NEWS ONLY PLEASE Cressida Dick

What is it with gransnet at the moment? There seem to be more irritable, negative and at times downright unnecessarily unpleasant comments than usual.

Why anyone would suggest that Cressida Dick has "a few buddies on gransnet' who are posting to support her, is beyond me. As has been said, she gave evidence for 3 days at the investigation into the shooting of JCDM which concluded by attributing no personal blame to her. I am not defending this shooting in any way, just in case anyone accuses me of minimising it.

I'm pleased to see a female senior officer promoted to head the Met and wish her well in this post. Comments that suggest she was given this post in order to hit targets to appoint minorities (she's female and gay) is just dispiriting, to say the least. Especially when those comments come from other women.

I believe two of the other leading contenders were also female but apologies I can't fill you in on their sexual orientation - I think they were white though. And of course all of that is irrelevant and damn good post Jalima

Must admit I don't know of any other possible contenders for the post. That's not to say there aren't any of course.
Let's give the woman a chance and see how she does the job, hopefully she will have learned from previous mistakes, her own and her predecessors.

But as I said, and didn't stick to , I've stated my case and I'm done with this thread.

When you dare go against the flow and instead of sensible debate get snide remarks like I'm sure the new Chief Constable will be heartened to know a few of her buddies are coming onto to GNsnet to defend her it's clear why so few GNers venture onto the News & Politics forum.

It would have been interesting to know whether anybody had any thoughts as to who should have been appointed instead of Cressida Dick. But it's so much easier to pull down than to build up.

And the assumption by more than one poster that a woman has been appointed just to tick a box. Not sexist in any way?

A woman and gay apparently, ticked some boxes......what a pity she didn't have one leg and red hair we'd have had the full house.
posh totty

Tongue in cheek was it? That's okay then.

but it seems from this thread that some women would prefer it if every officer was white, male and heterosexual.
I don't see any remarks like that on this thread except perhaps one which seems to be tongue-in-cheek.

In fact I don't see any 'sexist' remarks on here about the fact that she is female, nor about her sexual orientation (a few jokes about her name which would have happened with anyone, male or female I think).

The reservations about her appointment on this thread seem to be more to do with her lack of clear direction and hesitation in the case of the innocent young man who was killed on her watch. That is not a good trait in the most senior policeman or policewoman in the country.

Rigby and Riverwalk - good to see you posting the true facts about the unfortunate young Brazilian.
CH apparently ordered 'Stop him' which was interpreted as 'Shoot to kill'.

She looks more than tough enough to do the job well and 'cope' with any comments about her name.

I truly believe she got the job on merit and good luck to her, I say.

And there not being personal blame doesn't mean you didn't contribute to the systemic catastrophic failures of that event

I've just logged back on after getting home from work and am x 100 that only two us seem to care that Legs55 repeated LIES about an innocent man. She hasn't had the guts to come on and say she was wrong but I expect that's because she wanted to believe that version. The whole sorry saga of the post shooting behaviour of the Met was a disgrace and is sadly only too common ( other police forces are guilty as well) following questionable police behaviour. A little while ago on GN there was much pearl clutching and high horse mounting at the utter dreadfulness of 'fake news' posting on GN and how this was clearly the beginning of the end of the civilised world as we know it. Well, quelle surprise at the deafening silence at the lie in Legs55's post. Still he was only an illegal immigrant who deserved all he got wasn't he? GN hypocrisy - much. At one level I couldn't give a flying fig about who is Commissioner of the Met because I can't recall the last one I had any respect for and I guess she'll follow in this long and dishonourable tradition.

Indecisiveness is not a good trait in the most senior policeman in the country.
Or policewoman, Jalima?

I've nothing else to add. She seems to me to be the best-qualified person for the job and I wish her well.

Out of interest, who do others think should have been appointed?

She is not being 'hung out'as you put it Maggiemaybe...... her appointment is being criticised for the reason Jalima has just given. Dithering in crucial decision- making can lead to disaster. .... think Hillsborough.

I didn't know she is gay and it matters not a jot to me.

The fact that she was in charge and changed her mind does though.
It was a botched operation from start to finish.

In the case of Jean Paul de Menezes she dithered and changed her mind.
He had overstayed his visa but that is not reason for him to be killed.

Indecisiveness is not a good trait in the most senior policeman in the country.

A few of her buddies?! FFS! Perhaps a few fair-minded people who don't want her hung out to dry for the crime of being female, being gay, and being accused of something of which a jury completely exonerated her.

Oh, and having a name to titter at.

And according to Margs if he hadn't overstayed his visa he'd probably still be alive. Still, I'm sure the new Chief Constable will be heartened to know a few of her buddies are coming onto to GNsnet to defend her.

A lot of the lies were the usual imaginative stuff reported by eye witnesses after any event that hits the headlines. One Mark Whitby was the witness who told Reuters (who then disseminated it) that de Menezes was wearing a heavy winter coat. Anthony Larkin, another eye witness, reported to the BBC that he was wearing "a bomb belt with wires coming out". Early eye witness reports that he had vaulted the barrier and run down the escalator had been picked up by the pathologist - when the dust died down people realised that it had been his pursuers who'd done this.

From the Guardian report I linked to earlier:

One of Dick’s lowest moments was the death of Jean Charles de Menezes, mistaken for a terrorist in an operation she was commanding, in 2005. It led to the Met facing a criminal trial for health and safety violations, which it lost. But Dick testified in front of the jury for more than three days, and jurors made it clear no personal blame was to be placed on her for the debacle.

Legs55 you might well don your tin hat and a stupid grin. Regardless of his immigration status, this young man did not deserve to die. I'm a critic of Dick precisely because she oversaw the deliberate miss-information such as you quoted.

- He did not jump the ticket barrier - paid with his pass.

- Was not wearing an overcoat in warm weather

- Did not run down the escalator

- Did not resist the police on the tube

The police made mistakes, understandable, but my gripe is with the lies that were told in the immediate aftermath.

Legs55 how dare you - check your facts before posting lies. I am now going to shout HE DID NOT JUMP THE BARRIER. You should be ashamed of yourself posting lies lies lies about an innocent man who was killed

NemosMum are the Cressida's mum as well?

Power can do strange things to people...

she is completely incorruptible

I do hope you're right, NemosMum, but I don't see how you can be so sure.

Cressida dick is the best qualified Commissioner the Met, or any other force, has ever had (check her CV on Wikipedia). I think she will be brilliant at the job and she is completely incorruptible. The Met is a difficult force, but if anyone can lead it, she can.

I very much doubt it Diddy1 or she would have done it by now.

maybe she is proud of being a Dick

Sorry, childish I know.