Letter to the Evening Standard: Community police, not secret police
October 15, 2009 11:22 PM
Originally published by Sarah Ludford MEP
Originally published by Sarah Ludford MEP
You report a worrying account (October 14) of the treatment of black police adviser and monitor Ken Hinds, who was arrested and handcuffed for trying to observe a stop-and-search operation and is now receiving compensation.
This causes concern firstly because of the increasing, and increasingly arrogant, attempt to stop citizens observing or photographing police activities. We are supposed to have community police, not secret police.
Secondly, the British Transport Police have settled the High Court case at a cost of £22,000 compensation, plus the no doubt high legal costs, all of course charged to taxpayers. The BTP has apologised while not admitting liability, which always strikes me as an unsatisfactory outcome. Reference is made to 'two failed attempts' to take a complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, and it is a pity the IPCC could not resolve this.
Policing is a difficult job, but public support across the community depends on respect for accountability in law enforcement.
Yours sincerely,
Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP
(Letter published in the London Evening Standard on 15 October 2009.)
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