Muslim Police Officer

[anotheoldgit]

Should the Muslim police officers be allowed to pick what duties he carries out?

I refer to the Muslim police officer who ask to be removed from policing the Israeli Embassy.

[jno]

can't see why he should pick and choose his assignments; but he says the issue was one of the safety of his family. If this is true, he could reasonably have been reassigned to desk duties for the duration of the Israel-Lebanon fighting; it doesn't seem that one officer should have his family put at greater risk than others'. If it's true.

[johnlambert]

does that mean that if a muslim murdered a jew on this copper's beat he could refuse to help investigate?

[bustergutt]

No, In my opinion when he put`s on the Police uniform of Britain he must do as he`s told. He signed up to be a Policeman, to enforce the law and to protect the public in any circumstances. If he gets his wish, what next?

[johnlambert]

Also, if the issue is the safety of his family then perhaps he is in the wrong job? are not ALL Police officers families at risk?

[whiffey]

Unusually (for me) I can't see a problem here. I think the line will be that while he should have done it, they made a specific personal, not religious, exception in this case.

I'll bet the tabloids are having a field day though.

[smudge]

Here we go again.....

Ditto with bustergutt

[bustergutt]

During the Miners strike 1984, what would have happened if a copper asked to be relieved of his duties on the grounds that he didn`t want to arrest a member of his family? There would have been chaos.

[Whickerman]

Other side of the coin - try being in his shoes if that embassy was attacked - who'd be blamed?

Also, the fact that his family were affected during the Israeli incursion into Lebanon should have some bearing. Give the man a break - he's only human.

This should never have reached the media - it's a HR thing.

[sp1814]

I don't know the specifics of this story, but it sounds similar to a story recently where nine Scottish firemen refused to hand out fire safety leaflets at a gay march.

Have you got a link to this current story? Why did he think his family would be in danger?

[sp1814]

Whickerman - now that's a good point. Exactly how did this get into the papers?

Which paper is it? I'll check out the online edition.

[smudge]

sp - I thought of that too, but Firemen handing out leaflets to gay men, is a bit different to actually attending fires to save lives. I wouldn't have thought for one moment that this would ever be the case! Firemen answer emergency calls to accidents, & fires, etc., regardless of who is inside the building.

P.S. They even rescue cats up trees!!!!

[smudge]

Whoops - Gay Persons!

[ecoman]

Titter, Smudge

[vehelpfulguy]

If this set a precendent we could have:

Policemen who are Spurs fans refusing to police Arsenal football matches.

Policemen who are vegetarian refusing to go to a crime at at McDonalds.

Policemen who are teetotal refusing to go to a crime at a pub.

It is the thin end of the wedge.

As usual we bend over backwards to keep the Muslim community happy.

[Catso]

Would he have refused an emergency call to the embassy, then? Would that have been approved by his bosses?

Once this sort of thing starts...

[anotheoldgit]

sp1814 I think you will find that those fire-fighters were disciplined for their refusual. Unlike this Police Officer who got his request granted. Once again one rule for one and another rule for others.

He had a choice to become a Police Officer, so he should have been prepared to take on anything the job threw at him. If for instance a Police Officer and his family lived in the same community as a drug dealer, would he be right in refusing to take action against this person in case it had repercussions upon his family?

I do not think, how it got into the papers is revelent, we need to know exactlly how the laws of this country are increasingly being bent to appease certain groups in the name of PC .

Incidently due to this item making the news, I have now discovered that we now also have a Muslim Police Association.

[noxlumos]

Whilst I don't happen to think that Muslims are the great bogeymen of western society and have nothing against them whatsoever, I am honestly appalled that this man had his request granted. It is completely pointless to have people join the Police or security services and then have them say "oh yeah I don't want to do that because my family might be in danger." If that worked then surely all that would happen is your average criminal would threaten all the families of local plod and be away with it. If he's a copper he needs to police as and where he is told to.

[jake-the-peg]

I actually think it's amazing that a muslim officer was assigned to guard the Israeli embassy in the first place - I'm surprised the Israeli's didn't kick up.

I think it show pretty extraordinary lack of sensitivity on behalf of whoever arranged that assignment.

Wonder how many black officers were assigned to guard the South African Embassy in the 80's

[flip-flop]

The firemen were punished out of all proportion for what they chose not to do. A typically outrageous kneejerk reaction by bosses trying to be seen as being aware of diversity and being 'right-on'.

Like some other posters I also feel this is the thin edge of the wedge and is appeasement of the worse kind.

We can't be seen as being 'insensitive' in this country to Muslims and homosexuals for fear of being villified as racist or homophobic, even where such perceived insensitivity just simply does not exist.

What next - muslim doctors refusing to treat jews?

If you pull on a police uniform in this country you are promising to uphold the law and to do as you are reasonably told to do - you are not there to pick and choose what you are prepared to do.

The fault here lies not with the Muslim police officer, but with his superiors in allowing him to be re-assigned.

[sp1814]

anotheoldgit - I was thinking about this at lunchtime actually, and you're correct...the firemen were disciplined, but this officer asked to be reassigned, rather than refusing point blank.

Jake-The-Peg raises an interesting point...if I were the officer in charge of assigning posts, I would've thought twice about putting a Muslim outside the Isreali Embassy right now.

I agree that when you join the police, or any emergency service, the service to the public is your first duty, but c'mon - there has to be some flexibility, surely?

I can think of other situations where an officer might reasonably ask to be reassigned...a bit extreme, but what about an officer whose child had murdered being assigned the role of escorting an accused child murderer to and from court?



If a black officer asked not to provide protection to