Sir Winston Churchill statue defaced again - Met watch on

[Four Litre]

Seriously WTF is going on with the Met police currently. It brings serious questions about their leadership and if they are really on the side of law and order. We have seen mass protests being virtually ignored, or taking the stand back attitude and maybe catch a few later on if we can on CCTV etc.

Now Sir Winston statue has been defaced again, whilst the Met take a step back. I find this a complete dereliction of duty and surely questions need to be asked of WTF is going in with Cressida Dick. Surely its clear shes no longer doing the job correctly.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/09/10/police...

[BlackLabel]

What’s Churchill’s statue got to do with climate change anyway? XR are a strange lot.

[Four Litre]

Exactly - really shows what their true intention is. Why they seem to have a special treatment card from the met is the real question.

[Cold]

Covid Statue Marshals.

[vixen1700]

My newphew who's a copper in the Met feels like his hands are tied so much, says it's a police service rather than a police force.

[JmatthewB]

XR is essentially Marxism under the veil of environmentalism. Their core aim is to tear down Anglo-American Liberal Democracy which they view as the evil dominance in the western world over the last few centuries. Presumably they think Nazism or Soviet Communism would have been better.

[Greendubber]

Ragging a load of XR protestors about an causing a huge knock is exactly what XR want the police to do.

Itll be on camera and they'll scoop those responsible it after the event.

[Pothole]

vixen1700 said:

My newphew who's a copper in the Met feels like his hands are tied so much, says it's a police service rather than a police force.

That's its name.

[vixen1700]

Pothole said:

hat's its name.

True. Just looked it up and didn't actually realise the Metropolitan Police had been renamed to the Metropolitan Police Service.

But you know the sentiment, lower case 'S'.

[Pothole]

Four Litre said:

Seriously WTF is going on with the Met police currently. It brings serious questions about their leadership and if they are really on the side of law and order. We have seen mass protests being virtually ignored, or taking the stand back attitude and maybe catch a few later on if we can on CCTV etc.

Now Sir Winston statue has been defaced again, whilst the Met take a step back. I find this a complete dereliction of duty and surely questions need to be asked of WTF is going in with Cressida Dick. Surely its clear shes no longer doing the job correctly.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/09/10/police...

In fact, the statue has not been "defaced". Its plinth has been. The spray paint will easily come off again and the person has already been arrested. That seems to be a far better use of limited resources than running battles with groups of idiots.

[Digga]

Pothole said:

In fact, the statue has not been "defaced". Its plinth has been. The spray paint will easily come off again and the person has already been arrested. That seems to be a far better use of limited resources than running battles with groups of idiots.

Dunno. Prevention is better than cure. If there is an element clearly hellbent on causing disturbance, nuisance and damage to property, they should be dealt with more vigorously and determinedly.

[stitched]

So it's just me.
Photograph alongside the article clearly shows the words 'Is a racist'
Article says statue was defaced with the words 'was a racist'

[Pothole]

Digga said:

Pothole said:

In fact, the statue has not been "defaced". Its plinth has been. The spray paint will easily come off again and the person has already been arrested. That seems to be a far better use of limited resources than running battles with groups of idiots.

Dunno. Prevention is better than cure. If there is an element clearly hellbent on causing disturbance, nuisance and damage to property, they should be dealt with more vigorously and determinedly.

Which takes a lot of resources and puts officers at risk. If we can limit discussion to this specific incident, how EXACTLY do you think you, as the commander on the ground, would have handled it?

Bear in mind that currently, we have some minor damage which will not be of great significance to anyone, nobody will be feting the suspect and toasting him "getting away with" anything or trying to make out that he's truck a significant blow for anything at all. The suspect has been arrested and will be charged and probably convicted, so that's a crime solved which is what everyone seems to be clamouring for.

The alternative could have been a very public scrap with multiple protestors, multiple officers potentially injured and, had there been multiple arrests, significant numbers of officers off the street dealing with that.

I know which I reckon is the best use of resources.

[Digga]

Pothole said:

Which takes a lot of resources and puts officers at risk. If we can limit discussion to this specific incident, how EXACTLY do you think you, as the commander on the ground, would have handled it?

On the day, the CO's hands were tied.

The policy WRT XR protests needs to change. It needs to be recognised they use 'peaceful protest' as a means to commit criminal activity and the organisation needs to be dealt with as such. they should not get permission or opportunity to reoffend.

[Pothole]

Digga said:

Pothole said:

Which takes a lot of resources and puts officers at risk. If we can limit discussion to this specific incident, how EXACTLY do you think you, as the commander on the ground, would have handled it?

On the day, the CO's hands were tied.

The policy WRT XR protests needs to change. It needs to be recognised they use 'peaceful protest' as a means to commit criminal activity and the organisation needs to be dealt with as such. they should not get permission or opportunity to reoffend.

Lay it out. How will your policy affect all parties involved? Will it be the best use of resources or do you just feel the need to present a particular image of policing?

[stitched]

Pothole said:

Digga said:

Pothole said:

Which takes a lot of resources and puts officers at risk. If we can limit discussion to this specific incident, how EXACTLY do you think you, as the commander on the ground, would have handled it?

On the day, the CO's hands were tied.

The policy WRT XR protests needs to change. It needs to be recognised they use 'peaceful protest' as a means to commit criminal activity and the organisation needs to be dealt with as such. they should not get permission or opportunity to reoffend.

Lay it out. How will your policy affect all parties involved? Will it be the best use of resources or do you just feel the need to present a particular image of policing?

It's not really pc at the moment to deal with protests in similar fashion to the London poll tax protest or the miners strike.
However allowing crime to just 'happen' because a protest is happening is wrong.
Where do you draw the line?
Defacing a monument is a criminal act, as are rape, murder, gbh and theft.
Which of these are suddenly permitted because 'we can always nick them later' and which should not be permitted?

[FNG]

Pothole said:

Digga said:

Pothole said:

In fact, the statue has not been "defaced". Its plinth has been. The spray paint will easily come off again and the person has already been arrested. That seems to be a far better use of limited resources than running battles with groups of idiots.

Dunno. Prevention is better than cure. If there is an element clearly hellbent on causing disturbance, nuisance and damage to property, they should be dealt with more vigorously and determinedly.

Which takes a lot of resources and puts officers at risk. If we can limit discussion to this specific incident, how EXACTLY do you think you, as the commander on the ground, would have handled it?

Bear in mind that currently, we have some minor damage which will not be of great significance to anyone, nobody will be feting the suspect and toasting him "getting away with" anything or trying to make out that he's truck a significant blow for anything at all. The suspect has been arrested and will be charged and probably convicted, so that's a crime solved which is what everyone seems to be clamouring for.

The alternative could have been a very public scrap with multiple protestors, multiple officers potentially injured and, had there been multiple arrests, significant numbers of officers off the street dealing with that.

I know which I reckon is the best use of resources.

Yes they will. Or why would they have done it?

To me, police standing by watching people blatantly break the law undermines the police's authority and emboldens others to do the same.

So the suspect gets charged and convinced later, pays a fine, wow. Some punishment.

Compare that to the visual impact of what he's just done - struck a blow for his cause, in broad daylight, being watched by the police. He can do it, so can you, let's get our voices heard, pick up your spray cans and fight for xxxxx.

How many resources are tied up now dealing with multiple incidents of the same sort, because it's evident that these actions won't be stopped?

[Electro1980]

stitched said:

Pothole said:

Digga said:

Pothole said:

Which takes a lot of resources and puts officers at risk. If we can limit discussion to this specific incident, how EXACTLY do you think you, as the commander on the ground, would have handled it?

On the day, the CO's hands were tied.

The policy WRT XR protests needs to change. It needs to be recognised they use 'peaceful protest' as a means to commit criminal activity and the organisation needs to be dealt with as such. they should not get permission or opportunity to reoffend.

Lay it out. How will your policy affect all parties involved? Will it be the best use of resources or do you just feel the need to present a particular image of policing?

It's not really pc at the moment to deal with protests in similar fashion to the London poll tax protest or the miners strike.
However allowing crime to just 'happen' because a protest is happening is wrong.
Where do you draw the line?
Defacing a monument is a criminal act, as are rape, murder, gbh and theft.
Which of these are suddenly permitted because 'we can always nick them later' and which should not be permitted?

It’s not PC because it was a stupid way of doing policing. Heavy handed policing results in more violence, less trust in the police and you end up with the kind of “proactive” policing that resulted in innocent people being punished for simply being a member of a particular group, such as a trade union. That is not the way to run a civilised society.

[Digga]

Electro1980 said:

It’s not PC because it was a stupid way of doing policing. Heavy handed policing results in more violence, less trust in the police and you end up with the kind of “proactive” policing that resulted in innocent people being punished for simply being a member of a particular group, such as a trade union. That is not the way to run a civilised society.

Soft touch policing also facilitates violence, as well as criminal activity, otherwise, why bother with a police force in the first place? Give them the tools and responsibility to do the job and they can.

[Four Litre]

Electro1980 said:

stitched said:

Pothole said:

Digga said:

Pothole said:

Which takes a lot of resources and puts officers at risk. If we can limit discussion to this specific incident, how EXACTLY do you think you, as the commander on the ground, would have handled it?

On the day, the CO's hands were tied.

The policy WRT XR protests needs to change. It needs to be recognised they use 'peaceful protest' as a means to commit criminal activity and the organisation needs to be dealt with as such. they should not get permission or opportunity to reoffend.

Lay it out. How will your policy affect all parties involved? Will it be the best use of resources or do you just feel the need to present a particular image of policing?

It's not really pc at the moment to deal with protests in similar fashion to the London poll tax protest or the miners strike.
However allowing crime to just 'happen' because a protest is happening is wrong.
Where do you draw the line?
Defacing a monument is a criminal act, as are rape, murder, gbh and theft.
Which of these are suddenly permitted because 'we can always nick them later' and which should not be permitted?

It’s not PC because it was a stupid way of doing policing. Heavy handed policing results in more violence, less trust in the police and you end up with the kind of “proactive” policing that resulted in innocent people being punished for simply being a member of a particular group, such as a trade union. That is not the way to run a civilised society.

I do think they need to be taught a lesson as they are completely unfazed by the police and are happy to openly antagonize. This has it turn made the police look weak and now we have people really taking the piss. I think a few broken teeth wouldn't go a miss in this situation.