My arrest story

[Cycling Naturalist]

There is no reason why we should have to start altering our everyday, perfectly legal and proper, behaviour because someone might interpret it the wrong way...

Exactly. Why the hell should I or anyone else change our behaviour for fear of the authorities? Therein lies the road to totalitarianism.

 

[LLB]

Here we degenerate from the police being Public servants who should view and treat each individual with respect, to this hyped, up paranoid
'Guilty, until proven innocent' mentality we now see which imbues some in the ranks with the attitude of feckless bullys.

I grew up in London during the IRA days and the politics of fear was never this maniplulated.
I've lived in London in the 80's & 90's and I've had black friends humiliated by the police in their targeted stop and search.
Now this has been extended to include anyone who looks asian or even close.

IMO The UK is a worse and non the safer for these laws and measures.
This whole race generalisation only leads to closed and uncooperative communities.
With legislation changing as fast as it does, who's to say how long it will be before they stop and search everyone equally and with the same vigor?

Labour needs an army of paid voters to keep them elected, they have already added 700,000 to the ranks of the public service since coming to power and this doesn't include the contractors (on mega money) who also benefit from their policies. They would no doubt be happy to add a few hundred thousand others to the ranks of the forces to enforce the police state ideal which is being enforced in the capital with some of the minorities.

you are spot on about legislation changing rapidly, Control freakery is a mark of a socialist government

 

[wafflycat]

During the years of IRA bombings, I bore the brunt of occasional racist rants from the ignorant. My Dad was Irish, you see. Mattered not that all during WWII my Dad wore a British Army uniform and fought for Queen & country. During that time whenever my Dad put on so much as a Val Doonican record on the old mono record player, my mother would insist on ti being played *quietly* lest we have a visit from the police. She was not being entirely humorous. I had some mindless twunt in an office I worked in loudly announce to the office that I should f**k off back to Ireland where I belonged (I was born in Northumberland, England) and she was thinking of calling the police. Why - my maiden name was an Irish one. Irish surname so obviously I was a terrorist as undoubtedly I had somethging to hide.. Stupid, paranoid cow that she was. Mattered naught that I'd been brought up to respect authority, respect police, had never been in trouble in my life and had no inclination to start and will never do so. On a holiday to Ireland as a small child, I was questioned by the local plod at the bed & breakfast we were staying in. He had a lot of interest in asking me questions. It was shortly after the great train robbery. One of the great train robbers had the same name as my Dad (or one similar, being used as an alias - something like that). As it happens, it's exactly the same name as thousands of Irishmen. I was about five years old. I'm fifty years old this year. I remember that questioning to this day. So apart from remembering I came back home from said holiday with headlice, I remember that police questioning to this day. The 'nothing to hide, nothing to fear' is a pile of poo.

 

[yenrod]

>The 'nothing to hide, nothing to fear' is a pile of poo

Yeah i wonder how many who say that have actually been 'though it' !

[I have BTW]

 

[Smokin Joe]

Anyone who has never had anything to hide really should have got out more.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Or stayed in more - one of the two :-)

 

[col]

Exactly. Why the hell should I or anyone else change our behaviour for fear of the authorities? Therein lies the road to totalitarianism.

We shouldnt have to i agree,but if there are more of those type of police that are ignorant clever and think they can talk or treat people in this way,then it seems we had better,or recieve the same sort of treatment.Its obvious to me that the official selection process is flawed.

 

[tdr1nka]

Labour needs an army of paid voters to keep them elected, they have already added 700,000 to the ranks of the public service since coming to power and this doesn't include the contractors (on mega money) who also benefit from their policies. They would no doubt be happy to add a few hundred thousand others to the ranks of the forces to enforce the police state ideal which is being enforced in the capital with some of the minorities.

you are spot on about legislation changing rapidly, Control freakery is a mark of a socialist government

I'm glad we're in agreement although I'd add you'd be hard pushed to find any self respecting socialist believing that the 'New Labour' Govts. have had more than a passing resemblance to true Socialism.
It is also worth noting that it was the Torys Criminal Justice Act that gave the Govt. greater control of the Police in dealing with whichever 'Great Unwashed' is flavour of the month.

Control is seemingly a prerogative of all Govts. Left or Right.

 

[Noodley]

One of the reasons I left the police was the 'political' aspects of the job, and me being unable to do anything about it.

I now find some creeping "populist" aspects in my current role - thankfully I am at a level which allows me to have a say.

 

[Maz]

Do either you or your wife work in an environment where it would be possible for you to gather intelligence that may be of use to an enemy? Are either of you actively involved in extremist minority religeous groups?

Eh?! "gather intelligence that may be of use to an enemy"? That could mean absolutely anything. Gives us some examples, please...perhaps my OS maps of the Peak District come under that category - should I burn the evidence?

As for 'actively involved in extremist minority religeous groups', let me think about that for a moment. Hmm, er...No!

 

[LLB]

Eh?! "gather intelligence that may be of use to an enemy"? That could mean absolutely anything. Gives us some examples, please...perhaps my OS maps of the Peak District come under that category - should I burn the evidence?

As for 'actively involved in extremist minority religeous groups', let me think about that for a moment. Hmm, er...No!

If you belong to the Ramblers association, You should most definitely burn your OS maps

 

[Globalti]

In Holcome village near Bury there is a Deobandi theological college call Dar ul Uloom. Deobandis are somewhat to the right of Wahabbis. In all the years I've lived here I have never heard of these people being investigated or raided by the Police yet business visitors from Pakistan were absolutlely shocked when I took them and showed them the college, they couldn't believe we allowed these people to live amongst us. Strange.

 

[classic33]

But don't you see that that is my point - that is the reality of modern counter-terrorism and yet so many are bleating on about the OP who was foolish enough to actually start asking questions that prompted a response - when he had suspect photos on his mobile.

You failed to answer the question. Explain how me having an Irish surmame & parents qualify. To allow a serving police officer to insist that I sign a false declaration. Had it been signed, the result would have been instant arrest.

What would be the reaction today if an operation similar to "Operation Pre-empt" was launched. In this "Operation Pre-empt" anyone with an Irish surname who came to the attention of the police were placed on a database. No longer being added to, but not closed either.
Simply the fact that you had the wrong name was enough to draw attention to you.

 

[Mortiroloboy]

Eh?! "gather intelligence that may be of use to an enemy"? That could mean absolutely anything. Gives us some examples, please...perhaps my OS maps of the Peak District come under that category - should I burn the evidence?

As for 'actively involved in extremist minority religeous groups', let me think about that for a moment. Hmm, er...No!

Maz,

I wasn't for a moment suggesting you were involved in anything dodgy, I was giving you examples of things that may have made you or your wife come to attention, and require your phone to be monitored (which I'm sure it isn't, well as sure as I can be not knowing anything about you or your wife)

As for all the other comments on here relating to the OP's arrest. I am extremely aware that it is a not too pleasant experience being arrested, having your liberty taken away from you, even for a short period of time is a serious matter.

Personally I always speak to people no matter whether they are a suspect under arrest in a way I would like to be spoken to, there is no excuse for being rude, it's unnecessary and unprofessional.

Also I wouldn't engage an armed officer in conversation, unless it was specific, I find some of them pretty scary, and I'm on their side.

My advice to the OP was to make a complaint, but he has to be mindful of the fact that the officer did nothing unlawful, what he did do was act in an unprofessional/rude manner.

End of the day though its Plod who we all turn to when shoot goes wrong, and maybe we need to reflect on that.

 

[col]

I have no problem with the procedures laid down to follow with an arrest,what i do have a problem with is the way it was done and the attitude seemingly experienced.These armed police are supposed to be the best character to be able to make the choice of using a gun or not,it seems going on what this experience was,he wasnt.