Plebgate

[Mim78]

Unbelievable story.

Did anyone not think the officers were telling the truth at the time? Even though we know police officers do lie it sounded so believable. Just the kind of thing we imagine a Tory mp would say. Now it appears they were lying about key things and so probably this as well

What are people's views?

How did we manage before police came along? It is not that long ago we had no police. They covered up for JS there were police on the Greek gypsy thread with no faith in their colleagues to the point they wouldn't report crimes. What is the point of us funding them?

I haven't been following this. Can anyone explain

If this was taped a year ago, why did it take so long to come out?
Is there a transcript of the tape?
What did the police say after the meeting with Andrew Mitchell and was this inaccurate?

AM secretly taped as a private individual he was entitled to do. He then shared a transcript as he is entitled to do.

I'd still prefer to have the police. I just think we should have a big cull.

' They covered up for JS'

I think there were people higher up than the police who covered up for Jimmy Savile.

They tried to further ruin the lives of the Lawrence family. I think we as a public are not protected at all. A child took his life at my dc school due to cyberbullying. Last week another child at the school reported it to the police, I saw the bullying. The police refused to investigate. The children were stunned and very upset for their friend, that the police won't do anything.

They have put on a disgraceful display.

Do you know what I find as bad as lefties not admitting prejudice against Mitchell?

Apologists for police corruption not coming on here either.

They bashed me on the original threads. So where are they today?

I am a leftie who thinks it's utterly shocking. The police completely played on the fact that Andrew Mitchell is so dislikeable, imo, and took a calculated gamble that huge numbers of people would think "hmm, that's precisely the sort of thing he might say." Making up things about people, no matter how dislikeable, to smear them is absolutely wrong. Doing so when you are the police is the very definition of corruption.

"How did we manage before police....?."

As the early police forces were formed many communities fiercely resulted them believing they would only bring crime to their valley (or wherever).......

I'm a Tory through and through (though feel badly key down by this lot) and I think it's dreadful. But it was more believable because he is an unpleasant arrogant piece of whatever. He's disliked intensely within his own party.
By the same token, when Prescott (can't stand the man or his politics) was in trouble for hitting the idiot that egged him I totally supported him.
Politics aside, right is right and wrong is wrong. Sadly that's lost on some people.

According to this, it has transpired from the investigation that the police officers weren't ordinary police officers at all.

They were police union officials.

Yes, they were officials of the Police Federation, which is the police officers' union in all but name.

Did you not realise that?

Am i missing something here?

Did Mitchell complain about what these 3 policemen said 1 year ago after the meeting? Why did it take one year for this to become an issue and for the policemen to be called before the MPs etc?

What is the alleged lie that they told?

The tape was taped 1 year ago. Why has it taken until now for the apparent discrepancy with what is on the tape and what the three policemen said to have become an issue?

Because it was revealed in conjunction with the findings of the enquiry, when the West Mercia force said that the Police had done nothing wrong.

So as I see it, AM held fire waiting for an investigation to be announced, and when it was a whitewash, brought out his evidence.

He doesn't seem to be a very appealing character, but I think the way the Police (with encouragement from the media?) have handled this, has been dreadful, and I'm glad he's got proof that they were lying after the meeting.

Thanks, ajandjjmum, that makes it clearer.
Is it possible to make clear what the lie actually is alleged to be and if it is on tape how can they deny it if it is a lie?

Is the alleged lie ambiguous or is it a clear cut lie?

OK, I think I have finally got it. The BBC have linked to the full transcript.

I think the lie was that the three police fed chaps said he did not apologise for what he had said, and the tape showed that he clearly did.

The BBC has the video of what the policeman says and he does say that Mitchell did apologise for what he said

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24537521

I think what is worse is the original aledged fit up of Mitchell at the gates of Downing Street.
Obviously it is still on going but it seems a police officer posed as a member of the public to back up the story the police officers told the sun newspaper. Am I alone in thinking this is so so serious, worrying and frightening?

I agree Chipstick - the man is generally disliked, and I think that whoever 'masterminded' the set-up assumed that the public would side with the Police. Very scary.

Am I alone in thinking this is so so serious, worrying and frightening?

No, you're not. Five people have been arrested over the original incident, four of them serving police officers. It happened a year ago and they still haven't been charged.

I was brought up to trust the police. Respect the police. If I was lost, to ask a policeman to help me [even in those days, I think my parents had the view that there was a policeman around every corner!].

Now. hmm. Not sure what to think. I already knew there were some doing bad behaviour in the met.[ Had a trusted relative who worked there]. How many more? 1 bad apple in every station? Not sure quite what to think.

To answer the ops op. Yes, I did believe the officers.

This makes me seriously question (well actually makes me doubt) the integrity of the Police Federation itself.