Institutional racism in the police?

I've been stopped three times by the police, the first and second times were random breath tests near Xmas . I was polite, they were polite both tests negative as I hadn't had a drink in weeks. The third time I had bought a used car from a reputable dealer , the next day the police pulled me over. I had tax, insurance and MOT so wondered what I had done wrong, it seems the car had previously been owned by a local drug dealer! I had children in the car on the last 2 occasions.
We don't know here what happened prior to the recording starting, but the police do mostly have bodycams and record incidents from their patrol cars as well so more may become apparent.

The trouble is that at the moment, they are damned if they do, damned if they don't. The police have to be allowed to do their job or we will have anarchy. There will always be some who overstep the mark , just as some members of the public, of any ethnicity, will be stroppy when challenged.
After nearly 40 years of dealing with members of the public I acknowledge that there can be faults on both sides and situations can quickly deteriorate . I always tried to be polite but often the customer wasn't right and didn't want to listen, but just shout .
I think we need to await developments.

Could you clarify what you mean there anniebach.

Wow annie just Wow. And your point is?

What exactly does that mean Anniebach?

I don’t read twitter, anything there about Linford Christie
being banned for life by British Olympic Association for taking drugs ?

I’ve never been stopped, but once driving along the A27 to Southampton (work) a police bike drove up alongside and signalled that I had forgotten to put on my seat belt. Felt quite embarrassed? He was driving alongside for quite a distance and I ignored him not realising he was trying to get my attention.

Good to see the Met referred this incident to the police watchdog.

I've been stopped once for speeding (30 years ago) and once for talking on my mobile (10 years ago). I make no excuses fr being an offender though the mobile phone use was linked to serious worries about a family member, a professional phoned and I answered without pulling over and stopping.

Both times the routine was the same. Madam, do you know why you've been stopped. Step out of the car please madam. I complied immediately. I appreciate I was a white female and that they police would already know my car was insured, taxed, MOTd and that if the owner (driver) had no criminal convictions.

We need black drivers to feel as I did. Ok I committed an offence, I've been caught out, the best I can hope for is points, I hope I don't get prosecuted for driving without due care etc. To feel safe in immediately doing what the officer asks you to do. Both times, once I was out the car, I was asked to sit in the back of the police car. I did so.
Yes I was lucky, I was fined both times and both times, the police officers couldn't have been more polite and pleasant whilst telling me I'd be reported and fined.

It will continue to breed resentment regardless.

Anniebach

The police have referred themselves to the police watchdog

Good! At least they haven't just swept it under the carpet. I agree with those who say we don't know what happened before the video started, but in the face of it, the incident seems quite shocking and mustn't be allowed to breed resentment.

The police have referred themselves to the police watchdog

Apparently, the Met has now requested a meeting with the couple (presumably as a result of the media publicity) so hopefully they can all talk it through and any misunderstandings can be explored.

The road where I live is, in theory, two way. However, there are always cars parked along it, so in practice is one way and cars have to drive on the wrong side of the road. In the interview I saw with Williams that's how she described that road.

If a one way street how come the police car is parked along
side their car

No one "refused" he asked why they wanted him out the car-apparently this is assumed by the police now to be a refusal (I've seen other film of a young man being stopped and then handcuffed for asking the same thing) The officers had already drawn a baton. When she is speaking to the woman in the back of the car the woman officer is grasping her arm.. Perhaps the treatment of black people by the Met police has led to a lot of them distrusting the police. The driver is Portugese and said he has been stopped many times.
Bianca Williams the woman said thatthe road was only wide enough for a single car so the "on the wrong side of the road" was difficult to understand.

I’m not sure on this as I don’t think I’ve seen the same video. The one I saw was taken from inside the back of the car and the female was getting upset but, in all fairness, the policewoman seemed very keen to reassure her it would only take a few minutes. She wasn’t being at all aggressive.

I can understand the frustration at being stopped but arguing and refusing to do as asked just escalates the situation. The police aren’t going to just go away because someone keeps protesting they haven’t done anything.

Thank you trisher how many times had they asked for the driver to get out of the car ?

I want to be fair about this, the driver refused to stop, the police didn’t know if he was armed , I would need to see the whole happening before making any judgement.

Two paramedics were stabbed yesterday, they went to a call out, the man refused to open the door, the door was broken, the paramedics walked in and were stabbed.

Can’t you understand how police put their lives at risk when
approaching uncooperative members of the public ?

Watch the video Annie- There he stands with baton across his shoulder even before the car door is opened. www.thesun.co.uk/news/12035691/linford-christie-met-police-athletes-stopped/
Remember there was a small child in that car

trisher you know the police officer had drawn his baton before the car window or car door was open ? You have a link
to the whole happening ?

Could it be they had a reason not an excuse for the handcuff ?

Annie I think if I were stopped and the policeman had already drawn his baton I would be nervous about getting out the car and I would hesitate, and I'm not a young black man who might justifiably fear the police. What excuse do you suppose they had for handcuffing both the man and the woman?

The driver refused to stop, when he was stopped he refused to
get out of the car , all that followed could have been avoided

I agree Anniebach we need to know the full facts of the case before judging.

We do not know what was said when the police stopped that car, I am not defending the police but I would like to know the
truth of the whole event, we have seen what the couple chose to make public but not what led up to it.

When the police were stopping all cars coming over the mountain roads when this national park was closed , every car
stopped .

Having said all that, if the police signalled for myself to stop, in my little Hyundai I20, or my husband in his black VW, we would stop immediately. It is reported that the couple in the car sped away and only stopped when the police pulled in front of them. I have no idea why they would do that. I’m not condoning the behaviour of the police, I think it was reprehensible.

I once had a conversation with a teacher from a very tough secondary school when my DCs were that age. She said much the same growstuff. The only difference between the children at her school and the ones at my children's school was that hers turned to crime to fund their habit. You also can't tell which children are likely to be involved, a local school realised that when their football captain overdosed.

That’s interesting Callistemon.
I agree international cooperation is the way forward.