PCs suspended over photos of murder scene

[Lettera]

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

Men. They never disappoint.

I noticed the lack of coverage of these murders. To the point that I genuinely wondered if there was a reporting restriction of some sort. The complete silence over a stranger killing of two women seemed so odd. Having watched the news of the last 24 hours, I’ve concluded that it’s just that magic combination of misogyny and structural racism.

As for those police officers sharing selfies, words fail me. They absolutely fail me. How can anyone be so lacking in common human decency to do such a thing, let alone people who are there to uphold the law? And the really chilling thing is that there is a WhatsApp group that are sufficiently likeminded for the perpetrators to assume they’ll find it funny. Fortunately at least one person didn’t, but how many are in this group and how many other groups like it exist? I fear the prosecution of these two will cover up a far bigger structural problem

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?

I think the point is, it clearly was no bar to two of them becoming police officers.

Most careless, as Oscar Wilde would have said.

Most careless.

If they can't brush this under the carpet with quiet medical retirements, the Met may prosecute these two officers hoping that it will deflect from the ongoing and structural racism, sexism and abuse of power that underpins the police force.

Bibaa was a social worker. It could be race related. Or it could be because of her job. Or it could be another reason entirely.

@averysuitablegirl

If they can't brush this under the carpet with quiet medical retirements, the Met may prosecute these two officers hoping that it will deflect from the ongoing and structural racism, sexism and abuse of power that underpins the police force.

The first porcine squadron is ready to take off.

What appalled me on reading this news item was that I wasn't in the least bit shocked to learn that two police officers (who I am sure are men) had taken and distributed photographs of the bodies of two black women who had been stabbed to death.

I'm reminded of Germaine Greer's comment that women fail to understand how much men hate them. Yet we are reminded daily, hourly, minute-by-minute of the depth of that hatred.

They have to be named, shamed and sent to prison. Those lovely women, snuffed out by a monster and then degraded even in death by those trusted to seek justice. Their poor families.

This sums it up for me. Appalling

They absolutely should be named, shamed and subjected to due process in the criminal justice system.

I will be amazed (in a positive way) if that happens.

I'm concerned by the lack of media coverage. Two women murdered in a public park (before it was dark I believe) by a stranger and hardly any coverage

There was media coverage. I saw it on the BBC, in The Times and the Guardian very soon after the incident.

I think there is a need to be careful about framing this entirely as a racist incident. As tempting as that may be. We don't even know who the killer was, yet

I noticed the lack of coverage of these murders. To the point that I genuinely wondered if there was a reporting restriction of some sort. The complete silence over a stranger killing of two women seemed so odd. Having watched the news of the last 24 hours, I’ve concluded that it’s just that magic combination of misogyny and structural racism

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-52954908

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/10/two-daughters-archdeacon-stabbed-death-birthday-party-park-london/

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/12/london-sisters-nicole-smallman-bibaa-henry-murdered-stranger-police

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/wembley-deaths-bodies-murdered-sisters-22162741

Powerful words from their mother in this BBC article:

apple.news/AFDKpqEVlTXGVVHBDegawnQ

I just watched a bbc report on this and the focus was on the fact they were black. I can’t help thinking the fact that they were women might have been as relevant (or even more relevant) to the behaviour of the officers in question, and to their murders but the report didn’t even seem to consider that. It was being used to make a case about attitudes to black people by the police but no mention of the appalling misogyny.

I am feeling such rage right now. ENOUGH!

Her mum said the6 dehumanised her daughters

Why why I don’t understand why 2 men would do this to two dead women

It’s so far from anything I can understand.

Their mother, Mina Smallman, spoke so eloquently about her daughters and this awful act:
If ever we needed an example of how toxic it has become, those police officers felt so safe, so untouchable, that they felt they could take photographs of dead black girls and send them on. It speaks volumes of the ethos that runs through the Metropolitan Police

She claimed the police did not immediately respond to initial reports that the sisters were missing, adding that she co-ordinated a search operation on the weekend they died.

I knew instantly why they didn't care. They didn't care because they looked at my daughter's address and thought they knew who she was.
A black woman who lives on a council estate

So awful.

My heart goes out to these women and their families. How two women can be murdered so viciously in the midst of BLM and it go so underreported is very disturbing to me.

See, this is what Crenshaw was actually talking about when she wrote that essay about intersectionality. When misogyny and racism combine you get an extra virulent form of prejudice that leads to things like this, the murder of two black women being treated as minor news during a news cycle in which BLM is the only thing really happening other than coronavirus.

Certainly in the beginning there was very little coverage. Just a mention on London news. At that time there was must mentioned a family event, and I sort of wonder if the deaths were as a result of some dreadful family situtation.

And it is only recently that it has moved into the main stream, and the disgusting behaviour of the PCs getting almost more coverage.

Someone up thread said it might not be that odd not to here from someone after a night out. But this had obviously been a big family get together and usually family would be ringing each other up the next day to chat or say thanks.

And I think there is this police thing about waiting 24 hours, but where there is clear evidence that the two women had stayed on but family must have known it wasn't going to be all night. And as they had their separate lives why would they just disappear of together. And not answer their phones. Not to have even sent someone from the local police to check the area (ie there might have been an accident) is just terrible.

I hear their mother being interviewed on radio 4 and it was heart breaking.

And I sort of resented on her behalf that they had to put in that she was a former Archdeacon, as though to say this means she is someone to be taken notice of. She should have been listened to whatever her former work had been.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-53198702

And if the man was wounded someone must know who it is.

What Ratonastick said.

And although I also immediately thought of men diing this unimaginable thing of sharing those photos, I then remembered the woman in the Abu Ghraib photos. Women are not angels.

Sorry I thought the link above was the whole interview but it isn't.

It was on PM - if you go to this link it starts at around 41:00 mins.

Sorry here is the link www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000k9s0

@truthisarevolutionaryact In which case there is the triple whammy of misogyny racism and classism.

They have to be named, shamed and sent to prison. Those lovely women, snuffed out by a monster and then degraded even in death by those trusted to seek justice. Their poor families

THiS

How can anyone be so lacking in common human decency to do such a thing, let alone people who are there to uphold the law?

Police culture is toxic. The blue family consider themselves above the law and treat anyone who dares challenge them with contempt.

This won't be the first abuse of power by the officers concerned, or their colleagues. Two officers comfortable to behave like that in each other's presence and to share their behaviour more widely are not isolated "bad apples" or experiencing momentary lapses of judgement. They are a reflection of the institution and workforce to which they belong.

You can pretty much guarantee other people will have suffered at their hands, whether another person whose body was desecrated or a vulnerable person who would be ignored if they spoke up.

@user12699422578

How can anyone be so lacking in common human decency to do such a thing, let alone people who are there to uphold the law?

Police culture is toxic. The blue family consider themselves above the law and treat anyone who dares challenge them with contempt.

This won't be the first abuse of power by the officers concerned, or their colleagues. Two officers comfortable to behave like that in each other's presence and to share their behaviour more widely are not isolated "bad apples" or experiencing momentary lapses of judgement. They are a reflection of the institution and workforce to which they belong.

You can pretty much guarantee other people will have suffered at their hands, whether another person whose body was desecrated or a vulnerable person who would be ignored if they spoke up.

This x10000

I heard their mother speak on the news last night.

She spoke domwell, and I am in awe of her eloquence.

The part of what she said that stuck with me the most, was that this was akin to the old, old photos that people used to take of smiling spectators standing next to a lynched black man still dangling.