Written by Chris Hobbs, retired Met police officer
Those lambasting the police in general and the Met, in particular, create the impression that policing has no redeeming features: no acts of bravery or kindness; no life-saving first aid, no compassionate dealings with those suffering a mental health crisis (the Met alone dealt with 40,000 calls linked to mental health incidents last year).
While British policing isn’t perfect and wrongs must be corrected, how far do the strident critics of front-line officers, including those in the media, retired senior officers, politicians and activists, wish to push their denigration and demonisation?
There is a tsunami of potential evil out there, waiting for the chance to roll over a depleted and demoralised police service.
Gangs, groups from the hard-left and far-right, anti-vaxxers and terrorists will try to take full advantage.
The ‘extra’ 20,000 officers the government has promised will only take numbers up to the inadequate level of 2010, one of the lowest police-to-population ratios in Europe.
There are already concerns that the service, with many youthful inexperienced officers and retention problems, would be unable to cope with riots on the scale of 2011.
Fuel and food shortages and other major social concerns could lead us into a nightmare scenario.
To those joining the feeding frenzy against British policing, I’d say be careful what you wish for.
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So true and scary as well.
Well said and this government in particular has woefully let the Police down especially May and Cameron they are a disgrace
Senior officers are simply too woke. They let rioters run amok yet confront veterans protecting monuments with three ranks of riot police. The only reason the vets were there was because the police had failed miserably to protect the monuments. Again.
When BLM was on the rampage, very little was done. When Extinction Rebellion brought the capital to a stand still for weeks on end, nothing was done. There are videos of officers asking the insulate mob if they had enough water and were comfortable. The boss of the insulate shower has admitted that he lives in a single glazed house with no insulation whatsoever and has no intention of doing anything about it. These people are urban terrorists and should be given 60 seconds to clear the road before having it done for them. All the cops have to do is to ask for a bit of help from the public. The queue would go round the block in a heart beat. These soap dodgers should be plastic cuffed to anything immobile pending the arrival of the caged van. This night involve several trips so a few will get good and cold.
Instead, they allow the M25 to gridlock, despite an injunction in their favour. This is not the troops but rather the senior officers not issuing clear and unambiguous orders. They have become so terrified of public opinion, without actually asking the public, that it is better to do nothing rather than have the left wing woke press screaming the odds.
If the bosses actually asked the public, they would quickly discover that robust action would be warmly welcomed. It is quite one thing to demonstrate but quite another to try to hold the country to ransom.
Kevin all correct.
The only thing I would add, as soon as senior officers take a position in deference to ANY group, they erode the confidence and trust of the general public, we rely on our Police to enforce the law without fear or favour, when they begin taking sides they show they can be manipulated.. I can’t imagine the mindset that allowed the kneeling of officers at the protests recently, it opened other officers that did not kneel to be called racists and created a hostile situation for them, why on earth was that allowed? I get it, Officers do have personal beliefs and support certain groups, but when on duty they should be totally neutral.. No-one expects Police to be perfect, they are human and we all make mistakes, but this woke stuff is crazy, and it keeps getting worse…
Well said, John. Leadership is needed. War, it is said, was far to important an undertaking, to be left to Politicians (which may include Senior Police Officers within the cohort) and similarly Politicians should not be charged with upholding the law which may lead to the undertaking to serve our Sovereign Lady the Queen, the Office of Constable without fear or favour, which is open to compromise for political goals.