Community: Real Life

Bobbies on heat


Zoe Portsmouth

Zoë, 17, is in her first year of 6th form studying A-levels. She loves writing and wants to become a journalist.

Zoë feels let down by the police and thinks they need to earn respect to get respect.

I believe the police force is necessary. We need them to tackle crime, ensure laws are followed and to make sure people are protected. But some officers abuse their authority and use unnecessary force. How are we supposed to trust the police to protect us when we feel as though we can't trust them at all?

Footage from the G20 protests made many people feel disgusted with the police. Video footage showed 47-year-old newspaper seller Ian Tomlinson being assaulted by police officers. He later died from internal bleeding. On the TV show Have I Got News for You team captain Ian Hislop said: "They managed to find the one person who wasn't involved in the demonstration, and killed him."

Admittedly this is just one officer, so it would be wrong to suggest that all coppers behave with this level of disrespect. But as a number of other protesters were also injured by the police it's certainly a real issue.  

I was horrified to discover how many people claim have been assaulted by police officers. Just type 'police abuse of authority' into Google. There's even a website for victims of police abuse! This website suggests that victims are unlikely to report their assault. We're taught not to challenge authority, which makes it difficult for some, whilst others may simply be afraid of retribution.

"What if you're not breaking the law but calmly standing up for what you believe in? Does this mean it's acceptable for officers to use physical force to prevent you from doing so?"

So are we threatened by the police? If you avoid getting in trouble then there should be reason for a police officer to confront you in the first place. What if you're not breaking the law but calmly standing up for what you believe in? Does this mean it's acceptable for officers to use physical force to prevent you from doing so? Is this right?

I think the main issue people have (or perhaps the main issue I have), is showing respect when there is so much speculation about the lack of respect we receive in return. Police officers are allowed to use weapons such as batons, Taser guns and CS gas, all of which can have harmful effects. CS gas, otherwise known as tear gas, can cause blindness. All of these methods have been used as a first course of action when arresting someone. What if the person struck with a baton was wrongly accused? Isn't that abuse of authority?

So what is the solution? The Government's policies are constructed through democracy, which means we have a say. We don't want to abolish the policing system, but rather change it so that officers will use restraint methods more readily than weapons. We need to live in a society where we trust the police and do not fear them.

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Updated: 08/05/2009


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