Morning:
9°c
Sir Paul: Officers were wrong to hide their ID badges
Martin Bentham and Katharine Barney21.04.09
THE Met Commissioner broke his silence over the G20 protests today to admit officers were wrong to hide their identities — as the official police watchdog rebuked some of their conduct as “unacceptable”.
The public criticism from the Government's Chief Inspector of Constabulary dealt a new blow to the crisis-hit force, already reeling from the aftermath of the protests and a manslaughter investigation over the death of newspaper vendor Ian Tomlinson.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission also revealed it is examining 52 separate complaints about police conduct at the protests in the City.
Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson made his first public comments today as he admitted officers were wrong to conceal their shoulder numbers. The Met's policy is that they must be identifiable.
“I have made it absolutely clear that it is absolutely unacceptable for any officer who should have identification numbers on not to have those identification numbers on,” he said. “As for the collar numbers I have made absolutely clear what my expectations are and I have taken action to ensure that is the case.”
Mayor Boris Johnson offered Sir Paul a public expression of confidence after a 10-minute discussion in a private office at a strategy launch in Islington this morning.
Sir Paul's comments come after dozens of complaints alleging aggressive behaviour by officers, and footage of demonstrators being struck.
He said: “This was a successful conference, although there have been a few disturbing images that need to be investigated.”
But there was more criticism from Denis O'Connor, the Inspector of Constabulary, as he was questioned by MPs on the home affairs select committee.
Mr O'Connor, who is conducting an official review into public order policing, said he was “very concerned” by some of the images he had seen.
And he issued a stern rebuke over the failure to wear identification numbers.
Asked about footage of police violence towards protesters, including Nicola Fisher being slapped by an officer and then hit across the legs with a baton, Mr O'Connor said he had been “uncomfortable” with the incident.
“What I saw did not impress me that this was the British way,” he said. “What I saw was unacceptable.”
Mr O'Connor added: “People not wearing their numbers is utterly unacceptable. It's very clear-cut. I hope it will be rectified with some certainty. I would expect police officers in public order and other situations to wear their numbers so the public can identify them. It acts as a good check and balance for all parties.”
Mr O'Connor emphasised that his judgements were based on “snapshot” images that might not give the full story.
He said that his review would also investigate the use of “kettling” and whether a more flexible system in which some protesters were allowed to leave gradually could be deployed.
The chairman of the IPCC, Nick Hardwick, disclosed that it had received 185 complaints against police behaviour during the protests and was examining 52.
It is also conducting three specific investigations into incidents around the G20 protests: the death of Mr Tomlinson, the allegations made by Ms Fisher and a complaint by a 23-year-old man who has not been named.
He said that officers were trained to hit protesters in some circumstances and said that the public and politicians could not “wash their hands” when officers carried out their training, even when their actions appeared “ugly” on TV.
Reader views (26)
At the end of the day there is only one reason that a police officer would hide there identity,and that is that they expect to be up to no good,the same reason the criminally inclined would hide there identity.And that is not acceptable.The police are accountable to the public!clearly if they can not be identified thay are not accountable to anybody.
- Kev, London-UK
is it now time for the officer's name to be prominently displayed as on US army name badges
- Mikeh, Rugby
The police , no doubt , will get the public they deserve. Coming from Glasgow , where they said of the police ' you wouldn't want to pee on them if they were on fire.' This shocked me , until I taught in Inner London and learnt their ways.Like Glasgow and parts of South London , they will soon only venture out when 'mob handed'.Oh , but maybe thats what happening already.I note that some of their supporters have suggested they all 'go sick' , as they did post-Scarman. My solution ? Start from scratch and create another police force as here in France where there are 5 police forces , paid half the price and at least twice as good. [Not a 'leftie' - not Labour or Liberal. Used to believe like my parents , aren't our police wonderful.Experience has taught me otherwise.]
- Chris M, morbihan , france
It's all very well condeming individual police officers but i prefer to look at the fact that there are numerous investigations being done by the IPCC and i would prefer to await for the result/verdict before launching into a verbal attack on the Police.
Im still a firm believer that the police by and large do a very very good job in crowd control and policing demos. I will not be manipulated or brainwashed by the dire media in this country into thinking the police are bad or useless.
That said i do find it almost impossible to defend the officer that pushed Ian Tomlinson and i hope for his sake he has a bloody good solicitor cos he's deep in it.
As someone else has also put it, why dont the police service in this country invest in proper uniform where the numbers of every single frontline officer is stitched on their jackets, shirts, and body armour. That way we should never have the need to debate this issue again with re to id.
- Steve, Medway,England
You relise that if you constantly attack someone or thing it will only ever be able to defend!
- Not Exactly A Looney Lefty!, The real world
It's very easy make the protestors wear visble id to identify them....being silly , I don't think so. Get every protester to register their intention to go on a March on a centrally located data base.Issue them with an official visible marking, then those who don't have one , stop them march them off and give them ASBOs...easy job done, keep the riff raff off the streets for all the decent law abiding population.
- Rosie, watford
A couple of officers break their own rules - big whoop.
Thousands of 'protestors' break the Law - apparently that is OK.
What a perverted twisted society this has become. A morally devoid, minority-centric, politically-correct quagmire.
Will the last person to leave please turn of the lights.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
Well according to comments made by Paul McKeever, Chairman of the Police Federation, we have all got it wrong. The police on duty at G20 and indeed at other demos, had not removed their id shoulder badges to avoid identification, they were not wearing them because they had been told to wear fluorescent jackets and there is nowhere to attach shoulder epaulettes on these. Otherwise they would have worn them, of course.
Oh really? As my late mother used to say, if you believe that you will believe anything. Pull the other one Mr McKeever, I have looked at a lot of the footage and most of the officers in fluorescent jackets are wearing shoulder epaulettes with their numbers on. Wonder how they managed that?
The Lib Dems website has a photo of a policeman at the Kingsnorth demo with his number id removed, pointing out they were assured this practice would stop over three years ago. And the policeman who hit Ms Fisher clearly clearly had his id covered up.
And the balaclavas? Mr McKeever says they are to avoid the petrol bombs. The police intelligence for G20 can't have been very good if they thought they were going to be showered petrol bombs can it? Did you notice any, I didn't?
- Hazel Jackson, London England
and the police think they should be respected?????
'idiots' 'cowards' springs to mind!!
- Bri, london
The thing I noticed about this particular peace demonstration, was this; the Police attacked; rightly or wrongly, mostly women, and one middle aged man who was hardly fighting fit, and with his hands still in his pockets was walking away before being pushed with force onto the ground; and hitting the ground fully on his stomach etc; which could easily have caused internal bleeding by that action alone etc.
Then I remember the Kensington riot near the Israeli embassy; with Palestinian supporters throwing street furniture and any thing else they could find at the police; where the police then ran away; why was that?
Was it because they faced fit young men for a change?
Or was it because there were no women or middle aged men to attack?
Funny how two different demonstrations; have two different reactions, and two different results, isn’t it?
- Mickyinlondon, london
One of the major causes of distrust in the Metropolitan police and the way they police disorder is the (politically manipulated) inconsistency in their approach:
Countryside Alliance demonstrations against the abolition of centuries of tradition: NuLiebour forced these changes out of spiteful hatred of the rural middle classes. Result: Middle aged men and women subjected to sustained brutality at the hands of the Met Police.
Radical Mulsims protest against the publicising of cartoon pictures in a Danish newspaper. Result: Violent protesters, including those openly inciting racially motivated violence and murder, are left to get on with it by a passive Met Police.
G20 protesters demonstrate against "globalisation": NuLiebour were the sponsors of this summit and were hoping that the event would focus solely upon Gormless Clown saving the planet. Result: Heavy handed policing against those attempting to steal the limelight from the Glorious Leader.
Climate Change protesters disrupt the travel plans of tens of thousands of ordinary people. NuLiebour support these protests, as they believe it to show support for the Eco Stasi and therefore support for their punitive "green" taxes. Result: Soft policing of these protests and slow response to the disruption, ignoring the needs of the law abiding majority.
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster
So officers in balaclavas and ID badges missing - now how does it go - ah yes "If you've nothing to hide you've nothing to fear."
- John, Epsom Surrey
At the end of the day of you go to such large attended events and dont look for trouble then im 100% confident you wont have any problems with the police
- Steve, Medway,England
That is one of the most naive things i have seen regarding this whole policing drama.
- Lb, London
The events at the G20 demonstrations are to be investigated and I think people should wait until the outcome of the enquiry is known - but I suspect from the tenor of many comments on both sides of the argument, minds are unfortunately already made up. No doubt the Met. have some officers who behave badly, but there are many others who serve the public well. Sir Paul deserves a chance to prove himself. Let's give him the chance without rushing to criticise before full facts are known.
- James Elliott, Eastbourne UK
The most important aspect here is that officers ignored a regulation deliberately but their senior officers including sergeants , inspectors etc did so too . It implies indiscipline throughout the police force.
As an aside - On a celebration in france I was taken aside by a member of the CRS in france who told me it was illegal to photo him - Maybe the english police should follow suite!
- Terry, Hennebont France
Is that it. Two and a half weeks and that is all they have to say. They said more in the 12 hours after they killed Ian Tomlinson, unfortunatly that was all lies.
- James, Wellington, New Zealand
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the police have been doing this at football matches for years.
Even as recently as Saturday, they were stopping people going to football and forcing them to say their name and DOB into a handheld police camera or be arrested...
...but they are only football fans so who cares eh?
- Lb, London
I feel sorry for anyone who takes the job of Met Commissioner.
He is clear damned if he does and damned it he doesn't!!!!!
- Not Exactly A Looney Lefty!, The real world
"So we're going to discipline every officer that fails to show his or her id!?"
THEY HAVE TO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES OTEHRWISE THEN CAN BE ANONYMOUS AND DO WHATEVER THEY LIKE TO YOU. IS that what you really want? Unknown police in balaclavas with no ID beating people in the street?
A witch hunt against officers who clearly break the law? An excellent idea.
- Butch, London, UK
the colour of the shirts need changing from blue to brown this is not a police force any more its more like 1930 berlin like the book burners non of the so called top three parties are getting my vote it will go to a party that acts for the people of the uk and not these thugs so when is enough is enough?
- Warichunt, teesside uk
We need numbers on the front of jackets or helmets the same size as the words "POLICE". Shoulder epaulet numbers dont show up in most photographs.
- M Hartmann, London
of course we should be able to identivy the police at all times,but we still need a force to control law and order without them worrying about being sued for compenstion or lossing there jobs over a few mishaps
- Phelps Robert, bussiere poitevine 87320 france
So we're going to discipline every officer that fails to show his or her id!?
Can see morale amongst the rank and file hitting rock bottom if this witch hunt of individual officers continues especially with what appears to be no support whatsoever from their seniors at Scotland Yard.
Been to many Football matches at Tottenham this season where the tension has been high at times especially in the London derbies and have nothing but support and praise for the way the officers police such events.
It's been evident that officers will robustly deal with trouble makers and that's the way it should always be.
At the end of the day of you go to such large attended events and dont look for trouble then im 100% confident you wont have any problems with the police. If however you go to these events looking for it then dont be surprised if the police are more than happy to respond in kind.
IT PRETTY SIMPLE STUFF REALLY, NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!!
Going softly softly on these demos will only lead to more similar scenes that we saw in the Poll Tax and May Day riots.......complete anarchy! I bet people and MP's will then moan then about how useless or ineffective the police were. It seems they are damned if they do and damned if they dont.
- Steve, Medway,England
They also need to be ACCOUNTABLE AND IDENTIFIABLE to those who pay their wages.
Bite? Yes! But we should always be able to identify them.
- Butch, London, UK
Long gone are the days when you would meet and greet the local bobby on the beat.
All I witness today are loutish clowns racing about in souped-up police cars, sirens blaring, going for their tea break no doubt - and nearly every day we hear about police officers allegedly assaulting law-abiding members of the public.
The police regard the public as the enemy.
The public regard the police as the direct enemy.
Given that scenario, I anticipate there will be further confrontations between the public and the heavy-handed police.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe UK
Wrong - Here we go again, going soft after a little bit of critisism.
Our Police need bite, or there will be zero effectiveness.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke
