Is anyone else sick of anti police/some of the younger generation in general?

[fizzypop19]

I'm 29 so in no means "old" but I don't know what's happened the past couple of years.

I was bought up to respect police, not break the law. Obviously I have, underage drinking etc yet I've never been in trouble with police. Twitter is full of 17-20 year olds slagging off the police for breaking up protests etc hello we are in a pandemic and I'd really like to be out of lockdown soon?

Was also bought up to not judge anyone by their skin colour, religion, sexual orientation etc I have friends who are gay, black, white, Muslim, Jewish yet none of them understand this whole she/her announce your pronouns stuff, we all just respect each others preferences/views/religions/self identification.

Is anyone else feeling sick of this or am I alone???

[TheHateIsNotGood]

Being anti-police isn't an age-related thing, generally it's a feelz, felt since 'forever', plenty of our 'elder' citizens still think it's cool to be anti - whatever. I respect the 'anti' but also the civil perspectives that 'glue' us together - it helps keep things in balance i think.

I remember myself being a bit of an 'anti' in the '70s - SPG, ANZ and Greenham, etc, and forever beyond - it's all checks and balances that keep our semblance of civility in order.

[Nicknacky]

@BadMotherLoverI’m afraid I can’t help you with that.

[Szulik]

@Sceptre86

What is the alternative to the police? I would really like to hear people's suggestions. I am 34 and do respect the policy as an institution, not all police men and women are racist, senior or misogynistic. Some are, I don't doubt but so are some doctors, lawyers, judges and many more people in 'respected' professions. I do think the police need to be held accountable when there are failings and that this should be transparent. How is launching stuff at people just trying to do their job going to help or swearing at them?

I am a big fan of protest and actually think it is a very useful tool to bring attention to a cause but in a pandemic you need to use your brains and accept that not all people will follow the rules and socially distance or even wear masks. Do you still go ahead, debatable.

I think the best answer to your question is that the accountability of the police needs to be more than just lip service.

Isn’t there a song ‘murder is a crime unless it is committed by a policeman’.

It’s not that we shouldn’t have police, it’s more that we should have better, more accountable policing.

[Lastfreakinglegs]

Er hello. Read the new policing bill. Quite a lot of freedoms will vanish if we don't resist it.

[TheHateIsNotGood]

I s'pose if we didn't have any 'police' then it would be left up to 'us' and much as I'd like to think we'd all gel along together in peace, I know that's idealistic bullshit, it wouldn't take long for us to descend into anarchy.

Any chagrin I might feelz is towards Consumerism, the most pointless, resource-sucking thing that humans have created as a Belief System in ages without going to War over it.

Maybe I'm still an Anti after all.

[Flaxmeadow]

If you want to see what would happen without the police take a look at what happened in Portland and Seattle, USA with the "autonomous zones", i think also known as CHOP or CHAZ? Gang rapes, murders, including the murder of juvenile car thieves, massive crime and drug taking, sewage everywhere, survival of the fittest


As for the crime bill. Im not sure what the problem is with harsher sentencing for rape/ crimes against women and children. Less early release from those sentences. Time limits on protests into the night?

What are the specific objections to the bill?

[LemonRoses]

Is anyone saying get rid of all police? I think not. What people are saying is that there should be changes to how police are deployed and educated. There should be greater individual and collective accountability. Police officers who commit crimes in the course of their duties should be prosecuted, the same as doctors already are.

There should be a commitment to a more open culture and greater attempts to widen the intake to be more representative of society.

[Sundances]

Police officers who commit crimes in the course of their duties should be prosecuted, the same as doctors already are.

BBC article
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33635962
Quite balanced as admits the numbers are not high for the total number of police and PCOS.

[ceilingsand]

The whole culture of the police needs rethinking. They've spent decades, and longer, thinking of themselves as the law itself, and too many of them think they are above it. I think the bad apples should be aggressively weeded out, and that where files go missing or body cameras have failed, the case should favour any defendant. I think police shown to be gratuitously violent should be removed.

[Spaghettihooplas]

@LadyCatStark

I’m sick of everyone right now! Everyone’s arguing and hating anyone who doesn’t have their exact set of beliefs and everyone’s crying and wailing and experiencing ‘literal violence’ (actually it’s just someone else not agreeing with them). I think it’s lockdown boredom getting to everyone.

You must hate men.
You must hate the police.
You must hate white people.
You must hate lesbians who don’t want to sleep with ‘women with penises’.
You must film videos of you crying and upload them to social media. Urghhhhhh.

Agreed.....people don’t have a right to think for themselves....we have to think like these people and hate on others....pretty sure the people who are causing all the arguments and hate against people are the ones saying ‘be kind’

[LOLbebe]

I think you need to consider the bigger picture. Lots if young people in this country have received the shit end of the stick. No prospect of owning their own home any time soon, astronomical rent, concerns over the climate (that the govt don't seem to be doing anything about), brexit that many of them didnt get to have their say on, lack of employment opportunities etc.... in addition, many of the initiatives that used to go on in schools such as police liaison aren't funded anymore and don't go ahead. I think these were really important in bridging relationships with the police from a very young age.
Plus a pandemic where their education, social and mental health/development has been negatively impacted.
Undoubtedly social media plays a part too, but you just get a building resentment that grows and grows.
I feel angry about lots of things and I am mid 30s with my own house and pretty sorted on the job front!

[MercyBooth]

Just seen the mother of Richard Okorogheye on the news. The police told her they were understaffed. Richard has sickle cell disease has been missing for a week and doesnt have his medication.

[MercyBooth]

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/30/police-handling-of-sarah-everard-vigil-appropriate-says-watchdog?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

[tangerinelollipop]

Lots if young people in this country have received the shit end of the stick

So it's ok for them to attack and injure other human beings (i.e. police officers) and destroy private and public property? Don't think so

[tangerinelollipop]

I can see the agitation started again on these threads. Shameful

[Smurfsarethefuture]

@tangerinelollipop

what or who do you mean @tangerine?

[MarieIVanArkleStinks]

The issue with police powers being at odds with democracy is serious, OP. I was deeply concerned at the time - and posted about those concerns on this site - when I realised 'temporary' legislation had been passed which meant that protest was now illegal. I questioned why this had apparently passed without comment, and what would happen at the other end of the process if such temporary measures were not legally revoked. We'd have a large step toward a dictatorship by stealth, and why were people not worried about this?

Events transpired as I feared and I, for one, am relieved to see that some of my fellow-citizens are not as complacent as I'd imagined they were. And I thank them, profusely. This needs widescale media coverage.

Sometimes there are more urgent issues affecting the welfare of this country than just COVID.

Until this happened some constabularies were getting heavy-handed in a way that makes me deeply uncomfortable. One case in point was 'Harry the Owl', the Twitter poster who 'liked' a limerick deemed to be transphobic, and received a call from Humberside Police (he wasn't in that constabulary's jurisdiction) to 'check his thinking'. I'm so relieved this man challenged that outrage in court and won.

So no, I'm not sick of people questioning the police, and I think unquestioning obedience and complacency is potentially dangerous. I also don't think rude, disrespectful behaviour is in any way generational.

[rosetylersbiggun]

So it's ok for them to attack and injure other human beings (i.e. police officers) and destroy private and public property? Don't think so

But apparently it's fine for the police to do so.

(No police were injured at either the vigil or Bristol - police lied about that.)

[ginoclocksomewhere]

@rosetylersbiggun

So it's ok for them to attack and injure other human beings (i.e. police officers) and destroy private and public property? Don't think so

But apparently it's fine for the police to do so.

(No police were injured at either the vigil or Bristol - police lied about that.)

That is not true.
A friend of mine was injured. Not badly, thankfully, but he was just doing his bloody job and could have been killed.

[Redact]

@knittingaddict

I respected the police until a few years ago when one was an absolute, vile arse to me just because he felt like it. I honestly think he took one look at my car and assumed teenage lad, instead of the middle class, middle aged woman I am.

On the whole I think many on the police force do a good job, but I would be very wary about whether they were one of the good guys or a rotten bad apple.

I had a very similar experience with both a male and female officer, neither covered themselves in glory. Their attitude was vile, very aggressive. It was later in the evening and dark. I was on my own and there were 2 of them. Like previous poster said police get respect when they earn respect, same as everyone else. My experience has tainted my view and unfortunately I can well believe all the negative stories in the press about the police.

[ShadierThanaPalmTree]

I actually think it's great that the younger generation are questioning authority rather than just accepting the status quo. They are holding the police accountable and IMO should be commended for doing what should have been done decades ago. No one is above the law, including the police.

Previous generations have had the opportunity to peaceful demonstrations, why on earth shouldn't this generation?

Young people are always demonised by previous generations. I'm sure that whatever they do will always be sneered at and judged by older people.

For what it's worth, I'm 28.

[Sundances]

From yesterday's guardian
": “The Metropolitan police acted appropriately at the vigil held in memory of Sarah Everard on Clapham Common, a new inspection has found.”
“After reviewing hundreds of documents, body-worn video from police officers at the vigil and other media, and conducting interviews with the police, vigil organisers and politicians, the inspectorate found that: police officers at the vigil did their best to peacefully disperse the crowd; police officers remained calm and professional when subjected to abuse; and police officers did not act inappropriately or in a heavy-handed manner.”

The inspectorate also says that “public confidence in the Metropolitan police suffered as a result of the vigil, and that given the impact of images of women under arrest – which were widely disseminated on social media – a more conciliatory response after the event might have served the Met’s interests better”.

“Condemnation of the Met’s actions within mere hours of the vigil – including from people in positions of responsibility – was unwarranted, showed a lack of respect for public servants facing a complex situation, and undermined public confidence in policing based on very limited evidence.

After reviewing a huge body of evidence – rather than a snapshot on social media – we found that there are some things the Met could have done better, but we saw nothing to suggest police officers acted in anything but a measured and proportionate way in challenging circumstances."
Cressida Dick has justbeen on the radio - the risks and possible problems were discussed with many politicians

[iamruth]

I’m looking forward to a huge uptake in recruitment numbers for the police following this thread. I’m certain that so many of you will be insisting that funding is increased and numbers also hugely increased so that all of you who want “all these thugs” off the street but ultimately accept someone has to “patrol the streets” (you know, deal with the gangs/cut down the young kid found hanging in the woods/be spat at and abused by drunk idiots) are able to go forth and do so... Genuinely, is policing in this country perfect? Definitely not! Could things be improved, always and that should always be a priority but honestly, why would anyone go and do it? As someone earlier in the thread pointed out, the more you vilify the profession the less likely you are to have the “right” people in there. I’m sure they can’t wait for all of the applications from you all willing to put yourselves on the line, often quite literally as int he case of PCs Fiona Bone, Nicola Hughes and Andrew Harper

[Sansaplans]

@iamruth

I’m looking forward to a huge uptake in recruitment numbers for the police following this thread. I’m certain that so many of you will be insisting that funding is increased and numbers also hugely increased so that all of you who want “all these thugs” off the street but ultimately accept someone has to “patrol the streets” (you know, deal with the gangs/cut down the young kid found hanging in the woods/be spat at and abused by drunk idiots) are able to go forth and do so... Genuinely, is policing in this country perfect? Definitely not! Could things be improved, always and that should always be a priority but honestly, why would anyone go and do it? As someone earlier in the thread pointed out, the more you vilify the profession the less likely you are to have the “right” people in there. I’m sure they can’t wait for all of the applications from you all willing to put yourselves on the line, often quite literally as int he case of PCs Fiona Bone, Nicola Hughes and Andrew Harper

Recruitment isn't an issue at all, they always receive far more applicants than places, so even if everyone on this thread applied, unlikely they would be sifted. Funding for more officer numbers is the issue, send your rant to Boris he might be able to change that :)

[iamruth]

@Sansaplans

I’m well aware that recruitment isn’t an issue hence I stated that everyone here would be insisting on a huge increase in officer numbers to accommodate them all. That aside, the fact still stands if you vilify a job to this extent it becomes a last resort and therefore you don’t get the best and most suitable candidates.