Baby cops - everyone loses

[webofevil]

In this short film we’re meant to be appalled at the actions of the authorities in trampling over the camera-wielder’s right to film in public. What has actually happened is that he hasn’t encountered any authority at all; rather, he has run into a couple of community support officers—baby cops—who fancy flexing their muscles but know fuck all about the law or their job. Watch the Chinese guy crumble the moment the cameraman gets angry and makes it clear that he knows the law. If you’re wearing the law enforcement gear but you’re reduced to saying tartly, “You know the law, do you? Well, good for you!”, no-one benefits. Some people might be fooled by your outfit into thinking you’re a real policeman, for one thing, which could, at worst, emperil a life.

On the other hand, it’s becoming standard practice, after a couple of years of babycopping, for PCSOs, even if they wouldn’t have stood a fridge in hell’s chance if they had applied through the usual channels, even if they are truly as hapless as the uninformed uniformed gimp in that clip, to become real police officers. And a real policeman who knew nothing about laws regarding public places but realised he had technically assaulted an innocent pedestrian would know how—and be able—to recover some of his self-respect by confiscating the camera while citing something vague about terrorism, and then arbitrarily slapping them with an £85 fine under Section 5 of the Public Order Act.

Evening, all.

Comments

[srk1.livejournal.com]

The only reason PCSOs exist is as a sop to the "walking around in circles" theory of policing (better known as 'bobbies on the beat'). Like CCTV, it exists mainly to manage perceptions of public safety, not to actually tackle crime.