AIBU to think that the Police Federation's statement is tone deaf?

[SunnyKlara]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-60375845

After all the bad press and seemingly institutional racism, sexism and homophobia we have seen coming from the Met over the past few years, I can't help but feel that the Police Federation declaring they have "no faith" in Sadiq Kahn just completely tone deaf and missing the point? It's all tit for tat rather than accepting the need for change. I at least expected them to play lip service to it!

YANBU, my thoughts exactly. The mayor is elected to represent the people of London and hold the Met to account, it’s not a 2 way street. I liked Cressida Dick and I suspect we’ll never know about the awful things that she and her force stopped happening, but change was too slow. If stamping out racism and misogyny is bad for morale then that’s too fucking bad, individual police officers are going to have to stand up and be counted and call out the BS.

I liked Cressida Dick and I suspect we’ll never know about the awful things that she and her force stopped happening

but we know some of the awful things that their awful policing and their awful culture allowed to happen, repeatedly. The buck should have stopped with her being the Gold Commander when Jean Charles da Silva e de Menezes was shot. She should have been demoted or fired then.

What if the failings of the Met are so great that they started to emerge despite Cressida Dick, not because of her?

I find the Police Federation's position on this rather worrying. It's at best politically inept and, as pp have said, tone deaf; and at worst, an attempt to be politically manipulative.

It's going to be a long, hot, fractious summer ahead ... the police in London say they don't want an alienated populace, and then do this.

The Fed need to ask their own members why so many stories came out from their female officers during the Everard case about a culture of sexual harassment and sexism. Plenty of female officers came forward and said that they were told if they complained about sexual assault, no-one would answer their radio alarm next time they needed backup, and other personal threats to their safety.

Having worked for a public sector trade union I'd say its quite typical - protecting the positions of their own union stewards and union officers over that of their members and service users.

It is what I would expect from Police Fed. I am glad they made that statement to make it clearer to the public how they operate and view the public.

Policing has a very strong very toxic "us vs the world" culture. It's what creates and protect many od the corrupt and abusive practices that have been exposed.

Go on any policing forum or Twitter community and you will find hundreds more spouting off about how special and hard done by they are and how they should be immune from consequences for "banter" , abuse and general lawbreaking.

In the wake of Dick resigning, there was even one with a large following - in his own name and rank as a member of police - crowing about how killing Jean Charles de Menezes was the right thing to do, there should never have been NY legal consequences for police killing someone, and we should be thanking her.

This is what our police are really like.

Ken Marsh is always wheeled out by the BBC to provide "balance" when the police are accused of various incidents of appalling misconduct. He is usually on the wrong side of the argument, circling the wagons and blaming victims.