Charing Cross Police Station

I recorded the Panorama programme but then after seeing the excerpts on the news decided not to watch it, did not want to see even more of such disgraceful behaviour from people who we long ago could trust automatically.
I agree that we aren't aware of all the things the police have to endure but these officers were in positions of trust, who else can we rely on when in trouble if not them?
I also disagree with those who think this should have been dealt with under the radar. So often we hear of things being swept under carpets and little action being taken. The public need to know that officers who act like this are dealt with appropriately and other serving police need to be aware of this too. Certainly would make anyone in London wary of contacting the police when in need.

Within all large organisations and especially those that serve others there will be bullies . Within the NHS , teaching professions etc racism and misogyny will be found and quite rightly these bad apples should be weeded out . Let's not forget in our rush to condemn ALL police officers those who pull on their uniform each day in order to serve and protect with compassion , courage and respect for all . Yes there are far more than this handful at Charing Cross but they don't make the headlines do they .
I'm 65 now but when I was growing up my mother would say to me , if you're ever frightened or in trouble , call the police . I did indeed need to do that once and they came in an instant and took care of me with nothing but empathy and kindness and despite this recent Panorama documentary I would call them and trust them in a heartbeat .

I watched the programme and must say I felt really sorry for the wives and children of the worst offenders. Fancy having to live with such revolting specimens of the human race!!

TanaMa

I watched the programme and must say I felt really sorry for the wives and children of the worst offenders. Fancy having to live with such revolting specimens of the human race!!

I've only known a very few women who were subjected to domestic abuse, but of these three were the partners of serving police officers.

‘Twas ever thus; sure, some people join the police out of altruism, but it is often a magnet for bullies and thugs. The bar is set pretty low for applicants (not very intelligent, generally) and even physically - so many are overweight and in bad shape.

My dad was a police officer for 30 years and was always disparaging about the Met and its culture ! He retired aged 60 so in 1983 !!
Of course this behaviour needs to deviate public domain ! Our tax pays for our police officers! I live next door to two excellent officers! They are so angry as we all should be!! No one is above the law!!

Thank you, LemonJam, for your interesting and somewhat encouraging post.
I watched the programme. It was horrifying. Why is the Met like that?

**00daughterofbonniebelle I don't know , I find labelling and stereotyping a large group based on the actions of a few a sign of low intelligence . I wonder if the Jewish Community in Manchester share your generalised views . The police were on the scene in 7 minutes and prevented what could have been a much worse terrorist attack . I find your comments to be very small minded but I expect if you ever need the police to come rescue you , you'll be dialling 999 in a flash !!

That reporter could have infiltrated any organisation and produced the same kind of "shock, horror" confessions. It's all too easy to condemn the police yet we expect them to police the situations we be scared to get caught up in.

no surprise, i and my son were treated so badly by police and this is going back 20 years that i have never trusted them since, the judge laughed at them in court and they sent me a letter of apology and i sent it back.

sparkle1234

Within all large organisations and especially those that serve others there will be bullies . Within the NHS , teaching professions etc racism and misogyny will be found and quite rightly these bad apples should be weeded out . Let's not forget in our rush to condemn ALL police officers those who pull on their uniform each day in order to serve and protect with compassion , courage and respect for all . Yes there are far more than this handful at Charing Cross but they don't make the headlines do they .
I'm 65 now but when I was growing up my mother would say to me , if you're ever frightened or in trouble , call the police . I did indeed need to do that once and they came in an instant and took care of me with nothing but empathy and kindness and despite this recent Panorama documentary I would call them and trust them in a heartbeat .

I remember some horrible nurses and doctors when I was training to be a nurse. Some of the senior doctors were so arrogant it wasn't true and some of the staff nurses and sisters seemed to delight in being overbearing and putting down the student and pupil nurses. That is not to say that most of them were kind and professional.

I am sure the same can be said of the police, school teachers and other groups.

Following your comment that your mother said "If you're ever frightened or in trouble, call the police." I was reminded of an incident when I was on holiday in Norfolk.

I was with a friend and we were both 16. We had taken the bus into Great Yarmouth which was about 20 miles from where we were staying. For some reason the last bus was cancelled and we had no way of getting back so we rang the police from a phone box. We were told that there they were not prepared to help and when we said we were scared and felt vulnerable the man on the other end of the phone said "If you get murdered come and tell us about it in the morning." Then he laughed and hung up. This happened in 1965 and shows that it was not just some members of the Met who were rotten.

Those policemen should be sacked and go to jail, not allowed to resign and get away with their misdeeds and receive any pension into which they have paid. The Panorama programme was for me, difficult to watch. Why does it need the BBC to brig these men to book, why are the police allowed to sort things out, it should be an outside agent.

I agree.

My friend and I were threatened by a gang of youths in the square of our small town just outside the police station. We rang the bell of the station, a policeman came to the door we told him we would like to report the youths, he put his arm across the entrance forbidding us to enter to make a complaint and have a report number. On reflection we should have taken his number and reported him but we were so taken aback that it didn't occur to us at the time.

Perhaps we need to look at how these people are recruited,
Are they recruited by a recruitment company , ? Ie by anyone ? but someone who knows what we need from our police force ie honestly and integrity

My son was beaten up in an underpass. He went to the police station to report it, as he knew the name of the bully. They were not interested until he mentioned the yobs name. Someone of interest to the police. When they became very interested he walked out.

sparkle1234

Within all large organisations and especially those that serve others there will be bullies . Within the NHS , teaching professions etc racism and misogyny will be found and quite rightly these bad apples should be weeded out . Let's not forget in our rush to condemn ALL police officers those who pull on their uniform each day in order to serve and protect with compassion , courage and respect for all . Yes there are far more than this handful at Charing Cross but they don't make the headlines do they .
I'm 65 now but when I was growing up my mother would say to me , if you're ever frightened or in trouble , call the police . I did indeed need to do that once and they came in an instant and took care of me with nothing but empathy and kindness and despite this recent Panorama documentary I would call them and trust them in a heartbeat .

Sorry sparkle, but in all my years of teaching and knowledge of school staff rooms around England, I've never heard any racism, misogyny, homophobia that hasn't instantly been called out as totally inappropriate.

The programme showed like-minded groups of police talking like this, quite at ease with their loathsome views. And therein lies the problem. Those individuals who try to call out such sentiments end up being pushed out themselves - bullied, or cold-shouldered, or just choosing to leave themselves because they couldn't bear being around these untouchables.

The Met has thousands of officers, not surprised there are officers whose behaviour is unethical. Wonder what the percentage of those sacked since the original disclosure is in comparison to the whole force.The system of recruitment needs scrutinised, how do these officers manage to pass recruitment process. Don't know if all the intricacies of human rights limits what can be investigated with regard to character traits etc prior to appointment. Sadly those officers who do a decent job will be tarred with the same brush as those in the film.

There are good and bad officers in all Police forces. Many years ago, my late husband suffered brain damage from a bleed on the brain and did something very silly one evening. He was arrested but apart from a good ticking off he received no penalty. Some time later I was contacted by one of the arresting officer's more junior colleagues who said we were to watch out, the arresting officer was livid that he had "got away with it" and was out to get him.

He certainly was but thanks to the warning I was prepared. We ended up with an apology from the DI and the Officer was not seen again in the area. So there are bad Officers I would not trust and also Officers I would trust implicitly to do the right thing.

I watched the Panorama programme and they certainly have some bad'uns at Charing Cross, but it has had a terrible reputation for a long time. It is a pity that something like the Panorama investigation seems to be the only way anything gets done about such disgraceful behaviour.

I was not surprised at all, but at last we now have filmed proof. That they cannot deny, ignore, or hide or bribe nor give a freemason s grip to get away with as they used to.
This has been going on. to .y knowledge for over 60 years

I had personal knowledge of this in two particular areas. Firstly, I lived in London, and was working in Overseas Telegrams, which was on the river and backed onto the Strand and Fleet street. It was 365 days a year and shifts. So I was out and about at all times. Especially on nights I would wander down Fleet street and saw disgraceful behaviour at times from police. Racist attitudes were many of my colleagues said they didn't feel safe to walk alone at night down there as they had had police proposition them , time and again, if they refused, they would told they would be taken in as a prostitute, that they would get them in some way etc. Then I happened to have a black friend , who came down to see me several times from outside London. A good driver with a clean licence and we were stopped on innumerable occasions, for no good reasons. At first I was shocked, but he told me that they were always like that in London, and known for their appalling attitude. Plus a great many belonged to the freemason, which was not seen as a way of doing good, but as both a way to promotion, and an automatic cover up for anything they did. I knew one very decent man who was forced out by the bad lot because he reported something. I put in at least 3 complaints, which were dismissed by policemen backing others with lies. I was in particular, warned not to complain again, and what they could do if I did. I couldn't prove things in those days , as it was my word against theirs, but at least had friends in Fleet street and told them that if they tried to arrest me on false charges that I had a letter they would print. I also knew about a policeman in my neighbourhood who abused his wife. , and was getting away with it, as they all stood up for him .. This was 60 years ago and the met is no better today. The bully boys go to join there as they think they will be with other racist misogynistic people and get away with such appalling behavior but at last, we can show them for the disgusting people they are . At a minimum we need a senior woman from another force to come in and take charge, but who would want such a poison chalice? Still at least they are hoist by their own petard. And cannot deny the films of their behaviour. All those showing such attitudes should be sacked immediately and those who have committed criminal behaviour. Sued and brought before a court where the jury does not have any freemason as far as you can tell.

If an undercover reporter was able to gain all this information from one police station then an independant overseer should be stationed in every police station in London.
Reporting every case of improper behavior a rooting out the ringleaders that bully the younger officers, the existing senior officers aren’t going to change anything because they are ingrained with the existing system.

Sorry to say it, but I think the attitudes of these officers reflects much of society in general. Standards have dropped right across the board. Presumably the police are having difficulty with recruitment and have to employ those who would normally be rejected.

I didn't watch Panirama but had listened to a programme about it on Radio 4. yesterday.
All this dusgusting behaviour starts at the top, people it's hard to report and get investigated because their contacts have similar attitudes. The do not deserve a Police pension. The cases they worked on need investigating. Every organisation has bad apples, when you've a barrel of bad apples you've hit rock bottom. Thank goodness this was found out. I am glad the public know of this as now change can be made.
What Babs said about the Met and how the people in London know a lot are villains is truly terrible. How come no one intervened.
My father, a special policeman for years, was a good decent man and his superiors for want if a better word were to.
I watched a programme last night called Borderline, the woman DI was deranged, who would even work with her.

mum2three

Sorry to say it, but I think the attitudes of these officers reflects much of society in general. Standards have dropped right across the board. Presumably the police are having difficulty with recruitment and have to employ those who would normally be rejected.

You’re right, even in casual conversation it’s common in private for a non PC comment to be made. I don’t like it usually I let it go but if it is repeated I just say “You can’t say that these days walls have ears”

A reminder rather than a rebuke.

Many years ago (1982/3) my Mum and I were in London and the battery was stolen from my car. Pre mobile phones what did one do. Luckily I had parked near the nurses home I once lived in and they very kindly let me use the phone to call the police and a garage. Was told someone would come out to see us. Some hours later after sitting in the dark in a cold car my Mum called the police again to be asked was she calling because she wanted a nice young policeman to come and sit with her to keep her warm! Finally gave up and caught a train home, but Mum was so incensed she wrote a letter of complaint which resulted in a home visit by 2 very senior officers and an apology.
But that was 40 + years ago and attitudes don’t seem to have changed.