That G20 bint who got a SLAP...

[Bombadier Botty]

f***ing hyprcrites the lot of them.

You can't beat your Brighton Fair Trade buying types who indulge in Colombian marching powder (and other recreational drugs), happily ignoring all the misery and oppression that comes with the production and distribution of such substances.

 

[Collar Feeler]

Time for a perspective check I think. It was inevitible that a few coppers would get wound up, react and use a bit more force than is necessary over the course of a very long and drawn out protest. Its wrong of course and they will have to account for their actions if found guilty of using excessive force. Old bill are human and like anyone else if you try hard enough you will press the right buttons and get a reaction. More often than not though the majority of coppers stay in control and don't over react. What is abundantly clear however is that the aim of many protesters is precisely to wind the old bill up and then scream blue murder when one them does react which is exactly what they want. Having been in many such situations, that fact is always foremost in my mind and acts as a useful deterrent to stop me from making the confrontation personal. Not reacting is my personal victory against such fuckwits.

Given the overall scale of the protest, the 7-8000 police on duty and the level of overt hostility, aggression and violence shown towards the police I think the way most of them performed was acceptable and proportional.

Move that whole protest to almost any other country in the world and I can guarantee you that there would be far more aggression and violence from the police there. This sorry excuse for a protester should remember that when she is bleating to the press that she thought she was going to die, as if FFS - get over yourself love.

 

[Faldo]

2 coppers under investigation out of 8000. I'll take those odds...

To be fair the dickhead proportion among the protesters was probably closer to 90%.

 

[beorhthelm]

I don't really care what bits of video have been left out. I can quite imagine what happened, in fact I seen enough protests myself in London.

you dont care that the video might not show scaffholding and bottles being thrown a the police, instead just cut to the riot police moving in on a crowd to push them back?

we agree that at the end of the day it comes down to their training, a few individuals aside. maybe meeting violent or borderline violence with the same is not the attitude. i know its a pain from football, riot squad seem to be given orders to do X and told to turn off their empathy, logic and common sence. football training needs a review as hoolies went out half a generation ago but seems some in the police havent been told that.

but really, what is the solution to facing down a crowd like that at the BoE? do we want the police to stand back, let the militants run amok and then act? then how do you restore order unless you are even more heavy handed?

 

[NMH]

2 coppers under investigation out of 8000. I'll take those odds...

To be fair the dickhead proportion among the protesters was probably closer to 90%.

Protesters are NOT there to be public servants, protectors, or generally low-key hippy peace and love flower-givers. They are there to raise a profile, to be seen and heard, and let be known their feelings. They also contribute to the police who are there, for their wages and costs - and they are also entitled to be protected, and by KNOWN constabulary members (who display their numbers).
The old bill had LOADS of time and warning, even announcing their awareness of the scale and challenge of the operation!

So, they failed. The ob presented an opposing side to a group of demonstrators - which they were NOT there to do.

As for the 'odds' - the coppers who were filmed doing evil deeds have now tainted the operating force as a whole - not even just the 8,000 there, but the whole police force. Still happy with THOSE 'odds'?

 

[Robbie G]

Time for a perspective check I think. It was inevitible that a few coppers would get wound up, react and use a bit more force than is necessary over the course of a very long and drawn out protest. Its wrong of course and they will have to account for their actions if found guilty of using excessive force. Old bill are human and like anyone else if you try hard enough you will press the right buttons and get a reaction. More often than not though the majority of coppers stay in control and don't over react. What is abundantly clear however is that the aim of many protesters is precisely to wind the old bill up and then scream blue murder when one them does react which is exactly what they want. Having been in many such situations, that fact is always foremost in my mind and acts as a useful deterrent to stop me from making the confrontation personal. Not reacting is my personal victory against such fuckwits.

Given the overall scale of the protest, the 7-8000 police on duty and the level of overt hostility, aggression and violence shown towards the police I think the way most of them performed was acceptable and proportional.

I agree with all that.

 

[clapham_gull]

you dont care that the video might not show scaffholding and bottles being thrown a the police, instead just cut to the riot police moving in on a crowd to push them back?

we agree that at the end of the day it comes down to their training, a few individuals aside. maybe meeting violent or borderline violence with the same is not the attitude. i know its a pain from football, riot squad seem to be given orders to do X and told to turn off their empathy, logic and common sence. football training needs a review as hoolies went out half a generation ago but seems some in the police havent been told that.

but really, what is the solution to facing down a crowd like that at the BoE? do we want the police to stand back, let the militants run amok and then act? then how do you restore order unless you are even more heavy handed?

I don't particularly care because CCTV and Police videos will exist that will be used to convict violent protestors.

Good.

What is different about the above footage is that is was taken on mass by the general public because everyone is walking around with a video camera these days.

We're watching something we never really get to see.

CCTV (and Police footage) will exist showing certain police being naughty, but you know as well as I do that unless the Police were in the habit of grassing up themselves, it would have never seen the light of day.

I honestly believe that the tactics of the Police leads to more violence rather than less. Rather stupid to make the "we're up for it comments..."

The Police were up for a fight, there is no doubt about that.

Doesn't appear to be a particularly modern or intelligent way of doing things and I'll make the prediction that the Met will soon come round to the same conclusion. They got round to understanding that years ago at football, don't see why these demonstrations need to treated differently.

At these events you tend to get solicitors who do bit of unpaid observation.

Read an interview with one yesterday on how he got battered around all day. That's indefensible and try as you might, I'll never come round to the opinion that if you are just there, you deserve a good kicking alongside the violent protestors.

 

[Ernest]

Should have sprayed the smelly tossers with water as that would have scared the shit out of them, would have frightened them more than a battering with a riot shield.

 

[clapham_gull]

Time for a perspective check I think. It was inevitible that a few coppers would get wound up, react and use a bit more force than is necessary over the course of a very long and drawn out protest. Its wrong of course and they will have to account for their actions if found guilty of using excessive force. Old bill are human and like anyone else if you try hard enough you will press the right buttons and get a reaction. More often than not though the majority of coppers stay in control and don't over react. What is abundantly clear however is that the aim of many protesters is precisely to wind the old bill up and then scream blue murder when one them does react which is exactly what they want. Having been in many such situations, that fact is always foremost in my mind and acts as a useful deterrent to stop me from making the confrontation personal. Not reacting is my personal victory against such fuckwits.

Given the overall scale of the protest, the 7-8000 police on duty and the level of overt hostility, aggression and violence shown towards the police I think the way most of them performed was acceptable and proportional.

Move that whole protest to almost any other country in the world and I can guarantee you that there would be far more aggression and violence from the police there. This sorry excuse for a protester should remember that when she is bleating to the press that she thought she was going to die, as if FFS - get over yourself love.

Not alot I disagree with there, but (and it's a big one) you say some obviously lose control as they are human.

Wouldn't you agree that the hiding of identification by (it would appear) more than few, shows a level of pre-meditation that can't be excused by simply losng it.

 

[tedebear]

Majority of that crowd was rent-a-crowd. Those people who refuse to work for a living and who scuttle around the country in beat up old campers, stumping up crowd numbers against the establishment. They are known police baiters (as is she) and will do whatever it takes to get whatever that weeks issue more news print. Then they are quite happy to scream blue murder when touched by a wound up copper, after which they file back to their camper and head off to stand at the end of a runway shouting at 747's.

She wanted the copper to over-react, now she's pissed off because he did.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

It would be amusing to see how all the anti police brigade in these threads would react if hundreds of people abused the crap out of and threw projectiles at their heads while they were at work.

In the end being a copper is just a job and nobody should have to put up with the kind of shit they do in the job.

 

[Rookie]

shame the copper didn't really smack her really given the daft tart something proper to talk about

 

[clapham_gull]

It would be amusing to see how all the anti police brigade in these threads would react if hundreds of people abused the crap out of and threw projectiles at their heads while they were at work.

In the end being a copper is just a job and nobody should have to put up with the kind of shit they do in the job.

Easy cliched comment to make, but not particular well thought out.

What we're talking about are incidents where no direct physically provocation was taking place.

Whose anti police ? I'd just police to deal with things in a way that doesn't involve pushing people over from behind or slapping them in the face for being rude to them.

I don't think that's unreasonable do you ?

 

[torchieboy]

Time for a perspective check I think. It was inevitible that a few coppers would get wound up, react and use a bit more force than is necessary over the course of a very long and drawn out protest. Its wrong of course and they will have to account for their actions if found guilty of using excessive force. Old bill are human and like anyone else if you try hard enough you will press the right buttons and get a reaction. More often than not though the majority of coppers stay in control and don't over react. What is abundantly clear however is that the aim of many protesters is precisely to wind the old bill up and then scream blue murder when one them does react which is exactly what they want. Having been in many such situations, that fact is always foremost in my mind and acts as a useful deterrent to stop me from making the confrontation personal. Not reacting is my personal victory against such fuckwits.

Given the overall scale of the protest, the 7-8000 police on duty and the level of overt hostility, aggression and violence shown towards the police I think the way most of them performed was acceptable and proportional.

Move that whole protest to almost any other country in the world and I can guarantee you that there would be far more aggression and violence from the police there. This sorry excuse for a protester should remember that when she is bleating to the press that she thought she was going to die, as if FFS - get over yourself love.

totally agree.
my old man was ob for 25 years in sussex and he told me a few stories about the miners and their protesting.There wasnt many cameras around then so they didnt show the miners filling glass bottles with urine and bags with shit in the then throwing them at the police. Of course the ob piled in and gave out the usual stuff. game on.
The thing is dont go to a protest where you know the will be troublemakers causing agro and expect every copper to gentle guide you way from certain areas.

ps
my old man once went straight from work with 3 other ob to the brighton v millwall match back in the 70'swhen the milwall 'surgeons' decided to come into the northstand. they were met by my old man and his colleagues with their old style wooden truncheons, what fun was had, yet not one of the millwall complained. how times have changed!

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Then they are quite happy to scream blue murder when touched by a wound up copper, after which they file back to their camper and head off to stand at the end of a runway shouting at 747's.

She wanted the copper to over-react, now she's pissed off because he did.

He is wrong, she is wrong, end of.

 

[Ernest]

f***ing police brutality , bring back Dixon of Dock Green

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Blimey Ernest, you're even more inconsistent than the Albion