To think my police complaint wasn't kept confidential?

[sowsomeseeds]

Name changed as v v outing.
A few months back I made a complaint against a Police Officer
PC was a friend of mine
They were making comments which made fun of people with disabilities on social media and I couldn’t do with the drama of confronting them directly.
Basically just jokes and memes etc on their social media.
Rightly or wrongly I filled in an online crime report form anonymously, with dates things had happened, which social media platforms etc.
I didn’t think they should be in a position of authority if they were happy to belittle the most vulnerable members of society.
Within 3 weeks the PC and 3 of their closest friends (who were mutual friends) have all deleted and blocked me on social media and refuse to talk to me.
Do you think that my details were given from the complaint (IP address maybe?) or could they tell it was me from my mobile phone.
I 100% made the complaint anonymously.
Have they just guessed or presumed it was me?
I’m worried that my details have been given even though I reported it anonymously and asked to stay anonymous and it is going to cause repercussions for me.

Did you report online or by phone?

Online, ip adress isn’t easy to trace.
If they have your phone number it’s a relatively simple job via police systems. BUT- unless there is a policing purpose (not in this case) they should not access, or ask anyone else to access that data.

If you know they have traced the report to you you can put in a further complaint. Police systems are heavily audited and easy to trace back to who accessed that data.

You are going to look pretty daft if the basis of your further complaint is “they deleted me from Facebook” - why don’t you just ask them why they deleted you? That would actually make you look innocent of reporting them, you can act all wide eyed and confused

I guess if they know when someone reported them they would look for any evidence at all to explain who might have complained. If you deleted your 'friendship' with them just prior to the complaint being made it could be pretty simple for them to assume it was you.

They may only delete you and not your DH because either he fits in with their mindset or they want to annoy you - a strategy which sounds like it may have worked.

You decided to anonymously report something - you felt justified in doing so - you had the right to keep your confidentiality but you then can't control what happens next or even know about what happens next. That's just the way it is.

I'd also rethink my social groups - if their attitudes and values are so low why would you want any contact with them anyway?

There is a Facebook setting where you can choose who says each post, I’ve used it when posting stuff elderly relatives wouldn’t find amusing. Maybe it was only set to the fifteen of you ?

You could probably ask for it to be investigated. Ask whoever is in charge how pc plod knows it was you that reported him, say you want an investigation.

Op for what it's worth, I'm glad there are people that report arseholes like him. My bil has learning difficulties/is disabled and I'd hate to think of him coming across this wanker if he needed help.

I have asked the mutual friends why I’ve been deleted. And I’ve tried to call them. They don’t live too close by, so I’ve not bumped into them.
They are just completely blanking me.
I’m not going to act desperate by constantly trying to contact them.
They clearly no longer want to be friends. Which is a shame after 5 years, but hey ho.
I did not do the report over the phone for the person who asked.
It was through an online crime report form.

ARe they particularly young police? i wonder if their attitude is quite common, i suspect it is

They might also have blocked others realising they'd been found out and 'narrowed' the reach of their group.

I suspect they won't stop though. You can't change someone's attitude overnight or with a telling off at work.

@sowsomeseeds

Teasing alone is not a hate crime, it’s a hate incident, you have read that page you posted incorrectly.

Incidents can go on to be hate crimes I don’t imagine the posts you describe would be considered a crime.

Feel for you op , this seems so unfair.
Does sound like they know it's you but to be fair they shouldn't be suprised that the shit they put online as come back to bite them on the bum .
If you take a job in the police than you shouldn't be putting crap online .
How would anyone feel with a disability and saw their doctor putting this sort of crap online . You would definitely change doctors .
Trouble is with the police you can't pick and choose .

The thing is that if somehow your IP address was discovered, how would they know it wasn't your husband?

You shouldn't have tried to contact them - you've given them the power now.

Making fun of people is not a crime. You have abused a process to tackle crime to try to get someone in trouble with their employer. If you want to grass someone up to their employers, own it.

If it goes beyond "making fun" into a hate crime then yes, it is a crime. The OP hasn't used a process for tackling crime for something which isn't a crime - she's reported this PC appropriately. As a PC they are potentially in a position of power so to mock those far less powerful than they are is an abuse of their position. If they are in trouble with their employer, that is their problem and has come about through their actions.

I suspect they worked it out OP, possibly with a hint from another officer but who knows. I'd keep quiet and watch points rather than take further action.

You’re an idiot op. Why would anyone make a complaint against a police officer? Majority of them are the most corrupt people you’ll ever come across and quickly close rank when their own come into questioning.

It’s pretty obvious they all know it’s you. Take the complaint further if you want but they won’t do anything.

It’s weird you didn’t like seeing this person because of their comments. Makes it sound like you’ve known them a long time and only now decided to report?

Regardless of whether it’s a crime or not, surely they should be posting vile memes about people with disabilities.
Scenario changed here slightly as I don’t want to put word for word in case they are on here...
But comments along the lines of “half of my beat is on crutches, milking the disability benefits”
And “nice to have a break away, where people aren’t inbred with learning disabilities”
Obviously those sentences have been changed, but are 100% along the lines of what’s been posted.
How is that ever ok?

Just knowing your IP wouldn't pinpoint you specifically unless they did further investigations which is unlikely. They'd not have a legitimate reason to trace that far.
It's far more likely they've just blocked a bunch of people they suspect might have seen their posts and being a woman, they'll assume you've been 'overly sensitive' (you haven't). But if people think it's ok to mock disabilities, they'll be perfectly ok assuming you're too sensitive too. That's the nature of the beast I'm afraid. They are right, everybody else is just wrong.

Thank god her blocked you so you can't waste anymore police time

Should not shouldn’t.
I’m going to stop commenting now as I really don’t want this to becoming outing.
I’ve changed lots of little details... but still.
How many police officers in the uk have blocked a friend because they’ve been “grassed up”
Probably not many.

"half of my beat is on crutches, milking the disability benefits"
Personally, I'd not have interpreted that as a disability criticism, but of people milking the system.

nice to have a break away, where people aren’t inbred with learning disabilities
This one's worse (imo) - but moreover, they really ought to be aware of their position and to just avoid ANYTHING like this at all, let alone on social media. Not only are they showing prejudice, but they're demonstrating stupidity too!

I think what you’ve already said has outted you.

They wouldn't have known it was you and you had stopped following them anyway so I don't see the problem.

I daresay the lot of them were given a good telling off after which they decided to pare down their F/B friends.

What you did has no doubt contributed to these police officers growing up!

You changing the examples isn't a fair representation. Your interpretation of what the meme said might not be what was written. Either way if you're in a friendship group of 15 people it's not difficult to narrow down who likes them the least combined with who would be the type to make an anonymous complaint.

Think I need this deleted.
Was just worried that if I did pursue another complaint as I think my details have been given (which most posters don’t think has happened), then I would then need to give my details so that it was investigated.
And then they would know it was me that reported them even if they didn’t before.

I’m not prepared to give any examples, and like you said, the ones I’ve given aren’t identical to what has been said, so probably not even relevant.
Just wanted to try and explain what type of comments were being made.

Why is is “a shame after 5 years”? I think it’s quite two faced to despise him so much you’d risk him losing his job rather than just talking to him, and yes you’re so devastated to be blocked!

I don’t read his comments as mocking disabled people, more that he thinks his area is full of people who are work shy! Unprofessional, yes, but not a hate crime!