Plebgate...police Have Another Opportunity To Apologise !

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24813974

Yet another appearance before the Home Affairs Committee. What is the chances of the Police telling the truth this time ? And why are they still not suspended for lying to Parliament ?

[emmie]

think that the apology will be like pulling teeth, it will come, but at enormous cost to those involved. They have done themselves no favours whatsoever, and cost the man his job, they should grovel and apologise unreservedly. Whatever one thinks of Andrew Mitchell this should never have happened, after all if they can do this to an MP they can do this to anyone, idiots.

[mikey4444]

Well said emmie. I would like to watch this live today but I have to go to work. Don't forget there are still 8 people that have been arrested over this case, so there is still some way to go before the Police have finally been dealt with.

[emmie]

i believe the majority of the police force decent hardworking folk, however there are some who essentially think they can do as they like and get away with it, these are just a few, absurd that they not only lied but they continue to feel hard done by,

[mikey4444]

Rotten apples emmie, can poison the whole barrel if they are not identified and removed quickly. Pity the Police can't seem to see this simple point.

[emmie]

mickey, who would you call if you were being mugged, burgled, not the boy scouts but the police, don't blame some rogue elements, there will always be those in any society.

[mikey4444]

Don't get me wrong emmie...I am sure that not all Policemen are corrupt and stupid, its just that these are the ones that are being talked about. They disgrace their uniform and need to be weeded out straight away, not after weeks and months of faffing about. This is what is causing public mistrust of the service, not the original offence. They need to be like Caesar's wife.

[youngmafbog]

I think they are trying to polish a turd, but all the glitter in the world won't do it.

But is always the same, the majority get punished by the actions of a few.

[emmie]

no one is above misdeeds, sure you don't have a clean sheet, sure there must have been something you have done in life you were not exactly proud of, Caesars wife, don't think the Romans could teach us anything about fair play, they were licentious, money oriented, and not in need of an excuse to bump of their politicians, nor the populace of the countries they invaded.

[Gromit]

Lets be clear, the officers before parliament today were not part of the Downing Street incident. They met with Mitchell a month later as representatives of the police federation. They were unaware that Mitchell had recorded the meeting. They came out of the meeting and told a pack of lies. When they were caught out when Mitchell revealed his damning transcript, they should have at least admitted their 'mistake' and apologised. Instead, they keep digging a deeper and deeper hole for themselves. They will probably now be dismissed and they have only hemselves to blame.

I think they are in for a roadting today.

[anneasquith]

they are not even fighting for their reputation now, just their pension, what time is it on tv mike?

[jomifl]

I think that some policemen don't realise that they are primarily supposed seek the truth. Any copper who is not scrupulously honest should be kicked out without a pension.

[Zeuhl]

Whilst I deplore the dishonesty and stupidity of these people I can't help wondering;

if they are guilty of misleading people in their roles as representatives of the police 'union', isn't that separate from their positions as police officers?

[Gromit]

It is not on BBC Parliament's schedule for today. I asume we will get highlights or a recorded transmission later.

[Zeuhl]

/I think that some policemen don't realise that they are primarily supposed seek the truth./

No disrespect but that is an admirably naive view of police work and begs all sorts of questions about 'the truth'

My personal experience of police officers (and i suspect it has always been so) is that they are tasked to 'get a result'

I also have an issue with this notion that most police are honest with a few 'bad apples'

You only have to chat 'off duty' with a selection of officers to realise that the job is permeated with a very flexible, and some might argue pragmatic, attitude to concepts such as 'truth', 'justice', 'right and wrong'

[Gromit]

// isn't that separate from their positions as police officers? //

I would hope so. If their dishonesty to an MP and Select Committee was applied to their work, then anyone convicted on their word as evidence in a court case might think of appealing.

[Zeuhl]

/anyone convicted on their word as evidence/

LOL Gromit

but wouldn't the police make sure they had tape recordings of the accused dropping themselves in it?

... Doh!

[ludwig]

Well done to Mitchell for having the nous to tape the conversation. He obviously knew what a bunch of liars they are based on his previous experience, and had the forsight to see another stitch up coming.

I hope they're made to suffer for it, but nothing would surprise me.

[Gromit]

// but wouldn't the police make sure they had tape recordings of the accused dropping themselves in it? //

No. When I did jury service the case involved falsification of officers' notebooks. If we had taken the entries as the truth we would have convicted 2 innocent men. The defense successfully showed the notebooks had been doctored afterwards and that officers had colluded and copied each others notes.

[Zeuhl]

^
any mention of perjury after that Gromit?

[Gromit]

Yes. We, the jury was dismissed so I do not know what happened next, but it was clear the judge was not happy with the police evidence. The jury had little option to not guilty verdicts as the police's evidence was torn apart by the defence. There were four Officers giving evidence, and I remember one very young officer (I'm sure the defenced targetted him deliberately) was warned about perjury before he gave his evidence, and he had a very difficult time in the witness box.
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