Comments for POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG http://inspectorgadget.wordpress.com Ruralshire Constabulary, England 2009. Fiddling while Rome burns. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:31:45 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on Question: When Is Crime a Good Thing? by Laurence http://inspectorgadget.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/question-when-is-a-crime-not-a-crime/#comment-53517 Laurence Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:31:45 +0000 http://inspectorgadget.wordpress.com/?p=4275#comment-53517 First of all, I entirely agree with Officer and a Lady when she writes that police officers are members of society and perhaps part of the problem that I have tried to identify is that both the police and civilians can lose sight of this important feature of our policing system and the philosophy of consent which always used to underpin it. I really don't want to get anybody all wound up again but let me say this in the mildest possible way. All practitioners of a particular trade or profession will have a jargon or shorthand that they use among themselves. I'm obviously a layman so there is little likelihood that I am going to know what gatso's, nip's and cads are. Isn't it a reinforcement of our differences for police officers to retreat behind linguistic barriers like this? Add to this references to me as "people like you" or suggestions that I would like to hobble officers like Bobby and we further reinforce an 'us' and 'them' attitude which does neither side any good. I really am not wedded to the examples that I quoted off the top of my head. Let's forget about those but surely it's reasonable to look at the overall relationship between the police and the public and how this relationship has developed over the last few years. I don't think it's been improving and I don't think that's healthy for society. When a Government is authoritarian, it is more important than ever for the police to identify more with the people than with the legislators. On the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down, it's timely to think in such terms. Jack Straw on the Midnight News just now appears to want to curb your ability to caution. Not good for you, not good for me, not good for society. First of all, I entirely agree with Officer and a Lady when she writes that police officers are members of society and perhaps part of the problem that I have tried to identify is that both the police and civilians can lose sight of this important feature of our policing system and the philosophy of consent which always used to underpin it.

I really don’t want to get anybody all wound up again but let me say this in the mildest possible way. All practitioners of a particular trade or profession will have a jargon or shorthand that they use among themselves. I’m obviously a layman so there is little likelihood that I am going to know what gatso’s, nip’s and cads are. Isn’t it a reinforcement of our differences for police officers to retreat behind linguistic barriers like this? Add to this references to me as “people like you” or suggestions that I would like to hobble officers like Bobby and we further reinforce an ‘us’ and ‘them’ attitude which does neither side any good.

I really am not wedded to the examples that I quoted off the top of my head. Let’s forget about those but surely it’s reasonable to look at the overall relationship between the police and the public and how this relationship has developed over the last few years. I don’t think it’s been improving and I don’t think that’s healthy for society.

When a Government is authoritarian, it is more important than ever for the police to identify more with the people than with the legislators. On the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down, it’s timely to think in such terms.

Jack Straw on the Midnight News just now appears to want to curb your ability to caution. Not good for you, not good for me, not good for society.

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