I would love to trust the police. Every person in a uniform should be doing what is said in their oaths. No matter who they are, they should uphold their oath. If they feel unable to do so, they should resign and open up the space for someone else who will.
The police oath:
I (name) …of (address)… do solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that I will well and truly serve the King in the office of constable, with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect to all people; and that I will, to the best of my power, cause the peace to be kept and preserved and prevent all offences against people and property; and that while I continue to hold the said office, I will, to the best of my skill and knowledge, discharge all the duties thereof faithfully according to law.
If every officer ensured this oath was their guide, then there would be minimal issues for the public and trust would be much greater.
But many do not.
Some never intend to.
Some find that the culture in which they work makes it very difficult or impossible.
Some lose the enthusiasm.
Some are just hanging around because of the pay and the pension.
Some really want to, but peer pressure prevents them.
How many who do is impossible to ascertain. It could be a small minority. A large minority. Or a majority. I know where my suspicions lie, but that is of no use here.
Articulating personal experiences publicly is thwarted with dangers and challenges. If we know that many are not complying with their oath, then how far are they prepared to go if exposed? If they are not ‘to the best of their skill and knowledge discharging all the duties thereof faithfully according to law’ then all of us have a problem. If we attempt to expose their miscreant behaviour, how much danger are we in? Are we keeping silent as the rot spreads or challenging the rot with the hope that the goodies out do the baddies and the rot will be removed?
I would love to tell my reality here. I would love to feel the freedom to expose the rot I am experiencing. Many, many others would too. But they are scared to. They believe that the consequences could make their lives worse. The rot depends on inaction. It depends on fear. Sometimes it thrives on it. The rot is protected. The rot is embarrassing. Sometimes the rot is policy. Orders from above with little or no accountability.
We know that the rot will never be fully removed. We despair that rot will be replaced by rot, if not now, then eventually.
What I can do is tell you what happened. I will leave out the names. If you, the reader, are able to piece it together, then you have the enlightenment, but hopefully without the damage. You may sympathise, or you may not. I can impact that very little. What I can do though is just tell it how it is and hope enough people have the intelligence and the empathy to do the rest. If you forget the point, please reread the oath above and remind yourself of what should be.
Have you ever been threatened?
Have you ever felt scared? Not only for yourself but for your family? I have.
Many have. However, have you felt these emotions purely for exposing the behaviour of others? For revealing and bringing this behaviour to the attention of others? I have.
If you were threatened, would you expect everyone who has sworn the police oath to seek to protect you if asked? I would.
If you contacted them and following investigations you were informed that it had been ascertained by an inspector that criminal behaviour had occurred and you then signed a statement drawn up by an officer, would you expect to hear from them again? I did.
If you repeatedly emailed a sergeant who had taken on the case over many months, would you expect a reply explaining how the case was progressing? I did.
If you contacted the police while being physically threatened in the street and were told that officers would follow up within three days, would you expect them to? I did.
If the officer you spoke to then rang you and said that he was putting a statement together and would email it over later that day, would you expect it to arrive and proceed? I did.
If you were then told (by someone who has a solicitor building a case against members of the local police) that the person you spoke to was actually a friend of the person who threatened you and watched the local football team together, would you be surprised? I was.
If you then tried to contact both the sergeant and the officer you spoke to regarding being physically threatened in the street but for months have heard nothing back, would you be angry and frustrated? I am.
If you spoke to another officer and she promised that they would respond to my emails as soon as they were back in the office, would you be surprised if they did not respond? ‘Increasingly less’ so from me.
If you had people turning up on your doorstep threatening you and throwing dog faeces and eggs at your property, would you expect the police to come out and take a statement? I did. They simply told us to ring 999 if it happens again and get some security cameras installed.
If you were continuously lied about, doxxed (your address published), and threatened online, would you expect the police oath to kick in and those who were threatening you and your family to at least be given a warning? I did.
Would you expect to be told that some of the police officers you have dealt with since the threats and criminal behaviour began were actually tipping off those who had committed the criminal acts and were trying to have your case shut down? I didn’t.
Would you still have any faith in the police if you experienced this and more and then finally received a letter almost eleven months later informing you ‘that there would be no further police action’? Well, it is very hard to, as you can imagine.
