There has been a furor over the tactics used by British Police to deal with protesters at the G20 Summit in London. Cries of 'Excessive Force! - 'Police Brutality' abound. I ask if it is really justified.
Two videos have been seen on the television news. The first showing a man being hit with a truncheon and pushed to the ground. He later died. A second video has recently been released where a Police Sergeant is seen 'back-handing' a female protester, and then striking her on the leg with his truncheon. Both incidents are being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Complaints Division. The two officers in question have been suspended.
There is in fact a darker side to both these incidents that the media and politicians seem to have conveniently forgotten.
The man who died, was seen earlier on CCTV footage staggering as though drunk, and at one point he deliberately blocked the passage of a Police Response Vehicle and had to be manhandled out of the way by police when he refused to move.
From the footage, shown only once on the News by the way, the man was obviously drunk and in an antagonistic mood, so I have to wonder if the later film was edited to show the police in the worst light. In view of the man's obvious condition and mood, I wonder how much provocation there was for him being hit. There is incidentally no proof at this time, that his death some forty-five minutes later, can be attributed to his altercation with the police.
As to the video released the other day, It appears clear to me that the young "lady" in question was deliberately harassing the Police Sergeant in an effort to get a reaction out of him. Even after he supposedly back-handed her she came forward again screaming abuse at him, and I think again, to get the desired reaction.
It has been stated that there are an increasing number of video camera's being used by hard-core protesters to film events as they happen. Personally, I think this is deliberately being done by many, in concert with others who do their best to bait the Police into taking action that can later be described as police brutality.
The amount of abuse and attacks on the police at protests are rarely filmed, and when they are, no-one ever sees them. They are not sensational enough for the media to show or print.
Knowing people as I do, I can imagine the police have to restrain themselves to a degree you or I could not. The stress of the moment can be so high it is difficult not to strike out at some bitch or hooded low life who is constantly swearing at you and calling you all the names under the sun.
The police today, in any country, have a hard enough time as it is without these entrapment tactics by protesters. Too often they are pilloried by the media, and to make it worse, receive condemnation from M.P's who do not take the trouble to find out the facts before opening their big mouths.
Everyone knows that many of these people are professional protesters who go from one to the other, sometimes without even knowing what they are protesting about. They are rabble-rousers and troublemakers, and are usually the ones that start the violence in the first place because that is how they get their 'kicks'.
It would benefit these idiots enormously if the police's hands were tied as a result of the incidents that happened at the G20. When they come under fire for supposed 'heavy-handed tactics' and are subsequently told to refrain from any action that could be wrongly interpreted by the media, the 'protesters' have free reign to do as they wish, knowing the police can't touch them. Then of course, there would be complaints because the they didn't do their job. As a 'Copper' you just can't win!
It is without doubt an amazing coincidence, that within hours of it being announced on the television news that the two constables had been suspended, the Police Complaints Division was inundated with a further 145 complaints of police brutality at the demonstration. I wonder how many were justified!!!
It is sad that the police have to a great extent lost the publics confidence over the years. I am the first to admit that sometimes they do get it wrong, and there are bad 'coppers' out there just as in any country, but the majority are doing a job you or I would not even think of doing, and they deserve better treatment from us, the general public.
Here's hoping you never need a policeman in earnest!
Roy.
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