I just don't trust any police officers..aibu

[Ihateboris]

Yet another predator in the police force. If we can't trust the police, who the hell can women trust?

www.lbc.co.uk/article/police-officer-arrested-lbc-grooming-probe-5Hjdjbx_2/

Well. You can decide to not trust whoever you like. A police force hires ordinary people and trains them to work as police officers. Putting a uniform on changes nothing about the person. So is it all men you dont trust, or just the ones who work for a police force. What about paramedics or nurses?

100% agree with this. Women often just as bad!

Well this discussion is about police officers. If you would like to send me links on the aforementioned professions being just as rapey and misogynistic, feel free to do so and I'll make an informed decision

I don't trust the police either. Too much abuse of power.

Reading some ‘links’ about unsavoury individuals in other professions wouldn’t help you make an informed decision though - statistics comparing rates of offending would, but I don’t think they would confirm your existing bias - anecdotes (which are what you are getting in this thread) aren’t evidence, and don’t prove anything.

As PP said, you can trust who you like, presumably you’re an adult and can therefore make your own decisions in a free country. Whether those decisions are particularly sensible is another matter, and hopefully they don’t ever endanger you because you’ve avoided seeking help when you need it, or trusted the wrong person.

I hate flying, I’m not scared of driving though - I’m aware that my fear of flying being more dangerous is contrary to the evidence and is therefore “unreasonable” but it’s still my right to feel my feelings. What isn’t my right, and isn’t reasonable or fair, is to slag off pilots because of my own (unfounded) opinions….

Yep, never trust them, never will and my grandad was a policeman (Bobby on the beat)

As a side note, I've heard you can request a female police officer to be present if you're ever arrested, not sure how true it is.

And my choice is to never trust a copper.

It's reassuring to know we can request a,female.

It is a sad fact that the police attract a fair number of violent men on a power trip and that there is a massive issues with sexism and racism in their ranks.

They need to improve recruitment, vetting and training and change their overall culture.

What do people think Police forces can do to build trust?

Vetting is rigorous in terms of checking past allegations, associates inc people who would be suitable due to lived experience not passing vetting because of association by family, finances, social media etc but can’t vet for personalities.

When they do internal investigations and sack officers for example the WhatsApp groups investigated via internal reporting/whistle blowing they are reported under public body obligations but this also undermines understandably public confidence however the internal processes caught them therefore the processes worked in terms of investing and prosecuting but is largely not considered or thought as positive action, should that not be published?

It’s a huge mess and also risks those who would be fantastic officers not considering applying because they don’t wish to be associated with the reputation.

What’s the answer?

Its ironic that so many are being sacjed, investigated or charged currently is because police forces are making an effort to weed out the bed eggs.

You are not wrong imo - but I was raped by a US military policeman when I was 17 so my perspective may be a little one sided.
Im not saying I wouldn't call the police if I was in trouble but I am saying they will never automatically have my trust. (Ironically my only other experience/interaction with police the young male officer seemed far kinder/fair than his older female partner). Still wouldn't trust them though.

Your request of course could be completely ignored - happened to me.

Why doesn't that surprise me?

I stopped trusting Police Officers as a teenager following things that were said to me by a Constable, a Sergeant and even worse, their friend who was a GP in the surgery I was a patient at. They were all members of a sports club that i attended. I'm now in my 60's and nothing that has come out in the news over the past few years has surprised me. If I'd known then what I know now and times had been different, none of them would have had a job.

@ThePeppyOpalScroller "Putting a uniform on changes nothing about the person."

Men who seek to abuse power are notably drawn to professions where they have the tools to do so. Putting on a uniform gives them one of those tools, along with powers of arrest. And, if they are decent men to start with, they will soon find themselves emersed in a culture of sexism and misogyny (and worse) where they all too often become quietly complicit. As evidenced by the resounding lack of whistleblowers in the force.

Yanbu. Unfortunately these roles attract bullying men too, the authority gives them a high and easier access to vulnerable women.

You are being ridiculously unreasonable. One member of the police is hardly representative of the hundreds or thousands trying to keep law and order. Do you trust your doctor, nurses, teachers, any other profession? Or are you permanently suspicious of everybody?

I grew up in the care system. I witnessed and experienced them behaving in an absolutely disgusting manner towards already vulnerable children. This was in the 00s, so not recently. But given that they felt comfortable to abuse and bully children in this way, I’m happy to extrapolate that the entire culture was absolutely rotten.

There are many well documented instances of police culture being toxic, especially in terms of misogyny and the wall of silence.

And no- this doesn’t mean every single person within the police force is a scumbag, but it does mean that there is a significant, systemic problem at play.

I’ve just read this again.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqe9l0r105l8o

300-400 officers have been re-vetted.
45 suspended.

8000 total (officers and staff) to be screened.

Thats more than 10% of those checked so far. Hopefully these are targeted and not representative of the final total.

It’s only this year that they introduced people exiting the force if they failed vetting.

WHAT?!?!?!?

Also, given the number of convictions we’ve witnessed recently from staff of schools local to us for all sorts of horrendous crimes. I’d like to see the same in schools.

One member?

It’s at least 48 in Scotland from the 300-400 vetted so far.

Also schools, hard disagree. Multiple members of staff found guilty at schools local
to me usually with the accompanying domestic violence charge or ‘possession of 6000 Category A…’ type headlines in the paper.

Don't know who you can trust as sad as that sounds. You shouod be able to trust the police.
In a slightly different vein, my old manager when I worked in a 16+ college told me that alot of creeps and unsavoury sorts would apply for jobs and hope they fall through the net, despite the stringent pre employment checks for working with the young and vulnerable. Vile folk are everywhere.

Never trust a copper. Most of them are bullies on a power trip.