Tuesday 12 May 2015

The Non-Blue Line

This letter appears in today's Guardian:

The irony of Saturday’s “spontaneous” demonstration, where protesters tried to storm Downing Street, was not lost on police.

Here officers were protecting a prime minister – and by default a government – who has shown nothing but contempt for a police service, from anti-austerity activists who also have nothing but contempt for the police service.

Officers also noticed that David Cameron, in his speech following his re-election in Witney, failed to observe the tradition of thanking the police. It was therefore no surprise when the prime minister also failed to thank officers for protecting his home on Saturday or express any concern in respect of those injured.

Saturday’s protest clearly illustrates the potential for extremely serious public disorder on the streets of the UK as further austerity measures are imposed; disorder that rank and file officers are not confident they will be able to contain.

When this is considered together with the current very real terrorist threat, it is bewildering that this government appears to be determined to further antagonise and deplete an already totally demoralised police service. 

Chris Hobbs
(Metropolitan Police 1978 to 2011), London

No one, but no one, hates this Government more than the Police do. There was probably not a single serving Officer in England who voted Conservative last week.

Expect them to be de facto uniformed participants in future demonstrations, complete with the power of arrest and to use force. If they turn up at all, at least in anything like the most tokenistic numbers.

The idea that they might ever arrest anyone for breach of yet further anti-union laws is completely laughable. They are far more likely to be in organised breach of the laws against industrial action on their own part.

Those who might complain will be in no position to do so. No one is ever arrest for foxhunting, either. Indeed, the Police effectively act as escorts to the hunts. So suck it up.

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