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I wish the media would stop criticizing our police force?

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well thats what the media does, it criticises. In fact can anyone think of a hugely successful newspaper that doesn't scrutinise in some way?

Reply 21

cognito_08

cn1990

Also remember the officers perception may have been different to what you perceive from the videos.

People are saying that but since when has it been acceptable to push someone towards the ground and then use a baton to hit them on the legs for just standing there.

Mr Tomblinson was a bystander, in my opinion, totally unproportionate force was used.

Reply 22

meatstu

WhatawickedDJ

Completely disagree with you, a lot of police men and women are over-paid bullies with too much power for their own good. I've seen and experienced police prejudice and brutality first hand many times and I wouldn't lose sleep if the scumbag who pushed that guy over resulting in his heart attack received a manslaughter charge.

They're not above the law.

Spot on, I've also had first hand experienced of the knuckle headed attitudes of some police officers. Unfortunately there are far too many police officers who should not have the power and responsibilities that they do.

I have a few friends in the force and to be quite honest I wouldn’t trust them with a furby, let alone a baton! The police must be made accountable for their actions.

As for protestors getting treated worse in other countries, that may be the case but it does not make it right and I’m glad it doesn’t happen here.

Reply 23

faber niger

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Who will guard the guards themselves?

Reply 24

cn1990

All these who are saying they have had first hand experince of the police in this way, id be happy to hear what actually happened to them.

I agree.

cn1990

Has it been proved that the pushig over caused his heart attack?

The police may of thought he had something in his pockets, wlaking around with his hands in them?

He may not have been doing what he was told?

Remember the police are in the middle of a big protest, how on earth do they know he is not a protester?

Still waiting for the results of the second post-mortem to be published.

He wasn't even talking to them! He was very obviously NOT a protester.

The only thing he wasn't do was walking fast enough for them. That does not deserve to be bitten, hit and then pushed to the ground.

Quite simply he was not part of the crowd, he just happened to be walking down a road (his normal route home) that the police decided they were going to block off and coral everyone who was there together. Protester or not.

Oh... and the police completely denied ever laying so much as a finger on him... UNTIL the media came forward with evidence that they had.

Another reason why I have no faith whatsoever in the police. They completely and utterly failed me when I was a child. They had the option to make a certain person stand trial but decided that it wasn't in the public interest because the certain person was best buddies with the head of the police force in the area. Just in case you think the police might have been right in that decision: if it was now instead of 10 years ago he would have got a min of 7 years in jail and been on the sex offenders list for life.

Reply 27

username133326

cn1990

I didnt realise you had to brandish a weapon before you may be suspected of having one.

Also remember the officers perception may have been different to what you perceive from the videos.

you have to be a clear and present danger before the police can hit you over the head with THEIR weapon with enough force to bring you to the ground

they should have stopped him, searched him and dealt with the ramifications of that - if he'd refused to be searched they should have restrained him and searched him, if he'd then got violent they should then have meted out an appropriate amount of force

they didnt even have cause to arrest him, how can you defend their hitting him?

Reply 28

starlight_71

I can only assume from the above that not many have seen the police in action, fully adrenalin loaded, they are supposed to uphold the law - many have have little understanding of the complexities of the subject. I am unaware as to whether the altrecation between Mr Tomlinson and the police was a direct cause of his heart attack but I dare say that the stress induced by this did not help. If the police thought he may of had something cocealed in his pockets they should have conducted a stop and search, from the video footage his body language doesn't exactly convey aggression. Even if he were a protester that did not give the police officer the right to assault the man.

Reply 29

azhao

WhatawickedDJ

No they aren't above the law, except when they do all the things that are exempt from the law e.g. speeding to catch a criminal etc. They are the law and demand as much respect as the law itself does, yes some of them are bullies but alot of them aren't and are proud of what they stand for.

Reply 30

thunder_chunky

I like would the OP to explain to me how the police were "defending themselves" when that police officer pushed over/clobbered that man who was just walking by with his hands in his pockets and that wasn't involved in the protests at all.

I would also like the OP to explain to me how the police were "defending themselves" when that police officer hit a women with his baton (or whatever you want to call it) when she wasn't posing any threat, she was just trying to talk to the police officers.

Some coppers are good, some are bad. Not all police officers should be lumped into the same boat.
When the Jean Charles De Menzes shooting happend, I was immedietly supportive of the police, dismissing critisism by the media. But then in time I saw the evidence that was stacked against and now I am unsure and on the fence.

It really varies, but in the case of some of the actions of SOME police officers during the G20 protests, their behaviour was not acceptable.

Reply 31

numb3rb0y

Hear hear! A little police brutality and manslaughter'll teach those pesky buggers for using their freedom of assembly!

jismith1989

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Who will guard the guards themselves?

Reply 32

Lifelongstudent

lol dont make me laugh. Since when do the police come to your aid when a incident is occuring? They arrive AFTER the incident happens.

Reply 33

Lifelongstudent

Also they are NOT THE LAW. They, the police, merely ENFORCE the law. get a clue.

Reply 34

Shayke

numb3rb0y

Hear hear! A little police brutality and manslaughter'll teach those pesky buggers for using their freedom of assembly!

There's a difference between using your right to protest (I assume that's what you meant) being peaceful and orderly... and getting in a policeman's face repeatedly, disrupting them from doing their job most likely to provoke a reaction so the police can be ruined by the media, is there not?

Reply 35

Comp_Genius

burninginme

It's sick how the media keep criticizing the police for defending themselves during the G20 protests - in all the videos I have seen (not just the biased, selected footage the BBC and co have chosen to show us), the police have been quite justified in their use of the baton, and when that's all they've got, and are not permitted to use tear gas, what the hell can they do?

The majority of protestors weren't violent, I admit, but for the most part, the only people getting a beating as far as I could see deserved it. There was some real scumbags in that protests, and I'm glad the police dished out some pain.

Also, that clip they keep showing of the women who kept shouting at the police officer, until he lightly tapped her with his glove, and then when she grabbed hold of him, he hit her with the baton. I don't see the problem, in any other country it would be an offence to shout and swear at a police officer, and yet he gets suspended? When he hit her on the back of the legs, she had actually grabbed hold of him. She deserved it and I'm only sorry it wasn't her face.

The police could have been so much harder, and considering how contrained they are by the wet liberals, I think they did extremely well. In many other countries those scumbags would have received such an ass kicking they couldn't even comprehend.

Sorry, this is wrong, and unconstitutional.

The police are paid for by the taxpayers to keep order. Protesters are taxpayers too, and so they are within their constitutional rights to protest, and the police have a duty to keep order, not 'crack down' on the protesters.

But of course, if other taxpayers do not think protests should be covered by the police (because it is expensive), then in a democratic society, it is up to Parliament, which (hopefully) represents the view of the general public, to enact as to ban protests.

The point is, the police has a duty to protect us and keep order.

Also, it is the media's job to hold the police force accountable and to keep them in check; I do agree with the notion that we should, to a certain extent, congratulate the police on occasion, but note that it is their job to do what we ask them to! Do you get a treat from your boss just for doing your job? I don't... through criticism, standards of policing, and of other things, should improve.

Reply 36

Joel103

cn1990

All these who are saying they have had first hand experince of the police in this way, id be happy to hear what actually happened to them.

Same, I stick by the old saying theres no smoke without fire, I've come across the police a fair few times in the past and they've always been totally cool, if you act like an idiot with them then they'll be one back, fair does I say. It just seems so many people go round now with a chip on their shoulder towards the police yet at the same time seem so utterly ignorant and blind to what they do in their job everyday.

Also I found this earlier on:

http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2009/04/10/cowardly-left-wing-bloggers-ignore-new-ian-tomlinson-evidence/

Now I really don't like tory's and their politics but it does seem to make a lot of sense, and regarding the push of tomlinson we don't know what he had been doing with those police prior to the push, the video doesn't show that, it was a riot and the last thing they need is someone who appears to be a rioter/protestor falling back behind them, what if they had to rush or charge and a rioter/protestor follows them and attacks them from behind, it a risk they can't afford to take and without more evidence coming to light I think it would be very premature to totally condemn the police's action and saying it was unprovoked, unwarranted etc. Don't get me wrong it could have been dealt with better and its such a shame he died, but I wasn't there and I doubt most of the people commenting on it weren't, they just saw a grainy poor quality phone video.

Reply 37

numb3rb0y

Shayke

Proportionate response.

Protests get rowdy, they make a lot of noise, and yes, even mean words might be thrown about.

That doesn't give thugs in uniforms the right to slap around the protesters or beat random bystanders to the point where they later die in hospital.