Good policing or just invasive?

Captain_Flack.

londonTiger wrote: »

!!!!ing hell I've been reading into the territorial support group it looks like we have some paramilitary police operating here in the UK.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/mar/20/met-police-officers-accused-assaults

• March 2007: one officer is accused of bundling a man into the back of a police van where he was told to "get on his knees". When he replied this was not Guant!namo Bay he claims the officer grabbed him round the neck and "discharged his CS gas while continuing to hold his throat". He says he was then thrown from the van, leaving him with eye, neck and head injuries. According to the document no action was taken because the complaint was either "incapable of proof" or there was "no case to answer".

• November 2005: two of the officers were accused by a "black male" of attacking him in the back of a police van. The document states that he was subjected to "constant kicking to his head and stomach (approx 12 kicks). Head lifted off the floor by grabbing his right ear and lifting head." The attack left the man with bruising and swelling to his face but the case was not pursued, the Met said, because of "non-cooperation" by the complainant.

• October 2005: the document stated that two of the officers were involved in another assault on a "black male". It read: "In van repeatedly assaulted - kicks to the face, stamps on his head whilst handcuffed." The victim said afterwards he "felt like he might die". Vomiting and blood coming out of his ears, black swollen eye, lip busted, hands very swollen.


• June 2003: two officers accused of beating a "black male" in the back of the TSG van. "The beating continued in the van and in a search room at the station."


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_Support_Group


Officers in the TSG have faced criticism about their policing methods and complaints have been made against officers of the TSG.[8] Senior officers say that the type of work that the TSG are involved with, policing protests and performing drug raids makes them more likely to have complaints made against them.[9]

As the result of a freedom of information request made by The Guardian newspaper, it was revealed that more than 5,000 complaints were made against the TSG in 4 years but only 9 have been upheld. Commenting on these figures, a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority stated that officers in the TSG are "practically immune" from criticism.[9]

One ex-Metropolitan Police officer suggested that TSG members, "spend (their) days waiting for action, and far too many officers join seeking excitement and physical confrontation." Some officers are ex-military personnel and these are "the worst bullies" as "the laws of the battlefield are not appropriate to the streets of our capital".[10]

In 1997 a man was beaten by officers from the TSG in what was described as an "outrageous display of brutality",[11] which only stopped when the man pretended to be unconscious. The man was charged with assault and threatening behaviour over the incident but was cleared after photographs of his injuries showed the officers had lied about the case under oath. After the man's acquittal the officers went on trial accused of assault in 1999 but were later cleared.[12]

In 2003, six officers of the TSG performed what a judge in 2009 called a "serious, gratuitous and prolonged" assault on a terrorist suspect, Babar Ahmad, a 34-year-old IT support analyst who was not subsequently charged with any offence.[13] The officers involved had already been the subject of as many as 60 complaints about unwarranted assaults against other men.[14] A number of mail sacks containing these complaints were somehow lost.[15] The accusations were investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission[16] but that they were found to be unsubstantiated. Five of the six officers were still members of the TSG in 2009.[14] Babar Ahmed was later awarded £60,000 compensation, by the High Court, for the assault.[13] In August, 2009, it was announced that the police officers accused of attacking Babar Ahmad would face criminal charges.[17] However all four officers were found not guilty in June 2011 after a recording from listening device placed in Mr Ahmed's home surfaced shortly before the trial which "proved the account originally given by these officers was correct and specific details of the complaint made by Mr Ahmad were not present" [18]

In 2005 a Kurdish youth recorded an officer on his mobile phone telling him "If you say one more !!!!ing word, I'll smash your !!!!ing Arab face in" after he was stopped near Paddington Green police station.[19] The officer was suspended but denied the charge.[20]

Another investigation into six other officers of the TSG by the IPCC was launched following allegations made by three men that they were racially abused during an incident during June 2007 in Paddington.[21] A van of officers stopped after seeing youths mouthing obscenities towards them.[22] The officers appeared in court in December 2008 and were prosecuted; two for racially abusing the men, four of misconduct in a public office and one of racially aggravated assault.[23] The Guardian reported that a request may have been made to restrict reporting of the trial by the media.[24] The officer who was driving the van acted as a whistleblower during the trial.[22] One officer, a former Royal Marine, accused in this case was also involved in the assault of Babar Ahmed and has had 31 complaints lodged against him since 1993. In November 2009 he was cleared of all offences, along with the other officers, and returned to work with the TSG.[9][25]

During the 2009 G-20 London summit protests two officers of the TSG were suspended from duty following publication of videos which recorded alleged assaults on members of the public at the 2009 G-20
London summit protests and at a subsequent memorial.[26] In the first case, the member of the public, Ian Tomlinson, died shortly afterwards. In the second case, Sgt Delroy (Tony) Smellie was seen hitting Nicola Fisher. Following her complaint, the Crown Prosecution Service announced in September 2009, that there was sufficient evidence to charge Sgt Smellie with assault. He appeared in court on 16 November 2009 and was cleared of assault charges on 31 March 2010 at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court. However, he could still face misconduct proceedings over the incident.[27]

Video evidence shows that the officer seen hitting Ian Tomlinson had his face covered[28] and that the officers involved in both cases were not displaying their identification numbers.[26] Following the investigation into police handling of the protest, the human rights group Liberty called for further study of what it referred to as the "militaristic approach" used by the TSG.[29]

Well with approximately 30,000 officers how many for the complaints were upheld?

Captain_Flack.

londonTiger wrote: »

At the very least it will add to the statistic of [STRIKE]provocative TSG officers who fail to do any proper policing and go round !!!!ing
everyone off and create mistrust of the police force[/STRIKE] malicious and unproven complaints.

this is the same unit the killed ian tomlinson, and backhaded slapped a woman half his size and then smacked her on the legs with a truncheon. What the very same serial? How do you know that?

Fixed that one for you.

goonarmy

Captain_Flack. wrote: »

Fixed that one for you.

Are you gonna tell us they didnt do it next? Or i havent seen em kick off for no reason?

Alhough thats why theyre job.

New_and_Improved_Me

RichardD1970 wrote: »

Most people on here would like you locked up and the key thrown away for such an heinous crime.

:rotfl::rotfl: :T:T:T

I know....You’re absolutely right…

I hang my head...I mean how could I...no HOW DARE I... do such a hideous and unthinkable thing...:rotfl::rotfl:

New_and_Improved_Me

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

So you don't think they should have pulled you over for having your fog lights on then??

So you will be happy when a lorry ploughs into the back of your car because they didn't see your brake lights come on, because they were dazzled by your fog lights, will you??

:rotfl::rotfl:

You mis-understood, I wasn’t complaining about the actual pulling over for fog lights....

But rather their attitude....

Plus it was my front fogs i had on....not the back....

I could be wrong (It's been known to happen) but that last time i checked my Fog lights are at the front and break at the back.... :)

New_and_Improved_Me

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

So you don't think they should have pulled you over for having your fog lights on then??

So you will be happy when a lorry ploughs into the back of your car because they didn't see your brake lights come on, because they were dazzled by your fog lights, will you??

You must be a copper....because the the exact word he used....

Almost felt like saying...'Its been a while since anyone has said that to me'....lol

photome

New_and_Improved_Me wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl:

You mis-understood, I wasn’t complaining about the actual pulling over for fog lights....

But rather their attitude....

Plus it was my front fogs i had on....not the back....

I could be wrong (It's been known to happen) but that last time i checked my Fog lights are at the front and break at the back.... :)

I am confused, fog lights are on the rear with driving/fog lights on the front, brake lights of course are also on the rear.

driving with fog lights on when no fog should of course carry a serious penalty, maybe not jail but a few hours community service would suffice, having said that driving with fog lights on when its raining should be more severly punished

New_and_Improved_Me

photome wrote: »

I am confused, fog lights are on the rear with driving/fog lights on the front, brake lights of course are also on the rear.

driving with fog lights on when no fog should of course carry a serious penalty, maybe not jail but a few hours community service would suffice, having said that driving with fog lights on when its raining should be more severly punished

:rotfl::rotfl:I Agree....I should have been made to wear a orange outfit too...

car has both front and back...i had front on...

londonTiger

Captain_Flack. wrote: »

Well with approximately 30,000 officers how many for the complaints were upheld?

the tsg has 700ish officers

Guest101

Think alot of people arent aware of the laws. so here goes.

You are approached by police whilst in your vehicle.

You should, but do not have to, turn your engine off. You should do so, so you may film the encounter using an electical device. As the laws which relate to mobile phone usage apply to stationary vehicles.

You should lower the window approximately 8 centimetres, so you can speak to the officer.

You should not leave your vehicle. You must only do so if you are arrested. Film the encounter.

You can film the police (s.44 of the terrorims act has been abolished). Do so.

You do not need to answer any questions. However you must provide your details. These can be written down for the officer.

You should ensure they show you their warrent card and identify themselves, giving their name and their station.

You should remain calm. (To the poster who said being rude is illegal. It is not, you've watched one to many brit cops. S.5 of the public order act deals specifically where a person may feel threatened with immediate violence, as a resultof the actions of another. Swearing is not illegal.)

lways make sure your doors are locked, the police do test this, even though they shouldnt.

These precautions will keep everyone on the right side of the law.