The Tough Arm of the Law

[Billyjof]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/03/football-fan-attacked

Not sure if the particular incidents mentioned in this article have been previously discussed?

Going on experience, most police are decent honest human beings. There are however a fair amount of goons I have witnessed policing, especialy at football matches.

I don't know what Tommy Meyers did or didn't do on that fatefull day but no one should be treated in that way.

 

[Biffa Bacon]

Many fans have seen similar tactics deployed, I know I've been threatened by the police at Filbert Way in the past (a matter which was refered to both the club board and police complaints). The OH and I actually went to court as witnesses to one particular incident in the old kop, if the guy being prosectuted had been found guilty he would have lost his career, the officer involved decided to drag him over a barrier and rough him up, even though he was offering to walk around to talk to the officer.

The police like to deploy their most aggressive officers at the football. The police liason officer for City is however a decent guy.

 

[bocadillo]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/03/football-fan-attacked

Not sure if the particular incidents mentioned in this article have been previously discussed?

Going on experience, most police are decent honest human beings. There are however a fair amount of goons I have witnessed policing, especialy at football matches.

I don't know what Tommy Meyers did or didn't do on that fatefull day but no one should be treated in that way.

I fail to see why people continue to be surprised by events such as this.

 

[Billyjof]

I fail to see why people continue to be surprised by events such as this.

I myself have been to enough games and witnessed bad behaviour from supporters and police/security alike to not be surprised. I've only been involved in one unfortunate incident after a Cov match at Nuneaton station, which nearly lead to me being arrested just for trying to catch a Crewe bound train instead of the one people were being herded onto leaving for Leicester.

I think that the level of police brutality reported to be dished out to this individual is hardly common place though? As I said it's not clear what provoked the police in this instance.

 

[David Gwilliam]

There are clearly serious questions to be asked about the attitude of the police toward football fans. This particular incident is horrendous. Although it is strange that other newspapers from the left wing Independent to the right wing Mail seem not to have carried this story. It could be that The Guardian has exaggerated or distorted to fit its own agenda.
There are three general points I would like to make about the story.

Firstly the attitude of the police stems from there being a minority (small in proportion but large in number) who do want to cause violence.
Secondly you are far less likely to be injured going to a match now than when the police had a looser grip. We are usually safe at matches thanks to the police. If police make mistakes - sometimes tragic ones - they have often have great responsibility in their twenties when other young people are just beginning their career.
Thirdly it is a story about police in The Guardian- oh dear! It loves a story where police make a horrible mistake. A Guardian story about good police officers would be as popular with its core readership and as likely to be published as a Mail story about decent benefit claimants.

 

[MKFox]

I fail to see why people continue to read the Grauniad.

:icon_wink
Hear, hear sir

 

[Mawsley]

:icon_wink
Hear, hear sir

Because it is still free on the iPhone, not controlled by Murdoch and relatively free of the Tory bias that seeps from every word in the other broadsheets.

 

[jb5000]

Thirdly it is a story about police in The Guardian- oh dear! It loves a story where police make a horrible mistake. A Guardian story about good police officers would be as popular with its core readership and as likely to be published as a Mail story about decent benefit claimants.

Oh do give over. *All* newspapers carry stories about bad things happening for ~90% of their total content. And as for why only the Guardian are covering it, the far more mundane and therefore liklier reason is that their website is so much bigger than every other british newspaper's that they have the room to fill. Plus it's an interview, there's every chance it's an exclusive, these things aren't the preserve of the tabloids...

 

[David Gwilliam]

Oh do give over. *All* newspapers carry stories about bad things happening for ~90% of their total content. And as for why only the Guardian are covering it, the far more mundane and therefore liklier reason is that their website is so much bigger than every other british newspaper's that they have the room to fill. Plus it's an interview, there's every chance it's an exclusive, these things aren't the preserve of the tabloids...

You may be right and I may be unfair. The Guardian may be fairminded and trustworthy as you imply as indeed may the Daily Mail. There may indeed be all sorts of stories and articles praising the police on that big Guardian website.

Although I find both newspapers loathsome it is unusual and refreshing to find someone defending one of them. When someone on this forum wants to impress with how "cool" and "unstuffy" they are they usually attack the Daily Mail. Next time that happens I will think to myself "I bet JB5000 will leap to its defence."

 

[jb5000]

You may be right and I may be unfair. The Guardian may be fairminded and trustworthy as you imply as indeed may the Daily Mail. There may indeed be all sorts of stories and articles praising the police on that big Guardian website.

Although I find both newspapers loathsome it is unusual and refreshing to find someone defending one of them. When someone on this forum wants to impress with how "cool" and "unstuffy" they are they usually attack the Daily Mail. Next time that happens I will think to myself "I bet JB5000 will leap to its defence."

Blimey, I think you got the wrong stick there. I was attempting to imply that they are as bad as one another. No news sells like bad news after all, and in the current climate for newspapers it is all about sales.




Still at least neither is the NOTW. Today's relevations re the Milly Dowler case really do deserve some serious jail time for reporters and editors alike.

 

[jb5000]

And the nearest thing you'll get to 'cool and unstuffy newspaper'? Well only i and Metro come close (but not that close), while some will call the Star cool and unstuffy, I'm not sure many others will call it a newspaper.

 

[spionfox]

A Guardian story about good police officers would be as popular with its core readership and as likely to be published as a Mail story about decent benefit claimants.

But the Mail often has favourable stories about the Royal family.

 

[jb5000]

But the Mail often has favourable stories about the Royal family.

These germans and greeks, coming here and taking our council palaces ;-)

 

[MKFox]

Because it is still free on the iPhone.

Nothing's free, the grauniad is being paid for by either the unions or more likely Mao...
...big bowl of lefty gay

 

[jb5000]

Nothing's free, the grauniad is being paid for by either the unions or more likely Mao...
...big bowl of lefty gay

At the risk of irking DG further, the nadiaurg is not paid for by either. It is owed by the Scott Trust, which was set up by the son of one of the early owners to run the paper in perpetuity. It's amazing what companies can afford to do when their shareholders aren't able to take a dividend...

I'm reliably informed that their website takes more money in advertising than the print version does in advertising + sales. It also has far more readers, it's the second most visitd newspaper website in the country and a major international player, which let's face it, the print version ain't.

 

[jb5000]

Nothing's free, the grauniad is being paid for by either the unions or more likely Mao...
...big bowl of lefty gay

And **** you with your homophobia.

 

[Blue Maniac]

And **** you with your homophobia.

:icon_lol:

 

[jb5000]

:icon_lol:

:icon_sad:

 

[Blue Maniac]

:icon_sad:

I was laughing at the sentence, not what it meant.

 

[jb5000]

I was laughing at the sentence, not what it meant.

:icon_smil