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Original poster

To feel a bit bad for the met police on bbc panorama undercover

691 replies

Bloodyscarymary · 01/10/2025 21:46

Just watching the BBC Panorama doco “Undercover in the Police” and I can’t help feeling a bit uneasy.

Yes, the behaviour shown is awful and they should lose their jobs, but having their faces, names and secretly recorded conversations, sometimes even off duty over a pint broadcast feels like a bit of a violation of privacy.

I honestly would have thought secret filming like that couldn’t even be made public, but clearly it’s legal or the BBC wouldn’t air it.

I’m not excusing what was said at all. The culture clearly needs to change. But is it fair to single out these particular officers when the problem is obviously widespread?

I also felt some of the more junior officers had just absorbed the culture around them, and at times the journalist might have been nudging them into certain topics. A few of the comments even felt like dark humour or going along with pub chat. Still unacceptable, but if you secretly recorded doctors or other professions that probably use a lot of dark humour to get through it, I’m sure you’d hear things that would seem really callous to an outsider.

Absolutely they should be fired/reprimanded, but do they deserve complete public exposure like this? AIBU to feel uncomfortable about it?

YABU they deserve everything that’s coming their way

YANBU it’s too much personal exposure when the real problem is the Met culture not these individual cops

OP posts:
Praying4Peace · 02/10/2025 13:19

Dappy777 · 01/10/2025 22:19

I’m increasingly suspicious of the BBC and its motivations. It is a left-wing organisation, and the left have always disliked the police, who they regard as “tools of the capitalist oppressors.” It’s hard to imagine the BBC exposing ANTIFA or Just Stop Oil, put it that way.

You see their left-wing bias everywhere. Radio 4 can’t even discuss Jane Austen or Tennyson without linking them to slavery or colonialism in some way.

Personally, I don’t think we give the police anywhere near enough credit or support. The majority of police officers I have met have been thoroughly decent men. If I had to deal with vicious, ignorant, foul-mannered little scumbags day in day out I’m sure I’d blurt out horrible and offensive things as well.

Edited

This can't be real!

Bobiverse · 02/10/2025 13:21

Are there any published statistics of how many met officers have actually been fired under the “clean up” that has meant to have happened since Sarah Everard?

KimberleyClark · 02/10/2025 13:22

Lovethystupidneighbour · 02/10/2025 11:25

I hope the met are disbanded….
so you are all completely left to fend for yourselves.

The UKs attitude to the police is nothing short of narrow minded and quite frankly stupid.

Lets disband them and replace them all with complete robots who have the ability to throw themselves in the line of fire, be exposed to some of the most traumatic and horrific scenes you could imagine, but also at the same time be incredibly unaffected, empathetic and an all round graceful person!

At the same time, these employees must be completely loyal to each other, be prepared to have each others back in dangerous and volatile situation, BUT also rat on each other.

I don’t know any police officers who don’t have incredibly dark humour, much like I’ve never met a squaddie who wouldn’t say some things even id cringe at. I despair for this country with the general public so deeply stuck in their bubbles. Join the real world, it isn’t all magic and rainbows out here guys

Dark/black humour is not the same as racism and misogyny.

Noodledog · 02/10/2025 13:25

KimberleyClark · 02/10/2025 13:22

Dark/black humour is not the same as racism and misogyny.

Show quote history

Yes, it's got nothing to do with humour. It's contempt and hatred putting on an "it's just banter!" mask, for naive idiots to fall for.

Happyjoe · 02/10/2025 13:26

Notagain75 · 02/10/2025 11:14

He was a young post graduate articulate and very presentable. I can see why he was snapped up. I don't expect there is a lot of competition for those jobs.
What sort of vetting would show he was working undercover? He wasn't a regular employee of the BBC but even if he was how would they know that. He didn't have a criminal record and he had right to live in the UK.
Also he worked there for 8 months and presumably did the job well

Show quote history

He did a journalism degree, hence my comment about vetting!

Bobiverse · 02/10/2025 13:28

Happyjoe · 02/10/2025 13:26

He did a journalism degree, hence my comment about vetting!

Show quote history

People change careers all the time.

I do wish the BBC had placed journalists into several stations to gather evidence throughout the met whilst they did this. Because, from now on, no one with a journalism background will be getting a job in any station.

Happyjoe · 02/10/2025 13:29

YourAmplePlumPoster · 02/10/2025 11:20

Fed up with hearing about "Islamophobia" when the Taliban are preventing girls from going to school and Iraq has just passed a law allowing 9 year old girls to be married off. Let alone what's happening in Iran. Funny that this documentary went out on the same day that more perpetrators from a grooming gang in Rochdale were jailed.

Irrelevant.

Happyjoe · 02/10/2025 13:30

Lovethystupidneighbour · 02/10/2025 11:25

I hope the met are disbanded….
so you are all completely left to fend for yourselves.

The UKs attitude to the police is nothing short of narrow minded and quite frankly stupid.

Lets disband them and replace them all with complete robots who have the ability to throw themselves in the line of fire, be exposed to some of the most traumatic and horrific scenes you could imagine, but also at the same time be incredibly unaffected, empathetic and an all round graceful person!

At the same time, these employees must be completely loyal to each other, be prepared to have each others back in dangerous and volatile situation, BUT also rat on each other.

I don’t know any police officers who don’t have incredibly dark humour, much like I’ve never met a squaddie who wouldn’t say some things even id cringe at. I despair for this country with the general public so deeply stuck in their bubbles. Join the real world, it isn’t all magic and rainbows out here guys

Dark humour I totally get. Stomping on someone's ankle, not believing a rape victim with boot prints on her pregnant belly is NOT dark humour.

Dogaredabomb · 02/10/2025 13:31

AnAlpacaForChristmasPleaseSanta · 01/10/2025 23:31

Exactly. It's never one bad apple. How many officers was Wayne Couzens in that WA group with? Or those officers who posted the photos they illegally took of the murdered sisters in a London park and posted online. The recruit's covertly filmed in the other Panorama I posted about before.

One bad apple I can excuse but there are barrowfulls of the fuckers in the met.

Show quote history

I also think that the Met is rotten and a lot of them display a bully boy culture.

I have worked with a few very vulnerable people who have been injured in police custody and I believe their accounts of how they obtained unnecessary injuries.

I wouldn't injure someone if I didn't have to and I don't want someone who likes to do that have any power.

Pricelessadvice · 02/10/2025 13:33

I don’t like undercover reporting to be honest. I’m not excusing these vile people at all, but in general I find undercover reporting problematic.
I do feel the reporter pushed and did ask some leading questions and agreed with things to get them to say more.

Happyjoe · 02/10/2025 13:33

Bobiverse · 02/10/2025 13:28

People change careers all the time.

I do wish the BBC had placed journalists into several stations to gather evidence throughout the met whilst they did this. Because, from now on, no one with a journalism background will be getting a job in any station.

Show quote history

Yeah, fair observation. But a degree in journalism has always been met with suspicion by the police from what I can make out.. I have a photography degree who worked in the newspaper industry for years. I fancied changing careers 15 years ago and going into scenes of crime, was told by police friends it would be a waste of my time trying. It literally is one of those things.

Happyjoe · 02/10/2025 13:34

Pricelessadvice · 02/10/2025 13:33

I don’t like undercover reporting to be honest. I’m not excusing these vile people at all, but in general I find undercover reporting problematic.
I do feel the reporter pushed and did ask some leading questions and agreed with things to get them to say more.

Undercover reporting is needed. People are not truthful. Would those police ever have had admitted their actions? Would nursing homes ever admit abuse? Childrens homes?

godmum56 · 02/10/2025 13:35

Pricelessadvice · 02/10/2025 13:33

I don’t like undercover reporting to be honest. I’m not excusing these vile people at all, but in general I find undercover reporting problematic.
I do feel the reporter pushed and did ask some leading questions and agreed with things to get them to say more.

If they hadn't already have thought it, they wouldn't have said it.

Change2banon · 02/10/2025 13:35

Well your thread didn’t go the way you wanted OP did it? Guess that’s why you’ve left, thankfully.

The 37% in voting, and those posting who are in agreement with OP, very obviously must be police officers themselves, family of officers, or just completely stupid.

Bobiverse · 02/10/2025 13:35

Happyjoe · 02/10/2025 13:33

Yeah, fair observation. But a degree in journalism has always been met with suspicion by the police from what I can make out.. I have a photography degree who worked in the newspaper industry for years. I fancied changing careers 15 years ago and going into scenes of crime, was told by police friends it would be a waste of my time trying. It literally is one of those things.

Edited
Show quote history

I know a former writer who is now in the police. They changed careers about 17 years ago. It must just depend on the people doing the hiring.

Happyjoe · 02/10/2025 13:36

Bobiverse · 02/10/2025 13:35

I know a former writer who is now in the police. They changed careers about 17 years ago. It must just depend on the people doing the hiring.

Show quote history

Maybe. I know one journalist who works in PR for the Met, but that's not same as being out there on the streets.

Pigeonenglish · 02/10/2025 13:37

Change2banon · 02/10/2025 13:35

Well your thread didn’t go the way you wanted OP did it? Guess that’s why you’ve left, thankfully.

The 37% in voting, and those posting who are in agreement with OP, very obviously must be police officers themselves, family of officers, or just completely stupid.

None of the above.

I feel uncomfortable about holding individuals responsible when it’s a cultural problem. That’s my concern about this. It inevitably means those at the bottom will be disciplined (sacked) whilst those at the top will carry on.

It is like when an error of judgement is made at social services and the individual social worker inevitably carries the can.

Paul2023 · 02/10/2025 13:44

Jellywife · 02/10/2025 12:20

‘That man was a right toe rag’= ok

’Like all Islamics that man was a right toe rag’= not ok. Can you see the difference?

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Yea I agree with that , it’s the context

Change2banon · 02/10/2025 13:46

Pigeonenglish · 02/10/2025 13:37

None of the above.

I feel uncomfortable about holding individuals responsible when it’s a cultural problem. That’s my concern about this. It inevitably means those at the bottom will be disciplined (sacked) whilst those at the top will carry on.

It is like when an error of judgement is made at social services and the individual social worker inevitably carries the can.

Show quote history

This is nothing like your analogy of ss. These officers were blatantly vile, blatantly racist, blatantly misogynistic, and everything else. They were disgusting men, with complete disregard for anything and anyone around them. There’s nothing cultural about this. They are grown men who have taken oaths … they have disregarded everything in the worst way possible. They have their own minds and are in a profession that should behave very differently to how the did/do.

Obeseandashamed · 02/10/2025 13:48

Having worked for an LA and given legal advice to the IOPC on disciplinary matters and complaints, I have no faith in the system whatsoever when it comes to taking action against officers. They close ranks, move them to desk jobs and reinstate them as soon as they can. There is no accountability.

Pigeonenglish · 02/10/2025 13:50

Change2banon · 02/10/2025 13:46

This is nothing like your analogy of ss. These officers were blatantly vile, blatantly racist, blatantly misogynistic, and everything else. They were disgusting men, with complete disregard for anything and anyone around them. There’s nothing cultural about this. They are grown men who have taken oaths … they have disregarded everything in the worst way possible. They have their own minds and are in a profession that should behave very differently to how the did/do.

Show quote history

It still won’t make a difference if changes aren’t made at the top. That’s where the SS comparison comes in. Or is anyone really so naive as to think ‘oh, these men are bad, sack them, all is now well’?

Change2banon · 02/10/2025 13:54

Pigeonenglish · 02/10/2025 13:50

It still won’t make a difference if changes aren’t made at the top. That’s where the SS comparison comes in. Or is anyone really so naive as to think ‘oh, these men are bad, sack them, all is now well’?

Show quote history

No, but putting the blame on a system instead of individual personalities is the problem here. These men are vile, they don’t belong in the service. Simple as.

Sartre · 02/10/2025 13:56

Doesn't surprise me. A former friend of mine is a police officer and she invited me out a couple of times with her colleagues. They were horrid. Just spent the night insulting people they were supposed to help. They also had a Lego figure they would carry around and would take pics of it posed in ways they had found victims/vulnerable people. I found it so grotesque that I stopped being friends with her. That and the fact she had an affair with her married sergeant.

LEWWW · 02/10/2025 13:56

Always hold people accountable. Those who are racist and misogynistic should not be in our police force.