This email was sent to Diane Abbott, the Shadow Home Secretary, by a serving police officer following her remarks about the police taking proactive measures to ensure that suspects on mopeds DON’T get away:
Dear Ms Abbott,
I hope you are able to read this email yourself as I think it’s something that may assist you, and more importantly the Labour Party.
I wish to discuss your social media comment which has been quoted as “Knocking people off bikes is potentially very dangerous. It shouldn’t be legal for anyone. Police are not above the law”
I wish to address your unconsidered remarks.
1. Agreed. Knocking people off of bikes is potentially very dangerous. That risk is balanced off of the strength and evidence of what these thugs have done. Having worked in a busy London Borough as a Response Officer I feel more knowledgeable than you in regards to my job. These people, usually gang members steal these mopeds and motor bikes. They then go on to perform many awful and serious crimes on these stolen bikes. The vehicles will not be insured, the riders will not have the correct licence to ride them and also have NO regard for the safety of those whom they terrorise on a daily basis. If stopping them leads to potential danger, then I believe this is a worthwhile pursuit. Stop for Police when requested to do so and you won’t be nudged off by the Police. It’s really that simple.
2. “It shouldn’t be legal for anyone” I would like to bring to your attention To Common Law Powers which include Section 3 of the Criminal Law act 1967. This enables ANY person to use such force as is necessary in arresting or assisting the arrest of a criminal. Despite your best wishes it is legal for EVERYONE.
3. “Police are not above the law” Erm… well this is awkward seeing as you’re the current Shadow Home Secretary. Police Officers actually ARE above some laws. We have exemptions to do things which non warranted members of the public are unable to do. This includes driving at over the speed limit, using blue lights on a vehicle, using a hand held mobile device while driving, not wearing a seat belt, driving through red lights, arresting people, using Section 117 PACE to use powers which are all above what’s known as ‘Law’ to other people. We have powers that mean we can look into and down load mobile phones. We can enter someone’s house without permission and not be breaking the law. Police ARE above the law. Not all of them but we do have powers above non warranted civilians. Oh and let’s not forget we can park on yellow lines. In fact… we can block and close a whole motorway if we deem it necessary.
Your anti Police rhetoric has gone on for decades. I recently emailed Mr Corbyn stating that your current role as Shadow Home Secretary is putting a lot of Police Officers at odds of voting for labour in the upcoming election. I received a reply which must have been for someone else as in true politicians style it’s appeared to answer someone else’s question and not the one I posed.
You appear to be ignorant to the role of Police Officer and don’t seem to have any wish, professionally or personally to seek out advice from Police Officers before fixing your colours to the mast.
Us Police Officers have worked VERY hard over this last decade with a pay cut in real terms. Our numbers have been slashed and we now carry a heavier burden than ever before. We are proud people. We save lives. We also change lives. We shape our communities by locking up dangerous criminals. We do this because we care. A criminal on a moped? Oh we will love taking them off of the streets and locking them up. The public are safer and much better off if we are allowed to do our jobs.
If you don’t like the Police (and I have so much evidence that you are anti Police) then become the change you would like to see. Become a special Constable or a PCSO and see how the other half live.
Just stop with the hatred. We don’t need to be battered by the current Home Secretary AND the Shadow Home Secretary.
Yours,
PC ‘name removed’
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I would not give a toss if they are killed. Hope they are not just brain dead (actually they already are) as we will have to spend money looking after them.
It wouldn’t hurt them to be knocked off their bikes as they only have half a brain and very small p*&^s’s
Well said the PC!! The horrifying prospect of having this dumb and patently anti-establishment individual as Home Secretary, under the the even dumber Corbyn as PM would be disastrous for this country as a whole and for the emergency services in particular. Anyone foolish enough to elect these reactionary idiots will deserve all that they get!
Better the Devil you know, than that, surely?
Very well said in this letter to Abbot, she has no idea about real life, how dare she criticise our police, how can we expect others to respect the police when she does not. The police in my area have done a wonderful job of clearing the area of these thugs on bikes, unfortunately they have moved on to another area.
Well said that PC! All very valid points. Hope Abbott actually reads it.
These politicians just have no idea of the real world or what our emergency services have to deal with. They are quick enough to criticise the services when crime figures rise, or blame them for not doing their job when one of them gets mugged or killed. Do they not see that ‘knocking off a bike’ is not the same as killing someone?. We trust armed officers whose guns also have the ability to take a life, I’m sure they would soon object if the houses of Parliament had their armed security taken away.
The Police would do everything they could to stop these criminals in another way and only doing this as a last resort, and even then in the safest manner possible, I doubt any policeman would knock someone off a bike doing 70+ mph.
If they are allowed free reign to commit crime, cause injury or take a life, and then be allowed free passage away from the Police, then will not every criminal around dump their getaway cars in exchange for a moped?. Then what?… All Terrorists using mopeds are allowed to escape?
Paul (anon)
if you ask me they have lost there rights if they break the law and its just a shame that parlement have to listen to the yanks regaurding red tape it serves them scrotes right if they get knocked off
If you ask me, you should really use a spell checker and some punctuation!
take a look at your own nob
Pete you’re a pompous twat and a jumped up snob. Wanker
Very well put. The gauntlet is down.
You certainly have my support and a big thank you to all the emergency services on whom we rely daily
The Shadow Home Secretary is right to raise her concerns. Up until now the police have not arrested people in such a manner that the arrest is likely to cause injury. I appreciate the points you raise about the overstretched police forces, but that is not Diane Abbott’s fault, and indeed were her party to form the government this would no longer be a problem. It worries me that one day one of these people will be killed. When this happens, it would lead to a change in the public perception of the police, and not only criminals but the public at large would start to fear any policeman in uniform.
Another cause for concern is that this posting is anonymous. If you don’t have the courage to sign your posting, then it indicates that you don’t have the courage of your convictions. That, if nothing else, is a sign that you yourself are concerned about this new policy.
In this PC bollocks world any officer who was foolish to identify themselves would soon find themselves unemployed and probably pensionless, and the Home Office construct the ‘Police Federation’ (Police officers are prohibited from belonging to a real Trade Union) could/would do sweet foxtrot all to help them…
land, what is your name then?
If these thugs and hooligans didn’t steal bikes and commit these crimes then they wouldn’t be putting themselves in that situation. How else do the police stop these criminals other than using force. I do believe the police should have far greater powers to use in stopping these lowlife scum. By your comments Lang you are a labour supporter, god help those not stealing!
If sick headed Diane Abbot is going to make such stupid comments and support people being robbed by others using motorbikes then i just hope she will be their next victim. The police have every right in taking this action with the way the crime rate is today. If Diane Abbot does not like this she can go and live in another country.
Very well said. These bikes should not be referred to as ‘mopeds’, they are scooters. In most cases, they are around 250 – 300cc, fuel injected, and capable of very fast acceleration and a top speed of around 80 mph. They are as fast as any motorbike with a similar sized engine. I wonder if Diane Abbott would be as quick to condemn if one of these criminals was spraying acid into her face ?
One small point, my sons restricted 125 scooter would do 70 no problem, most of the bigger scooters will clear the ton (100 mph) and absolutely they are NOT mopeds.
These Criminal thugs were getting away time and again because police were limited in stopping them – By proper training the use of force to stop them has already resulted in a sharp drop in Moped crimes in London as the fear of being forced to stop the hard way has hit home. I don’t advocate unrestricted ram ’em but if they refuse to stop, they are already putting others at risk and usually uninsured – So a method of training and operational clearance to exercise force when refusing to stop is, in my view, appropriate.
Im sure if these thuggish idiots consider themselves in as much danger as their victims then they may think twice.If they get hurt/killed in the pursuit of their criminality,so be it.
Diane Abbott shows just how far she is removed from the real world. Maybe she is mis-guided trying to be “political correct” the fact is the removal of these criminals from the streets has the public support. The long term damage to victims is imense every time they hear a moped there is fear of being mugged again. This becomes a life time of tourture. Diane Abbott you sit on your green bench and preach from your ebony tower, this is seriously effecting every corner of socity, culture, religion, ethnic back ground. There is no policical gain or advantage for you here; apart from maybe the gangsters on these bikes, but to be honest I doubt many of them vote. The public support the police and thank you.
I fully agree with the police for doing what they are doing.Dianne abbott is totally out of touch.And they are the next ones wanting to run this country.I dont think so.
Am 100% on the side of the police, i once had a moped rider stick his hand in the open window of my driving school car, he was after the diary on my passenger seat, what he didn’t realize and take into account for his actions was the steel railings at the traffic light junctions just ahead of us, in came his arm and up against the railings i pinned him, much to his objections and my diary spread along the roadside, motorists behind me were quick to judge against the actions of the marked driving school car, thinking it was an accident, trying in vain to get me to move my car away from him being trapped against the railings and pinned in place by my car.
Motorists shocked that i made no attempt to make the motorcyclist comfortable as i got out of my car, locked the doors while calmly dialing 999 and paying more attention to collecting the contents of my diary from along the road side, traffic at a halt for 15 minutes while waiting for police to attend then watching them arrest the thief while still pinned between my car and the railings with handcuffs securing him to the railings before telling me to move my car, motorbike was uninsured, unregistered, MOT out of date by 4 years, and number plate cloned from another vehicle not even close to his model of bike, yes 100% in agreement with police actions…
Diane Abbott as Home Secretary?, God forbid, she is as thick as pig s**t. Look back at all the gaffes she has made during interviews in recent months. They clearly show she has absolutely no idea of what her role and responsibilities are. I’d love to hear her reaction should she or one of her loved ones become victim to one of the moped thieves
She has said he does not consider herself british. She has made racist comments, anti white. She praises communist leaders and when it was pointed out how many were murdered by them in china, she laughed and on and on it goes. That she has a position in parliament for labour just more evidence hoe depraved and unfit for purpose the labour party is.
I quite agree with these comments, due to cuts in funding by May, the police across the UK are stretched. People have no respect or regards for our laws in essence, if this action , which was a brave decision, hadn’t been taken I dread to think what it would escalate to. When I was a solo traffic officer back in the 70’s I was told by my inspector that blue lights and two tones are not a signal to stop, or didn’t have stop signs on the back of the bikes in those days, we had to go alongside and wave the motorist down. These days that would be very dangerous. Keep up the good work, and let’s hope Abbott never gets into power.
I have much sympathy with some of the points the PC seems to be making and hold no brief for Diane Abbott. The officer is wrong to think that the police are often ‘above the law’ however. The exemptions that the officer quotes are part of the law. It is important that the police recognise that they, too, are constrained by the rule of law (albeit differently) in the exercise of their duties and act accordingly. It is the public perception that this is broadly true that allows policing with consent.
As a motorcyclist of 40 years, I am in full support of the Police officers, using whatever methods work to stop these nasty criminals, Dianne Abbot is deluded, and likes to latch on to any minority cause , without taking the time to look at both sides of the story
Should some one be foolish enough to steal my motorcycle I would not hesitate to use my own car to remove them from it, these young men are violent, often armed with knives, and think themselves above the law, frankly if a few of them get killed or maimed I wont lose any sleep, and society will be better off without them
100% agree with this officer, our society is becoming lawless .. I believe that problems lie with judges/magistrates, these officers put their lives on the line many times .. what do they Get? A ton of paper work & when the thugs go to court they often get off to commit other crimes! No respect for the police, elderly or society in general. Keep up the good work officers, unfortunately you fighting a losing battle with people like her in government.
Diane Abbott, the Ultimate IGNORANT BITCH !! Police exist to protect the public, which they TRY to do to the best of their abilities and with LIMITED RESOURCES. We do not need nor want IGNORANT ANIMALS like Abbott in ANY position of authority. Please ABBOTT just SHUT THE F*** UP !!
It’s a old saying but true, if you can’t do the time , don’t commit the crime.
The thugs who commit these crimes know the possible outcome . They know if they are caught that they may be knocked off their stolen bikes. They see it as a professional hazard , the same as a burglar , mugger , tax dodger , swindler , Rapist
I for one think that our pc bullshit, has led to a generation who do not accept responsibility for their actions and when our so called ministers back the unlawful, the terrorists, and the undesirable parts of our population what hope do we have for the society most of us desire.
1. Yup. He agreed too that it’s potentially very dangerous. I’m all for stopping these people. Maybe it has to be done that way. I think that’s very sad. What happens when (if) the first person to be knocked off a moped by a policeman dies? Will that still be necessary force then?
2. It allows such force as is necessary. See above.
3. No. Policemen are NOT above the law when doing all the things that are listed above. There are laws written that allow the police to do all those things in pursuit of their duty. He’s even listed (one of) the section(s)(?) that gives them that power. Without wishing to knock this policeman at all, it wasn’t the cleverest thing to put!
Imagine you (or a relative/friend) had a kid who got caught up with a bad gang, and one day, a policeman ran him over and killed him and claimed he was above the law while doing it!
I totally agree that the police have had to work above and beyond the call of duty due to the restrictions in numbers placed upon them by the current TORY government. My close friend works for the police, and her husband is an ex-DCi. I’ve heard all about the issues the police face.
It’s not Diane Abbott who is a complete liability. It’s the people who are currently “running” (down) the police force!
This so-called socialist sent her children to a public school! Plus her boss and his cronies support every terrorist organisation in the world that is left wing, publicly supported the IRA bombings and recently expressed admiration for the failed illegal President of Venezuela who took his country from riches to poverty, Google where Corbyn actually lives rather than the modest house he insists of being filmed coming out of, Labour Front Bench try and sue me!
Web search “one hundred times corbyn sided with terrorists”. Even more can be added to that list now. He and his cronies being FOR THE TERRORISTS proves they are AGAINST THE MANY… ie the rest of us. As for conbins personal jew hate, it’s hardly been touched on in the msm yet it goes back decades and is well documented.
well put that police officer,it must get you down when those in power or champing at the bit to get in power do not back you up.keep up the good work.
These moped thugs should be pursued and run down at every opportunity. I hope they all end up like that thieving bastard Henry Hicks.
Yet more evidence that those on the left do not fight evil they fight those that do fight evil – in this case the police
My opinion is that the Police Forces should be educated and trained to combat any up and coming types of crime that comes into fashion. If the thugs, thieves, hooligans, whatever they may be called, transgress the law, they should be stopped and if proven they should punished. If the police forces need to adapt their methods the so be it. Give the police forces the means and the education/training to carry out their duties. Let government pass laws which enhance the powers of the police forces to be more effective. Let them knock these people off their stolen machines and let the courts dish out sentences which will deter others thinking of doing the same.
There are lots of thoughts and comments about both sides of this argument. The problem is how else can you stop the people committing these crimes. They have no thought of the people how are suffering from these crimes . We seem to be getting to so what of a nanny state with more thought to the perpetrators and less to the victim
This Cop should be arrested for online Hate Crime
Online hate crime are you kidding.you must support labour only people so stupid and thin skinned would think that.Diane Abbott is the worst politician in the house.only there to be the token black.love to see a lefty softy like you do their job.your sort walk around looking to be offended.Hopefully some of these moped morons will get seriously hurt like their victims, well done the brilliant police 👮♀️ service
Well done to that officer, as Diane Abbott is an ignorant, racist, and not worthy of the role Corbyn (or should I say her former lover) gave her. My only question is, why on earth would any police officer vote for the terrorist-loving, antisemitic Labour party…with or without the likes of Naz Shah, David Lammy, Abbott, or Corbyn in it?
The good thing I get from all but a couple of the posts above is that the majority of people support the police , it’s sad that so many of our elected representatives on the opposition benches don’t. Yes May did something stupid by reducing numbers but I think she still supported the rule of law , something Abbot and her ilk don’t , still I suppose if you son is a law breaking thug you’ll not support the people who mare there to stop him and his kind.