Sunday, January 08, 2006


EXTRACT
FROM
GUTTER FEELINGS



One day I arrived at the club to be told that Kenny had been looking for me when I had been out. He had come to the door ‘with tears in his eyes’, reported my colleague. He traced me eventually and blurted out what had happened.

As a result of hearing his experience, I wrote this letter to the Chief Inspector at the local police station:

A group of young men known to me have approached me this afternoon complaining about police harassment at 3.40 pm today at the bus stop on the B........ Road near B.......’s café.
P.C. ......... and another officer are quoted as saying. ‘We don’t want to see your faces on the street. We are going to be kind today – let you off this time, but if we see you again we’re going to nick you for anything – threatening behaviour – insulting behaviour!


I really believe that they are telling the truth and they were genuinely upset about the incident. Would you be good enough to respond to this letter? I would really appreciate your co-operation to enable us all to further better community development around here…
Resulting from Kenny’s initiative and my letter I had a visit form the Chief Inspector which resulted in very good liaison. He had seen and spoken to the officer concerned and his explanation was that he’d been ‘too long on the D.S.U.’ (Divisional Support Unit, which is the local minibus of officers now titled ‘Instant Response Unit’ – the kids call it ‘The Wally Wagon’). ‘He’s forgotten how to be an ordinary copper, in touch with the community,’ the chief inspector said. This procedure seemed to be a very positive way of dealing with police harassment, and directing teenagers towards less criminal activities.

I was sad to hear some little while later that the constable concerned had applied to, and was accepted for, the S.P.G. (Special Patrol Group), which has developed an infamous name for behaviour that seemed to be opposed to community policing.

This case of harassment was not isolated. I have a whole file of incidents that were reported to me by our teenage boys, together with details of the names and numbers of the officers involved:

Police throwing stink bombs into cells when kids were being held awaiting charges.
Police carrying water pistols in D.S.U. vehicles and shooting at teenagers they passed in the street, or spraying them with water from squeezy bottles.
Wearing ‘funny masks’ in vehicles and in police stations, and playing practical jokes on prisoners in the cells.
The wearing of little red flags in the caps of officers while on patrol, according to the number of time they have ‘nicked’ the three most scapegoated teenagers.
Throwing cups of water over prisoners when stripped for forensic purposes.
Physical blows to those arrested.

You may have difficulty in believing all this, but I have evidence that it is true.