Do you still trust the police?

[Soubriquet]

When I got with my dh 11 years ago, he would laugh when I said I trusted the police. That they were someone in a position of power, who I felt I could trust. He never tried to sway me, just said, ok..you’ll see.

Now…I don’t. After everything they has happened over the last few years..Rotherham, Wayne Couzens, the girl with autism and other shit like that, I do not trust them at all.

I feel really sorry for the police . Day in and day out they deal with the dregs of society and that would be very draining in itself so I cut them some slack if a snapshot moment on a mobile phone is captured and plastered over social media .
I have had very little contact with the police because I stay on the right side of the law and don't lead a chaotic life . Simples.
I bet everyone here saying they don't trust them would be the first to call if they needed help .

I spend my days doing surveys with the public about the police (for different forces up and down the country). The vast majority of people I speak to tell me they generally trust the police to try and do a decent job, and I don't often have people tell me they've had bad experiences.

I think threads like this are always skewed - people who've had a poor experience will be more likely to respond to the thread.

Most people say the service is under funded, and the police don't respond efficiently enough to minor crime/anti social behaviour, but they know it's down to lack of resources/having to prioritise.

@MrsTerryPratchett

They were officers. 2 officers have been killed in custody in a year. So there you go

@Clymene

You think 6 deaths is acceptable? Says it all really

And there have been over 200 deaths or does suicide and other ways not count for police officers? You'd be the first ranting in here if a me never of the public killed themselves because of something the police did to them and that would be classed as a death by the police in your eyes 🤦🏽‍♀️ can't believe even the simplest of things needs to be explained to some people

The most stupid statement on here .

*here if the member of the public

I agree it’s woeful advice

No I don't trust them and I don't call them when there is trouble. I stopped trusting them some years ago when I was suffering DV.
I've also experienced burglary and vandalism and they did nothing.
I'm a professional woman with my own home not someone who lives on the edge. I've given up hoping they will help if I am in trouble. I help myself and make sure my home is secure.

Nope.
I've been dealing with my neghbour and the police for the past several years and nothing. Drugs, dv etc you name it, constant breaches his bail and the police come looking for him and each time they tell him to report they could arrest him but they won't., in actual fact they'll be quite chummy with him and laugh and joke.

Here's one article on the QLD police Police Officer Jokes About Giving Victim’s Address to Abusive Partner (sydneycriminallawyers.com.au)

Queensland police response to domestic and family violence inquiry hears of ugly comments, crews avoiding call outs - ABC News

crostini · Yesterday 21:52

I teach my daughters to not trust them. I tell them, if they're in danger, find a woman, preferably a mother. And stay away from male police officers.

@crostini what other insane advice do you give your daughters?

37% of police officers are female

There's conflating of at-work danger levels and unacceptable police behaviour. The former doesn't excuse the latter.

I'd like to see the evidence for 200 police deaths a year. The only figure I can find which is similar to that is police related fatalities. 2021-22 figures are 217, but include members of the public, so deaths in custody, suicides in and after custody, deaths in RTAs etc, not police deaths.

No-one is disagreeing that police officers have a difficult and dangerous job. That however doesn't make misogyny, racism or homophobia acceptable. Aside from my own - many - negative experiences, a friend's daughter has recently completed her training. Even during her training, it was obvious which trainees (all male) were going to be problematic in the future. All the female trainees could see it.

Changes in police behaviour needs to start with recruitment. Then there needs to be a culture of reporting colleagues who behave badly - proper whistle blowing where officers know something will happen as a result. It's been my experience that officers turn a blind eye to others behaviour, or actively join in. Look at Wayne Couzens as an extreme example. His behaviour towards women was known to be problematic to say the least. He was even in a WhatsApp group where fellow officers shared offensive messages. No-one stopped him, and colleagues colluded with his online behaviour.

Aside from my own - many - negative experiences,

@Underthelightofthefullmoon

why have you had many experiences with the police?

You'd have to ask the police officers involved.

Or, for a less flippant answer, I was married to one for years and was the victim of several serious crimes perpetrated by him. I knew many officers during and after that time, and had some pretty awful experiences.

But @Underthelightofthefullmoon he ended up in prison for the DV

So whilst he was abysmal, it would seem the police and justice system came through

37% of police officers 'claim' to be female

If only it was that straightforward eh? Plus the rest of my post....

No. They've been a force of misery my whole law abiding life. WYP hate women and girls.
And ACAB

Many of the videos I have seen are missing the start of what happend. Only see half a story

My son says he often gets phones in his face. People starts shouting etc when a suspect gets put on the floor . and weapon/knife is taken from suspect the recorders suddenly back off and leave.

I've had many experiences with the police because I was very poor and was sexually assaulted repeatedly and then stalked and harassed. Any more questions?

Fact is - your ex who is also an ex copper, is in prison for domestic violent perpetrated against you. So somewhere along the line - some police officers did their job

You're white and middle class aren't you?

I didn’t ask you a single question

This! I'm sure the there are many decent, individual officers but, as an institution, no
I do not trust the police.