The law-and-order crowd's double standard

[Hamilton Saint]

When the police deal with violent, anti-social types in out-of-control footy crowds, they're the typically over-the-top "old bill", who should be doing something better with their time - like dealing with "real" criminals.

When the police violate the civil rights of peaceful protestors, including physical assault, they're just doing their job. "You wouldn't get into trouble if you weren't hanging around a protesting crowd", etc., etc.

[Thedelldays]

personally, I think the police are too soft here anyway..so have no idea what you are getting at..

[Jonnyboy]

delldays in "anyone in a uniform can do no wrong" shocker

[scott_saints]

Police are too soft here though. They get no respect because no one fears them ...... well, this is especially true with my generation anyway.

[Thedelldays]

Police are too soft here though. They get no respect because no one fears them ...... well, this is especially true with my generation anyway.

agree...you only have to look at the stick they are getting about raoul moat...they should have just shot the ****..

[View From The Top]

When the police deal with violent, anti-social types in out-of-control footy crowds, they're the typically over-the-top "old bill", who should be doing something better with their time - like dealing with "real" criminals.

When the police violate the civil rights of peaceful protestors, including physical assault, they're just doing their job. "You wouldn't get into trouble if you weren't hanging around a protesting crowd", etc., etc.

Lost on most I'm afraid.

[benjii]

When the police deal with violent, anti-social types in out-of-control footy crowds, they're the typically over-the-top "old bill", who should be doing something better with their time - like dealing with "real" criminals.

When the police violate the civil rights of peaceful protestors, including physical assault, they're just doing their job. "You wouldn't get into trouble if you weren't hanging around a protesting crowd", etc., etc.

Good point.

[mickn]

agree...you only have to look at the stick they are getting about raoul moat...they should have just shot the ****..

So you think the police should be judge, jury and executioner then?

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

The problem with the Police has more to do the with the over-restrictive set of rules & regulations successive (democratically elected) governments have imposed upon them rather than any endemic failure of the current force . These stringent rules the Police now have to work with were established because of past corruption of course - so if you removed them all you may find that you've just replaced one problem with another as the universal tendency for over-authoritarian law enforcement to fabricate evidence or beat confessions out of suspects ...etc could well reassert itself . There may well be no easy answers here , you can only try and find a good balance between the individual liberty of the citizen and the obvious need for proper law enforcement .

Someone said we should "fear" the Police more . I can think of plenty of society's (past and present) where the common people had very good cause to genuinely fear their Police force - On reflection I'm not at all sure I'd like to live in any of them frankly .

[rocknrollman no2]

When the police deal with violent, anti-social types in out-of-control footy crowds, they're the typically over-the-top "old bill", who should be doing something better with their time - like dealing with "real" criminals.

When the police violate the civil rights of peaceful protestors, including physical assault, they're just doing their job. "You wouldn't get into trouble if you weren't hanging around a protesting crowd", etc., etc.

A very good point.
I think the way football fans are treated by the police is way over the top.The number of times ive seen the police act too heavy handed or actually be the cause of trouble at a match beggers belief.
Can you imagine fans at rugby,tennis or cricket being treated the same?
As for how the police deal with peaceful protests,what happened at the G20 protest was very wrong and i think the police need to take a long ,hard look at themselfs.

[scotty]

agree...you only have to look at the stick they are getting about raoul moat...they should have just shot the ****..

the northumberland police got a lot of stick for how they handled the moat case. I say credit where its due; hats off to the the police psychologist brought in to talk to moat when he was cornered. It might have taken an hour, but he finally persuaded the c*nt to shoot himself

[Thedelldays]

So you think the police should be judge, jury and executioner then?

no...just when someone went out of their way to shoot somoene dead, shoot someone blind and shoot the stomach out of his ex and he creating a stand-off with a gun..should be shot dead

[scotty]

no...just when someone went out of their way to shoot somoene dead, shoot someone blind and shoot the stomach out of his ex and he creating a stand-off with a gun..should be shot dead

part of me agrees, but part of me thinks "let him have it Chris"

[EastleighSoulBoy]

part of me agrees, but part of me thinks "let him have it Chris"

A reference to the Bentley trial I think?