He made a mistake and has apologised.
Rowley knows it was not long ago that the Met Police were rightly severely criticised for their dreadful handling of the aftermath of the Satah Everard case. I wonder if he is being opportunist because he knows the right wing media (otherwise known as the media) will row in behind him if he is criticising a left wing politician.
I am watching a clip of James O'Brien now. He is taking calls, largely from male callers with regional accents, many of whom have apparently served in the police. O'Brien is falling over himself to be sycophantic, and continually mentioning how he admires people who put themselves in harms way.
People are overjoyed when a left wing politician makes an error. It is an error, and a significant one. It will.not be the last, because he is human and not perfect.
When Nigel Farage and his far right rabble are destroying the NHS, reducing unemployment benefits to zero and doing the bidding of whatever appalling President America has chosen to speed the world to its end, you might just need someone a bit more radical than the milksops of the Labour Party to stand up to them.