Blogging from the Highlands of Scotland
'From fanaticism to barbarism is only one step' - Diderot

Wednesday 3 September 2008

Police State Britain - citizens fighting back, within the law

I posted a video almost two weeks ago about a 'Police Community Support Officer' attempting illegally to stop a citizen from filming in a public place. Now I have come across a lengthier video which includes a brief excerpt from the previous video-footage plus several additional examples of police, security officers and police community support officers similarly attempting to prevent citizens from going about their lawful business and filming in public spaces. In one glaring example of police harrassment and attempted inditimdation (attempted, because the person doing the filming is gloriously unintimidated) the police actually tresspass on the private property of the person doing the filming and attempt to prevent him filming what is going on. When their initial attempts do not succeed, one of the officers (the male) makes contact with the police station using his 'walkie talkie' to ask for guidance and to report the 'crime' he perceives is being committed. Whilst he is doing this the female officer continues to 'bluster' and 'puff' at the person making the film. Whatever the male officer has been told by the police station, when he completes his call, he simply walks away and the female officer follows him:



(thru Amperss Rants)

These incidents now seem to be so common that I wonder just what police officers, police community support officers and security personnel are being told during their training sessions and 'briefings'! It is quite obvious that, when challenged, they back down because they know they are acting way beyond their lawful powers. How many cases occur, though, when they get away with their tactics of intimidation against perfectly law-abiding citizens? I was brought up to regard the police as 'my friend', a sentiment that was fostered by the comforting television programmes of my childhood such as Dixon of Dock Green, with his benevolent 'clips around the ear' for misbehaving children and friendly homilies to round off each episode. Much as it pains me and saddens me to write this, I cannot any longer say that the police and other authority figures are 'my friend' in all circumstances; a vigilant citizenry must make sure that its 'protectors' are not permitted to become, little by little, its 'oppressors'.

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