PCs suspended over photos of murder scene

[Lettera]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-53185177

Men. They never disappoint.

Just listening to the report on this on Channel 4 News. It's horrific. The IOPC is investigating:

• alleged failure of the Met to take the family/friends seriously when they first reported these women missing - this led the boyfriend of one of the missing women to start searching and he found the bodies in the park, exactly where they were last seen, as reported to the police.

• two police officers who attended the crime scene put inappropriate pictures, which seem to have included the women's bodies, on a WhatsApp group, where they were seen by members of the public.

I can't think of any possible justification of that. I hope they're sacked.

They should be jailed. After all, there was a man, rightfully jailed for doing similar. These so called upholders of the law should be held to a higher standard, so should be punished appropriately.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/16/man-jailed-sharing-photo-dead-grenfell-tower-fire-victim-facebook/

A dreadful act by these officers, and I hate to quibble over a technicality, but I don't think the article you linked to actually specifies the sex of the police officers involved, does it? Unless I am missing something. And as this has been posted on the feminism board, I think it's a significant detail that we need to be sure about

You're right, @LillianBlandLillian, they should be jailed, and you're right, @theconstantinoplegardener, I don't think the sex of the officers is specified. However, the two victims were women. I would have hoped that police getting multiple reports that two women were missing and that this was out of character would have acted quickly, but no. The fact that they were black adds another layer of possible prejudice here.

Constantinople

I think the officers were probably male because it sounds like the kind of thing men are more likely than women to do. I'm happy to be proved wrong.

What sex do you think they were?

I was just coming on here to post about this after I saw a post on facebook.

These poor women and their families. No respect.

And at a time of Black Lives Matter another shockingly awful example of police being seen to treat people from BAME communities from thoughtless sloppiness to outright racism.

It is no consolation to the family but if any of you haven't seen please take a look at the photo taken of the women dancing together with fairy lights what must have been very shortly before they were killed.
i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article22220757.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_Bibaa-Henry-and-Nicole-Smallman.jpg

And dont let their horrible end overwrite them and their lives.

RIP Nicole and Bibaa

It makes me wonder that if those police officers are so lacking in basic decency and empathy to take photos like this, what other key human qualities are they also missing?
Utterly vile.

Lettera I think the officers in question most likely are male. But, in a thread on the Feminism board that is specifically about male attitudes to/objectification of women, one has to be certain about the sex of the perpetrators. Otherwise the argument is weakened if it does later transpire that female officers were involved.

Otherwise the argument is weakened if it does later transpire that female officers were involved.
Oh shut up. That's not the most important fact here.
Bibaa and Nicole did not deserve to be treated like that and the fact they were black women is probably why they were. Because they are seen as less than human.
I have money on that it would be male police officers. But for me the patriarchy is about misogyny and women can uphold patriarchal views as much as men

Too bloody right, Quentin. Absolutely spot on.

Those poor women

I hope those who took the pictures are sacked and jailed.

i think with adult who are not otherwise vulnerable, the police have a protocol that a certain time has to have passed before they can be regarded as missing persons.
you can see why. so often people wander off or for whatever reson leave their usual habits and haunts without notice. most are ok. most turn up later.
but still i do think there should be some leeway, when a relative can attest to their particular character and habits, to institute a search.
i doubt their being black had anything to do with it. the photos. the people who took them are lacking in basic decency and ought not to be in the police.

i doubt their being black had anything to do with it
Really?
You think the same would happen if it was white men?

I can't think of any possible justification of that. I hope they're sacked.

I agree. They should face criminal charges. Horrific

But for me the patriarchy is about misogyny and women can uphold patriarchal views as much as men

I would be very surprised if it were women but if it were this is a bloody pathetic excuse.

@stumbledin

I was just coming on here to post about this after I saw a post on facebook.

These poor women and their families. No respect.

And at a time of Black Lives Matter another shockingly awful example of police being seen to treat people from BAME communities from thoughtless sloppiness to outright racism.

It is no consolation to the family but if any of you haven't seen please take a look at the photo taken of the women dancing together with fairy lights what must have been very shortly before they were killed.
i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article22220757.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_Bibaa-Henry-and-Nicole-Smallman.jpg

And dont let their horrible end overwrite them and their lives.

RIP Nicole and Bibaa

Beautiful picture.

Yes what a beautiful picture

I heard about this on the news earlier but didn't know the bit about the bodies being found much later.

Is the implication that the murderer didn't stab them and run off (as I assumed) but did other stuff?

I mean are we talking met officers photoing undressed dead women here and sending it to their mates?

This is grim. The officers deserve to be sacked. What possessed them to share such images?

Obviously I don’t know what happened but this whole story is so awful. Their poor parents - and now this offence on top

The police Allegedly also “accidentally” cleared a load of rubbish from the crime scene. Which could have been useful forensic evidence.

I think the fact these are black women has a lot to do with the police’s absolutely shocking behaviour thus far

I feel there's a real problem at the heart of the police force. Nothing surprises me anymore.We are not seeing this in other 'professions' why the police?

I came on to post about this.

The media silence, the Met's mishandling of the case and the information about the photos needs to be more widely known about.

Re the taking and distribution of photos from the crime scene. I expect there is a lot of hasty clearing of phones and computers going on amongst police officers at the moment.

This is utterly chilling in so many ways. I don't understand the mindset that would lead a police officer to photograph and then share pictures of dead women.

The murderer is still at large.

I wondered at first if part of the lack of coverage was that Nicole and Bibaa had broken some unwritten rule by being female and out after dark. But I agree that race must play a part. I am horrified.

This is such a distressing story - both the original murder and the police sharing photographs of the bodies.

It's also relatively unusual for people to be murdered by strangers in these kinds of circumstances, let alone for two women to be killed together. I've been wondering if more than one attacker was involved. I just hope the police get their act together and find who did it.