CharonQC sent me a link to an appalling, if remarkably common, story: the filth pushing their weight around simply because they were the cops. A member of the public was doing something he was perfectly entitled to do but to which the filth objected: he was, from his own property, filming them questioning some chavs.
They objected and came on to his property and told him that he must stop filming because he was “committing an offence“. He was, of course, not committing any offence but despite pressing them on the details of the “offence” they declined to be specific but insisted he must stop - but with the implicit unspoken threat of arrest.
Most people would have yielded but ‘Darren’ insisted on his rights. When the retarded cops called back to base for instructions they were told there was no offence. They then retreated after attempts to intimidate him by asking his name, but he blew them off.
YouTube video here.
The issue? Nothing really really serious, really, but it fucks Geeklawyer off. This is the sort of low level bullying police engage in all over the country all the time. They “make it up” as they go along and it isn’t based on law, it’s based on personal prejudice and inflated ego “we are the police - you do what we say just because we are the police. And if you don’t, be prepared for the consequences“. It isn’t a British problem of course - but nether is it a minority issue. The problem arises when you recruit people who are almost universally poorly educated rather dim people with authoritarian tendencies and chip on their shoulder.
What makes it much worse is when the courts give them, under an unspoken premise, the benefit of the doubt on policy procedural rule and conduct. They come to know that if they overstep the mark the courts will, unless they kill someone (and not even necessarily then as Brazilian electrician John Charles de Menezes found out the hard way), look the other way.
What makes it all the more annoying is that attitude of the filth themselves is made manifest on their own chat boards: the guy was a ‘nutter’ and ‘a bit bolshy’ so he deserved it. Heaven forbid that he was merely standing up for his rights and denying the filth the right to act as a law unto themselves.
I found this post (from the policeoracle page you linked to) more astonishing:
“Seeing as these incidents seem to occur near the man’s home, I would have thought that local officers would be aware of him and his antics. Perhaps when someone breaks into his house to steal all his kit he’ll wonder why the police aren’t responding?”
Staggering.
This is how they do it in the US.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bVa6jn4rpE
Only the police are allowed to film and question people, you should know that!