Reply to: To protect and to serve ... whom?

[Bagpuss]

Is it my imagination, or are there more and more special bits of the police whose purpose is not to protect us but to protect the government?

Yes it's to protect the establishment. That's why stealing money from institutions is more serious in sentence than rape or violence against the person

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Isn't "to protect and to serve" the Septics' Police motto anyway? Nowt to do with our Dixon of Dock Greens is it?

[threaded]

Is it my imagination, or are there more and more special bits of the police whose purpose is not to protect us but to protect the government?

It always was a myth that they were there for you.

Good one the other day, an old tv show, sergeant says "the rate payers need protecting from the likes of you"

[expat]

Of course it is not news that the police protect the political system, it's the same word after all. What I do think is new is the proliferation in this country of special police groups whose only job is to protect the government (against us?), who do not have an ethos of protecting the people, as your local plod does even when he is exercising a duty that one may personally dislike.

[pzz76077]

I always thought that the police were there to produce unbelievable statistics on why crime is so bad these days....


To pick up on a previous post the SFO, being part of the police I think, are have some responsibility for collecting in cases of blatant violation of the tax laws, so do contribute to the tax pot a bit (not not too sucessfully).

PZZ

[The Lone Gunman]

Speeding fines aren't a tax (unless you think GBH fines are a tax on violence) - slow down a bit= no fine.

Speed limits are an arbitrary thing these days.
If people slow down then the limits will be set lower.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Dont forget their role as random tax collectors. It seems more and more that the role of the Police is to generate as much money from speeding fines and fixed penalties as they can.

Speeding fines aren't a tax (unless you think GBH fines are a tax on violence) - slow down a bit= no fine.

[The Lone Gunman]

The first (and increasingly, only) duty of the police is to protect their paymasters.

They are not interested in controlling crime, just controlling the population.

Dont forget their role as random tax collectors. It seems more and more that the role of the Police is to generate as much money from speeding fines and fixed penalties as they can.

[NotAllThere]

That's outrageous behaviour.

That's what he said. But we sat down, I poured him some absinthe, and matters resolved themselves. Ok, we blocked a major roadway for a couple of hours, but some things need to be taken seriously for civilisation's sake.

[Amiga500]

I got stopped for not having my lights on at dusk. .

That's outrageous behaviour.

[bogeyman]

The first (and increasingly, only) duty of the police is to protect their paymasters.

They are not interested in controlling crime, just controlling the population.

[ace00]

It is your imagination citizen.

doublebad

[NotAllThere]

Swiss police seem really scary, with guns an' all. But the local plod, at least, seem to understand they are part of the community, and are really cool.

I got stopped for not having my lights on at dusk. ( I have a volvo and leave them on - the garage servicing them turned them off, the dashboard remains lit ). When he found I was resident locally, he gave me a little telling off, and let me go.

[DimPrawn]

You mean like this?

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

I blame Thatcher.

[BrilloPad]

I always thought the job of guarding 10 Downing Street etcetc. should be done by army : not armed police. Does not help the police image....