The police /police federation/ NPCC (formerly ACPO) are sending mixed messages re BWVC.
Some want the footage kept secret - of course people on it have a right to it under GDPR. Some want it published again there are issues re prejudicing a trial.
The police are making it more difficult to get hold of BWVC footage and police officers routinely state to people who ask for the footage that they are not entitled to it.
Re the quick reaction to an assault. Of course the police are allowed to defend themselves.
What was wrong is that they would also be punishment blows and that is not acceptable. Punishment is for the courts to decide.
There is even direct lying caught on camera - recently a black youth with his hands clearly at his side. The senior officer conducting a search was heard to say several times.... “keep your hands down. Stop resisting”. The lad was just standing there being compliant. BWVC was not on and a passerby by was recording.
In another incident a man who had committed no offence was being treated roughly whilst being searched by two armed officers and cuffed whilst searched (if not necessary the cuffs can be considered too going too far). The man was calm but was refusing to give his details which is his right. The police officers punished him by pulling the mans cuffed arms back. Every time he did this the other officer turned away so his BWVC wouldn’t record what was going on. A third party recoding of the sound only captured the incident.
There is even a case going through legal action where two police officers try to intimidate a child for crossing the road and threaten him with arrest and banning him from his town for doing so. They even get the RTA wrong saying that he had no rights to be on the road and was causing an obstruction!
It is these incidents and incidents like this that bring the police in to disrepute and leads to loss of respect, not the thousands of good officers doing a good job.
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Different Policing world. new
Different Policing world. new