Here are two contrasting situations I’ve spent some time mulling over…
1. On Thursday this week, one year will have passed since Ian Tomlinson died after a police assault at the G20 protests in London.
No charges have been brought against the police; no one has been punished.
Despite 300 official complaints about the policing of the protests, and plenty of video and photographic evidence to back up the complaints, no officer has faced serious disciplinary proceedings.
Those police officers who removed their identification numbers, beat up peaceful protesters and bystanders and then repeatedly lied about what had happened remain untroubled, either by the law, their consciences or their superior officers.
There has been no apology to Ian Tomlinson’s family.
2. In June last year a Nottinghamshire police officer directly caused two deaths. As soon as it happened, the police reported themselves to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and launched their own investigation.
A chief superintendent told the press: “We will certainly take any lessons we can get from this process and make sure we put them in place so this sort of thing never happens again. It has caused immense sadness and immense shock.”
The papers carried pictures of officers paying tribute to the deceased, saluting the flowers left outside police headquarters.
There was no cover-up, no botched post-mortem, no lies about the victims or their families.
The officer responsible was quickly charged and, though his victims had died as a result of his neglect not an assault, last month he was convicted over the deaths.
There’s a significant difference between the two cases.
The two deceased Nottinghamshire victims were dogs.
The officer had locked the two police dogs in his car in +30c heat, and forgot about them while he completed some paperwork.
Judging by their response to these two tragedies, both police and prosecutors appear to care more about dogs than human beings.
Or, to look at it the difference between these two unfortunate events another way, the police and prosecutors care more about police dogs than civilian human beings.
What do you think?
Original reportage provided by George Monbiot
I’ll be honest, I probably care more about dogs than other human beings. This is because in general (with the exception of yappy lapdogs) dogs don’t annoy me, people usually do. And while I am not for the remotest moment condoning the police battering the public, the woman who got a twatting with a truncheon was one of the loudmouthed, self-righteous professional protestors who are just dying to get an excuse to shriek about human rights. I saw her interviewed after the event and I have to say, if I encountered her for any sustained period of time in the course of my work I’d probably have decked her as well.
I am just amazed that the police were out twatting people and killing dogs in the first place. Shouldn’t they be out catching the career criminals, like motorists doing 32 mph in a 30, and those with tyre tread a mm below the legal limit?
I’m a bit split with this. Some of the police behaviour during those protests was appalling with today’s media on the hoof enabling us all to see it, and yes, it worries me that the police are able to ‘self police’ and close ranks in such instances.
The split part is, that there was also some equally appalling behaviour from those there to protest (Obviously, I exclude Mr Tomlinson from this opinion).
Anyone, police or otherwise who leaves a dog in a car in that heat should be prosecuted.
I think the difference between the two incidents is that the police had nowhere to hide with the dogs. Somehow, and I have no idea quite how, what happened during those protests seems to have just been swept under the carpet. It’s not that they care more about a dog than a human, it’s their ability, or lack of to control the situation after the event.
If you’d left two dogs to die in a car while you were beating up Tomlinson, which one would you rather admit to? Yes yes, I know it wasn’t the same police officer, and noone’s had to make that choice, but apologising for the death of 2 dogs doesn’t carry the same weight as admitting you killed a person.
People care LESS about the dogs, so it’s an easy one to own up to.
“Sorry, I accidentally left them in the car” and “Yea, I smashed his head in and left him to die”?
Roseki has is spot on in my mind.
Roseski wins the Chalice of Wisdom award for her insightful thinking.
When some people gain power over other people, it tends to be intoxicating. Most intoxicated people lose track of reason.
The first Baron Acton had something to say about absolute power. I think he was correct.
Not just a pretty face over here. Oh no.