like a uniform.

Happyjoe · 01/10/2025 23:03

sugarapplelane · 01/10/2025 23:02

Are you for real? Are you make or female? If you are female then you should be ashamed.

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Forget the sex, just ashamed! It's crazy eh?

Horsie · 01/10/2025 23:03

I haven't seen it so can't comment, but wanted to ask what a pint broadcast is?

There are a lot of good policemen, and it's a great pity that the rotten ones spoil the whole institution for everyone else.

sugarapplelane · 01/10/2025 23:02

Dappy777 · 01/10/2025 22:19

I’m increasingly suspicious of the BBC and its motivations. It is a left-wing organisation, and the left have always disliked the police, who they regard as “tools of the capitalist oppressors.” It’s hard to imagine the BBC exposing ANTIFA or Just Stop Oil, put it that way.

You see their left-wing bias everywhere. Radio 4 can’t even discuss Jane Austen or Tennyson without linking them to slavery or colonialism in some way.

Personally, I don’t think we give the police anywhere near enough credit or support. The majority of police officers I have met have been thoroughly decent men. If I had to deal with vicious, ignorant, foul-mannered little scumbags day in day out I’m sure I’d blurt out horrible and offensive things as well.

Edited

Are you for real? Are you make or female? If you are female then you should be ashamed.

PrincessScarlett · 01/10/2025 23:01

It's so bloody depressing for all the decent upstanding police officers that have to put up with this crap from colleagues and superiors. And by association they are all being tarred with the same brush (although the documentary pointed out at least twice that their undercover man witnessed lots of excellent police officers).

The treatment of the 17 year old autistic boy who also had mental health problems was absolutely disgusting and that PC Neilson deserves prosecution not sympathy.

MyrtleLion · 01/10/2025 23:01

Bloodyscarymary · 01/10/2025 22:38

On the contrary, I completely see how that would impact how they treat victims of crime. I think they should be fired! My AIBU is about publishing their identities, faces etc in the documentary.

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The police have a duty to behave responsibly on and off duty, under the regulations as laid down by law, as was repeatedly mentioned in the programme. So their "banter" (hate that word) in the pub is absolutely relevant.

I also think they would excuse themselves if they were only shown as racist and misogynistic at work by saying that's what they have to say to get along with the boss and their colleagues. This showed it is their true attitude.

I hope they're all fired.

lazyarse123 · 01/10/2025 23:00

I haven't seen it yet but my sister was married to a police officer, not the Met think it was North Yorkshire. She left him the day he punched her and their 5 month old son, turns out he'd been hitting her for years but she ended it when he hit the baby.
She didn't report him because as she said they would have closed ranks.
So yes they should be exposed so we all know who we are.

MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack · 01/10/2025 23:00

I have tried to understand your perspective on this, OP, but I don't really get why you think they shouldn't be exposed.

If you feel that it is appropriate to express certain views or sentiments to your work colleagues, I am not really sure why you would have concerns about other people knowing that you hold such views or sentiments because you presumably believe that the views or sentiments you are expressing are perfectly acceptable.

If you don't say anything that you would be really ashamed of, then there isn't anything to fear from documentaries like this.

If people secretly filmed me talking to my colleagues, they might hear a few inappropriate expletives or some minor gripes, but it would mostly be boringly professional. Because it's a work environment and that's what's expected.

I'm afraid I don't really have any sympathy with the people who were caught on camera saying awful things. If they hadn't said those things, then there wouldn't be a story to tell.

RedRec · 01/10/2025 22:59

I only feel sorry for the good, principled ones whose reputations might be tarnished by this.

Happyjoe · 01/10/2025 22:59

If they didn't want anyone to hear what they had to say, they shouldn't have said it. No sympathies at all, should be named and shamed quite frankly. This has to stop, these are our police!

FrauPaige · 01/10/2025 22:58

Er yep

YABU they deserve everything that’s coming their way

Thank goodness they have been exposed

placemats · 01/10/2025 22:57

No problem at all with their identities being known and I'm enraged that they are suspended on full pay and that will probably continue for a year before they are fired - but they will still get the pension benefits. Nice work for behaving in such a disgusting and violent manner.

Sonjaaa · 01/10/2025 22:54

No I don’t feel bad for them. I would be marched
out the door if I have behaved like that in my company. It’s about cooperate culture.

MyrtleLion · 01/10/2025 22:52

Dappy777 · 01/10/2025 22:19

I’m increasingly suspicious of the BBC and its motivations. It is a left-wing organisation, and the left have always disliked the police, who they regard as “tools of the capitalist oppressors.” It’s hard to imagine the BBC exposing ANTIFA or Just Stop Oil, put it that way.

You see their left-wing bias everywhere. Radio 4 can’t even discuss Jane Austen or Tennyson without linking them to slavery or colonialism in some way.

Personally, I don’t think we give the police anywhere near enough credit or support. The majority of police officers I have met have been thoroughly decent men. If I had to deal with vicious, ignorant, foul-mannered little scumbags day in day out I’m sure I’d blurt out horrible and offensive things as well.

Edited

Jane Austen's novel Mansfield Park is literally an exposé of slavery and colonialism.

dancingbymyself · 01/10/2025 22:52

They’ve been told time and time again to get their house in order. I have zero sympathy and cannot believe they haven’t managed to stamp this out yet.

opencecilgee · 01/10/2025 22:50

watch it then come back to the thread

MysticalBiscuit · 01/10/2025 22:49

I recently read True North by Sal Naseem who was on the Panorama doc. He used to be the Director of the IOPC and exposed systemic racism, misogyny, homophobia in the force. The culture of the Met is so deeply messed up and right to the top. I recommend the book. Terrifying as The Met are the people who are supposed to keep the community safe and act without prejudice.

RisingSunn · 01/10/2025 22:47

Bloodyscarymary · 01/10/2025 22:29

I’m clearly in the minority based on the comments. I guess I feel that people committing crimes (eg police brutality) are fair game for publication but recording them expressing views (no matter how much I disagree with them or find the views repugnant) in private when off-duty and publicising that with no blurred face etc is a bit Orwellian to me.

But police have to follow their code of conduct when on and off duty! God knows what they've done to ethnic minority suspects in their custody - or what their female colleagues have had to endure!

AnAlpacaForChristmasPleaseSanta · 01/10/2025 22:47

Florencesndzebedee · 01/10/2025 22:46

It was shocking and disgusting. No point in complaining as no-one would take you seriously. Absolutely rotten to the core. Where do they find these people? There must be something in the recruitment process that isn’t working.

Wouldn't surprise me if there wasn't a recruitment stand at Tommy Robinson's recent gathering.

Florencesndzebedee · 01/10/2025 22:46

It was shocking and disgusting. No point in complaining as no-one would take you seriously. Absolutely rotten to the core. Where do they find these people? There must be something in the recruitment process that isn’t working.