To think the police are twats

[whosphuckoffy]

It's the second time now, they've done major damage to my car by arresting someone up against it. The first time i was sat in the vehicle and heavily pregnant. Not that they knew this of course. I know they have to arrest people and these things happen. The problem i have is the first time, if i hadn't of been sat in my car at the time, i wouldn't of known how the damage had occured. Also the damage caused to my car last night, our next door neighbour text us, otherwise we'd of thought it was vandals.

AIBU, to think that if police damage your property they should just leave a note to say contact the police station?

I've now got to faff around to sort this out today and i've got to cancel my plans because the car is undrivable, the wing mirror is fucked, i'm not happy.

Nice ....

Oh no it's the twat word again.

Im sure that the more documentaries I see about the police the more they are stating to resemble Starksy and Hutch or Hill Street Blues and that the UK police never used to be like that. But then when I saw that report last year about the much lowered level of intelligence required to now join the police then it's no surprise that they act like the thugs they are arresting an are only differentiated by the uniform.

I'm sure not all police are twats. I haven't had a lot of contact with police professionally.

Sadly my experience has been on a social level. 90% of the male police population I have met on a night out have made it clear there up for 'a good time' and use their job to increase their chances. Regardless of whether they are married or not.

I try to remember that the faithful ones are probably at home with their partner but yes it has coloured my view rightly or wrongly.

A few, well, it's the same in every field, isn't it? A couple of sour ones ruin it for everyone.

It shouldn't be though should it? The amount of power the police have to make your life a misery, ruin your reputation, in my case create and increase mental health problems there should not be 'a couple of sour ones'.

When the 'sour ones' do something wrong how offten is the whistle blown by the other officers? Look at the Tomlinson case - how many police witnessed an unprovoked attack from someone who was not even suposed to be in the area?

I've just listened to a news report about the shooting in Clacton. Apparently a man & a woman were being followed by the gunman. The man was shot in the leg and they screamed for help. The off duty police officer ran to help them and was shot dead.

That is what the police do. That is what they are.

90% of the police population you meet socially would have done the same thing.

Sashh - how did the police make you mentally ill?
Who wasn't supposed to be in what area during the riot in the City?

Looks like an off duty police officer was killed yesterday in Clacton trying to help someone.

Last week was the anniversary of 7/7.

Yeah, all police are twats [insert stupid what bollocks emotion].

People who make such sweeping comments are the twats.

Perhaps the 90% that you has met aren't the same 90%
That I know. Yet another sweeping generalisation that male officers are just out for an affair. You know what, some are probably like a percentage of men who aren't police officers. How about 990% of male office workers on a night out.
I really am leaving this thread now. I know that I can't change the minds of those who Have had bad experiences I can only offer my point of view.

The male officers that i know are too knackered after their long shifts to have energy left for affairs.. (especially when they've been on duty in the town centre at night - trying to break up the constant fights between the high percentage of drunk or drugged up men & women of all ages; & often getting hurt themselves in the process. Or trying to keep local gangs apart; or responding to the endless & tragic DV calls; or escorting violent drunks to hospital; or attending the local A&E... to break up fights between yet more violent drunks!).
If they do somehow get spare time in their shifts then they spend it trying to eat a quick snack & use the toilet before the next call.

Sashh - how did the police make you mentally ill?

Because now the sight of a police uniform has, on at least two occasions triggered panic attacks and I have general anxiety about interactions with the police. Knowing this a pc recently told me (via the phone) that if I didn't answer my door to her coleagues she would send uniform round to 'kick your door in, to check you are there'.

Who wasn't supposed to be in what area during the riot in the City?

I didn't say that. PC Simon Harwood was told to stay in the police van during the G20 protests. Ian Tomlinson was walking away from the police, trying to get home.

It took two years for harwood to be charged. He is currently on trial.

sashh
I'm not one of those who think that arses are the majority or anything like that but I do get some of what you mean.

I do think that certain possitions that allow you to be percived as more trustworthy/honest/respectable/moral/safe like teachers docters judges police officers social workers ministers as well as a few others do place an obligation on you to behave honestly safely ect.
I think that if your uniform is one that enables you to be placed in authority or trusted more than someone who didn't have it then you also have a responsability.
It's why I think that social workers who abuse vunrable people or exercise dishonesty,docters who harm people or are dishonest, teachers who bully kids,police officers who commit crimes or abuse people, vicars who abuse or are dishonest accountants who fiddle figures or steal. Mp's who are dishonest should be subject to more serious punishments than a person who is behaving in that way but without the same trusted possition.
I also don't get why some police officers on this thread have been as defensive as they have the op clearly apologised for her initial post being written as ALL police,
the small minority who behave like this contribute towards and cause the lack of trust exhibited by some people against the police and you good decent officers should be doubly angery at those because there behaviour is causing you to be viewed with suspician and contributing towards a lack of trust or a breakdown of relations that makes it harder for you to do your job.

One of my kids got knocked over a few years ago. The police officers who came to the hospital were obviously all twats, especially the big burly one who gave me a big hug and let me sob on his chest. The fact that they then made time to visit my son on the ward to see how he was marked them out as a right bunch of bastards. Rotters and cads the lot of 'em ;)

I hope there are no mumsnet teacher/copper couples. How do you LIVE with yourselves?!

Socknickingpixi

Thanks. And I said I did have one encounter that wasn't nasty, and I wrote to the chief constable. I am only saying the things that I have personally encountered. Or in the Tomlinson case things that are in the public domain.

I truly believe the Tomlinson case has only come to court because of the film footage and public outrage. The IPCC initially found nothing wrong. The police claimed there were no CCTV cameras (sound familiar) and Harwood lied, several times.

Every tie somethign like this happens it damages the police and it reinforces the image I, and many people have.

I know other people who have been harrassed by the police. I know people who have been assaulted by the police. None of the police on here say they have reported a colleague for inapppropriate action / comments / behaviour.

I would have more faith if the 'good' ones did not cover for those who have done wrong, you might as well join in the harm if you are not going to do anything about it.

Sassh - you originally said 'was not even supposed to be in the area' not 'was told to stay in the police van'. There's a bit of a difference. I'm not going to get into a discussion about that matter because neither you or I know the truth of what happened.
Why do you have panic attacks at the mere sight of a uniform? What on earth do you think the people wearing those clothes will do to you? You say that dealing with the police makes you generally anxious, that's a bit less dramatic than what you originally said about the police giving you mental health problems. I still don't understand why. I also don't understand why they are making threatening phone calls to you. It sounds a bit odd.

Sock - I think the bad eggs do make their colleagues angry for the very reasons you state. There's no reason to assume they don't.
I know the op has apologised but police officers are probably feeling a bit defensive because they were originally told that they are twats by virtue of what they do for a living. And some others saw it as an opportunity to stick the boot in as well.
MOST police officers are trustworthy etc etc. And do behave honestly, safely etc.

Some even sacrifice their life to protect others.

I work for the police, but am not a police officer. I have met a lot of fantastic officers and a few rubbish ones. The majority of them are good people; they are committed to helping the public and go above and beyond the call of duty. PC Ian Dibell from Essex is clearly one of them, although I did not know him.

Unfortunately when the public meet the bad officers it makes a long lasting impression as detailed by many people on here. The police should protect us and lock up criminals, but be friendly and polite with it. We expect them to be the good guys, so when they're not it's worse than when 'normal' people are idiots.

To say the police are twats is a sweeping generalisation that is insulting to all those thousands of excellent officers who do a great job and sometimes, literally, put their lives on the line to keep us safe.

Well said, lovelyredwine.

YABVU.

lovely yes - I don't think people do realise just how much the police do put their lives on the line.

My DH is a police officer and knowing that he is out there on a fri sat night makes me very frightened.

Have you seen the recent research ?
So many officers involved in the riots thought that they were actually going to die.

My DHs station got petrol bombed.
Twats like him often give women the encouragement and help to move into refuges out of DV ... I know he does this ... I know his colleagues do.
They help with the packing and physically transport women to refuges.
What a bunch of twats

james i wasnt assuming anything,i was only stating what i think should be the case.i know several who wont hide bad behaviour or tollerate it just because its a fellow officer.

my dad allways tought me that evil prospers when good people do nothing.

i for one sleep peacefully in my bed because good men and women don uniforms of many kinds to make my comunity safe,my children have been brought up to respect this and even if there in a group and a friend says something like 'oink' or 'pigs' or other rude things to a police officer every single one of my children will challenge this and then walk away.

JamesMurphy

I'm following the case, he was told to stay in the van. He got out, hit a few people with his batton and ended up in a different area - that's his testomony.

Why do you have panic attacks at the mere sight of a uniform? What on earth do you think the people wearing those clothes will do to you? You say that dealing with the police makes you generally anxious, that's a bit less dramatic than what you originally said about the police giving you mental health problems.

Well I never had a panic attack before my encounters with them, after one particularly nasty interaction I started to have panic attacks. I was also never prescibed valium before this. So yes they have caused mental health problems and yes they have done things that have made that worse. After a lot of therapy, medication, and drinking enough to damage my liver, I'm at the stage where I am anxious rather than a complete mess.

You think it's odd, I think it is outragous.

What could they do to me?

Arrest me, deny me medical care, assault me, phone me at all hours, threaten me, refuse to look at evidence (a piece of property taken in a burglary that appeared in a near by house - apparently finger prints move so even if they were on the property and I had never been in that house it wouldn't prove it was mine, and the serial number would be no good either), then lets add, call at my house to 'check on me' when they know I have mental health problems that are worsened by interactions with the police.

Even if 99.9% wouldn't do any of the above it does not wipe out the damage the 0.1% have done.

As I have moved area a couple of times, and I have had crap (sorry can't think of a better word at the moment ) from the police of different forces, do you blame me for thinking there is something wrong?

I wasn't going to post on this any more but I just wanted to reply to you Lovebunny.

Is there a chance you had underlying mental health problems before your encounters with the police?

You have had 'crap' from different police forces. Have you considered that the common denominator is you?

ohdobuckup

Sorry, should have read your other posts

Tell that to the family of the policeman who was killed in Clacton the other day.

I think the OP is a twat for starting this ridiculous thread!

JamesMurphy Wed 11-Jul-12 09:09:40
*I wasn't going to post on this any more but I just wanted to reply to you Lovebunny.

Is there a chance you had underlying mental health problems before your encounters with the police?

You have had 'crap' from different police forces. Have you considered that the common denominator is you?*

you might like to clarify your thinking there. did i mention 'crap'? i haven't checked but i think not. and all my negative experiences with the police are with the same force, my local; their chief inspector isn't quite a friend, but our children were at school together so we've been on nodding terms.

and as to mental health problems, i think you might reconsider what you are saying about that. have i ever been anxious? yes. have i had counselling? yes. have i had medication? a fortnight of anti-depressants which the doctor said were the mildest he had, which he usually prescribed for small children... does that count as having serious mental health issues? no it does not. (i've had hypnotherapy too, but that's work-related )

i don't have 'underlying mental health issues'. i have the misfortune to meet police persons with ridiculous attitudes. persecuted by youngsters? get a gun! get a man! get a dog! my house was the third targeted in the street by the way, and the police finally took action when the yobs destroyed house 2's (my next door neighbour's) garden.

possibly you need to check to whom it is you really want to reply. and watch yourself for bullying - you're tending that way and it doesn't help your case.

I'd be pissed off and hope that after they got the little bugger in their car they would take note of the cars details and get a hold of you the next day or to come back after dropping off the little buggar into the cells and explain that it was necessary to do because others could be at danger / he was carrying a weapon / he's a known criminal etc.

I agree they probably needed to be a little bit rough with this person as they may have got a bit nasty but it doesn't mean that after everything has calmed down they couldn't inform you.

But on a side note you'd be lost without them. Think about the riots and for example that man with the gun in Essex a few days ago - without the police there to help (heck the murder victim WAS a police officer off duty who wanted to help). Although sometimes they can be arseholes like any person of any profession they do a lot more good in this country than they do bad.