Defund the police

[SmiledWithTheRisingSun]

Can't help but think this slogan is just not going to pull people in.

As explained in the article below, it actually makes a LOT of sense.

"Fund social justice" might have been a more positive message though?....

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/02/britain-defund-the-police-black-lives-matter?CMP=ShareAndroidApppNewsFeed&fbclid=IwAR11MrOmcaUZbLsfqjttDAHtv_cxxPEnS60j4SAwNXRF6RWrZZfeKyjhkBM

It’s a load of bollocks and thankfully with a slogan like that pulling people away it can only be a good thing.

Its makes more sense in the context of the US where police department budgets are gianormous, and they have military grade equipment. Not so much in the UK when we know they are underfunded and standards have gone down because of a lack of resources.

It's actual meaning - "fund appropriate services to deal with things so the police aren't always who turn up in a crisis" is sensible.

Unfortunately the same people who are demanding to defund the police, will be complaining in the future about the police not responding to whatever crime they have reported.

In America, the police are driving around in tanks donated to them by the military. Every police officer has a gun.

In the UK, police officers have a stick to defend themselves against guns and knives. Oh and don't forget the pepper spray.

I don't really think defund the police can wash in the UK. But I do agree that actually spending some money on other areas like social care and health care means there is support for people to avoid them needing the police.

I also think if drugs were legalised, two thirds of all crime would be wiped out overnight.

American police and UK police are two completely different things.

UK police, police by consent, they are given a warrant to police fot the community and are always accountable to the public.

American police are like an army, you do as they say, they are law.

Defunding the police, leaving them with less power and passing it to the community will just give more power to the criminals. It's a ridiculous idea.

Defunding the police, leaving them with less power and passing it to the community will just give more power to the criminals. It's a ridiculous idea.

^ Succint and completely accurate.

Indeed. If we do see this redirection of nonexistent funds, how long will the change take to happen? What happens in the interim years when the meagre police funding has been redirected and the social/community projects are back but haven’t been back enough to change cultures and reverse huge social problems like drug gangs, county lines and knife crime?

How long will it take to reverse these issues? 5, 10, 20 years? More? In the meantime how do we deal with the associated crime that still happens? But it’s a catch22 because the projects can’t start without the money and the money doesn’t come without cutting policing even further (according to the rhetoric).

I’m all for more social projects and agree that it’s an absolute scandal that so many have been lost in the last 10 years but that is not down to the police. The police haven’t been siphoning off the cash for their own evil gains. They’ve also been losing money hand over fist, like all public services.

Years ago I remember hearing a couple of police officers talk down one of my neighbours who was smacked off their tits on Ritalin and trying to kill their partner. The neighbour screamed incoherently for around an hour or so and the police just quietly talked him down to be calm enough to deal with the social worker when they finally turned up. If it had been in the US, the neighbour would have been shot.

I think the UK police need more funding for training dealing with the mentally ill, damaged and dangerous and more support. It's usually them talking someone out of suicide, or negotiating a dispute between idiots. I'm up for them getting a good change up in training, but not defunding.

How can that possibly be a good idea OP? Many crimes are under-investigated as it is. Our police force is pretty good and they work hard to be fair and be reasonable. They are extremely accountable.

We do not have a police problem in this country.

Defunding the police is idiotic and that has seriously impacted support. I agree with funding for social justice, social care and other stuff along those lines but that doesn’t mean the money should come from the police budget. All these services are needed.

Sometimes I wonder if people believe that our police are in some way affiliated or controlled by American police. Our police did not kill Floyd. Our police allowed protestors to pull down the Colston statue. American police would have shot rubber bullets at those people! I am not sure why our police have got to be held accountable for the actions of America.

Gotta get on that bandwagon, @ekidmxcl!

As if 10 years of austerity wasn't enough.

I also don't think people know or understand when the government say they are employing 21,000 new police officers, when in fact they have reduce the police force by 20,000 officers over the last few years.

Those of you who are outraged, have you actually read the article?

You do realise that The Guardian has a definite bias, right?

And I would assume most of us that have posted on this thread have gathered information on this matter from various sources including the organisations suggesting such a ridiculous move.

Yes, I have read the article. Like I said, I’m aware that there have been horrific cuts to social and community projects in recent years and you don’t have to be a genius to understand that this links to increased deprivation and crime and the point about prisons is a valid one. Prevention is of course better than cure in pretty much all situations and this is no different but the idea that the police are getting the ‘missing’ cash is laughable.

Defund the police is a load of bollocks.

Much improved social care in britain is massively important, but this isnt defund the police. This is fund appropriate social care/social services, we still need the police in the capacity they are today. The options shouldnt be police or social care.

Quite, @DishRanAwayWithTheSpoon. The two are not mutually exclusive.

"UK police, police by consent, they are given a warrant to police fot the community and are always accountable to the public."
Defunding the police is arrant nonsense but so is the above statement. The police do not work by consent and they are in no way accountable. That is why so few officers are held to account for exceeding their authority or assaulting members of the public, all of which happen on a regular basis. The police close ranks to protect each other as does the CPS.

UK Police I believe are held accountable.
The IOPC is set up to do just that. I do not believe the police go around assaulting innocence people on a regular basis, and the few police officers that do believe they are above the law are a minority in policing.
When I was growing up I was taught to respect the police and do as they say. I do respect the police, I have no problem being stopped and searched as I can follow simple instructions and I have nothing to hide.
They are doing a job by consent for the better of the community. The only people that think otherwise are people who believe they are above the law and the criminals.

You can’t bloody defund the police they hardly have any funding as it is!!! You try doing their job with their budgets ffs. What people mean is fund social work community projects etc. No one would disagree with that I’m sure but the police haven’t stolen the money that use to be used for these projects ffs. There just was no money given. Then police budgets were slashed too. They are the first port of call for mental health issues, suicides, anti social behaviour drugs. We either FUND and train them more for this or accept we can’t call them out for our drugged up neighbour going off on one (Like a pp described) and we have to wait until we can get a social worker to come or a community drug counsellor (I don’t imagine they’ll be as keen to deal with the active druggy threatening to kill).

Our police is NOT AmErican police. We police completely differently and have different rules of engagement so to speak and equipment etc. Our police heavily rely on communication and interaction and talking people down - they don’t have guns and use of a taser is investigated (I believe). Our police first option is always to talk people down. America...not so much eh. Look at the recent Glasgow attacks. That police officer had to be put under official investigation as the discharged their firearm. Even when totally clear cut it’s still investigated. They can’t go about shooting people at will. I’m not disputing there are bad eggs. Arsehole ott police ... there are bad eggs in every job police doctors teachers shopkeepers fishermen you name it. But as a WHOLE the uk police aren’t violently attacking uk citizens.

I am sick to death of America issues becoming the calling card of UK groups. We are not similar Cultures at all.

Defund the police - fucking joke slogan. We don’t even fund them properly in the first place!!!

@ShutUpaYourFace

UK Police I believe are held accountable. The IOPC is set up to do just that. I do not believe the police go around assaulting innocence people on a regular basis, and the few police officers that do believe they are above the law are a minority in policing. When I was growing up I was taught to respect the police and do as they say. I do respect the police, I have no problem being stopped and searched as I can follow simple instructions and I have nothing to hide. They are doing a job by consent for the better of the community. The only people that think otherwise are people who believe they are above the law and the criminals.

Completely agree!

UK Police I believe are held accountable.
The IOPC is set up to do just that. I do not believe the police go around assaulting innocence people on a regular basis, and the few police officers that do believe they are above the law are a minority in policing.

Well you are wrong. The IOPC is a toothless body who hardly ever take action against the police. The police investigate themselves and say 'look,we have done nothing wrong'. Howis that credible. I could list numerous examples of thuggish and incompetent behaviour, have a look at the Crime bodge website to see video evidence for yourself if the halfwits in blue at work.

Recently officers caught on video saying ' we can do anything we like'. Police officer head butts a man and then arrests him! IOPC and CPS refuse to take action. Story in the national press with video of officer threatening to frame someone saying 'who will they believe, you or me'. No action taken. The assaults by police are not a matter of belief, they are a fact and an affront to free speech and democracy.