Plebgate

Well that’s a wildly sweeping statement requiring supporting evidence.
It amazes me that these policemen are being given any succour at all. Their job is to serve and to uphold and enforce the law on our behalf. In this case they have patently abused their authority and diminished their position by their dismal conduct. They should be sacked.

No one has defended the officers. We’ve all said what they did was wrong, but if Mitchell hadn’t had a childish tantrum this wouldn’t have happened.

The thing is though is that if Mitchell has always treated others badly it was only time until someone stitched him up. You can only wind people up so much before you suffer the repercussions of that behaviour.

I can’t believe people are making excuses for the officers. Mitchell is a nasty piece of work, but that does not excuse what these officers have done. They have undermined the public trust in the Police in a very public manner, and should loose their jobs (and the perks).

It seems to me that many in the public sector have forgotten who they serve. This is the sort of nonsense we have to put up with when public institutions become heavily politicised, and the reason that the general public have a severe dislike of unions.

I agree with Derekf, Mitchell is to blame. I don’t condone the Constables actions afterwards, but if Mitchell had behaved himself then this whole thing wouldn’t have escalated.

Hence why I am totally for these webcams that they are bringing out in Cambridge, it records everything both Audio and Video, the prog on TV said complaints virtually stopped overnight and plods cleaned up their act as they knew on both sides it was all on tape. States use them and every plod here should have them too.

So his resignation was justified. That’s what I thought.

Mitchell resigned because, if I recall correctly, the Prime Minister told him to – this followed an investigation by the Cabinet Secretary. He’s never been completely blameless, he says he used bad language, just not said “Pleb”. this was before the full story had come out and the press were having a field day about Tory Toffs and the the Toffs calling people they considered beneath them “plebs”. So he went.

If Mitchell was truly innocent and blame-free, why did he feel it necessary to resign? An innocent man would surely have fought for his job.

I’m not in any way defending the subsequent actions of the police but let’s be clear how this all started.

Re 14

After I’d written, I though that I should have mentioned the Met. Jim, most members will, I know, back me (can you imagine that ?) when I contend that you, thru’ your comments here on this forum, come over as the most honourable of men. That is not ‘old flannel’. I could never imagine you ‘fitting’ anyone up

Thanks John, much appreciated.I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself, if I had lied in Court and got anyone “Sent Down” for an offence they hadn’t committed.
If you can’t do the job as it should be done, ie, to the letter, (With a bit of give and take, also common sense) then both you and the job are better off without you.
I hate to say it, but Coppers today, need to get their act together, and make a concerted effort to regain Public confidence, which is sadly lacking.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Common sense should have dictated that the police should have just opened the gate.

But this story just gets worse when officers from the Police Federation lied about what was said at a subsequent meeting with Mitchell. He could prove what was said, because he recorded the meeting. The Officers then lied to the Home Affairs Select Committee and the officers have had to make humbling apologies today to that same Committee. The real scandal is the fact that, no matter what you think of Mitchell, the police were able to bring down a senior member of the Government. A Government that is currently trying to change outdated police terms and conditions. Coincident?
What hope for the rest of us?

Yes, as you say, I can read and we know all that. The fact remains that if Mitchell had remained polite and refrained from using abusive language in the first place none of this would have happened. That isn’t a crystal ball, just common sense.

Got to agree with you there Df, some of these people think they are above the Law, manners cost nothing.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Yes, as you say, I can read and we know all that. The fact remains that if Mitchell had remained polite and refrained from using abusive language in the first place none of this would have happened. That isn’t a crystal ball, just common sense.

No crystal ball. Just the ability to read. It seems pretty obvious that if Mitchell had done as he was asked without resorting to abuse then whole affair would not have happened. Seems pretty obvious to everyone – except you of course.

Well if you can read you will know that the issue is not the bad language but the incendiary use of the word “pleb”, which he has always denied using. And the fact that the police said that passing members of the public were “shocked” by the out burst, when CCTV revealed that there was no one passing the gates on the Whitehall side at the time and the fact that a “member of the public” made a complaint about the bad language when it turns out he was miles away at the time. And guess what his job is (allegedly)

Incidentally the police officers on the gates are part of security, they are not lackeys or door openers for over blown politicians.

Actually you’re wrong. Their duties include opening the gate for access. No one else can. I should know I used to work in that Street.

Re 8

Where can I get a crystal ball like yours ?

No crystal ball. Just the ability to read. It seems pretty obvious that if Mitchell had done as he was asked without resorting to abuse then whole affair would not have happened. Seems pretty obvious to everyone – except you of course.

The police officers should have simply reported Mitchell for what he did say and his attitude, the mistake was gilding the lily and making Mitchell’s actions to be worse than they actually were.

Clearly Mitchell is an obnoxious little prat to demand that the double gates and barrier all be opened just so that he could ride his pushbike through, equally obviously he had words with the police officers which he did not wish to disclose to the public. Remember he has only denied using the word “pleb”, he has not denied swearing at the officers, quite frankly he is entitled to nothing, sadly the police officers involved have also let themselves and colleagues down as well and have little sympathy for their subsequent actions and statements.

The officers should have cautioned and booked the little toe rag for using foul language and left it at that.

Incidentally the police officers on the gates are part of security, they are not lackeys or door openers for over blown politicians.

Re 8

Where can I get a crystal ball like yours ?

Re 14

After I’d written, I though that I should have mentioned the Met. Jim, most members will, I know, back me (can you imagine that ?) when I contend that you, thru’ your comments here on this forum, come over as the most honourable of men. That is not ‘old flannel’. I could never imagine you ‘fitting’ anyone up as did for many years a certain DC/ DSgt. whose name I can’t recall and who operated in the Met around the 1960s and was in the habit of dropping half a house brick in the pocket of some likely lad or lass who had been demonstrating – maybe lawfully on some matter or another.

He was notorious. It took years before his shenanigans were uncovered and he was retired to the Plod Care Home.

These matters described have been going on for fifty years that I know of. What is forgotten is that ‘you need a crook to catch a crook’.

Oi, John Boy, I was “On the job” 50yrs ago, I hope your not tarring us all with the same brush.And just remember THEY were in “The MET”, the most corrupt Force I ever knew, and obviously, seemingly, still so.
Jim…………………………..AKA Pc PLOD, retired.
Lincoln .7

And hopefully not for much longer, their crime was to do this in the first place, their downfall was to then lie, as a Police Officer the trust and integrity has gone, what is the point of them remaining, after all if they ever gave evidence against someone again in a Court of Law, you could argue it was up unsafe on the grounds that they are known to make it up as they go along. They have destroyed this chaps career, no matter how odious he was.. I though the days of corrupt police were over, but these, as with the Royal protection officers and indeed any officers who were selling information to the press should be sacked if not jailed.