ashok.org.uk : Fuck the Police

By Ashok Argent-Katwala

(As you'll have spotted, there's strong language here. If that offends you, I suggest you move along. I try not to swear with wild abandon, but instead I try and save it for abso-fucking-lutely deserving cases.)

A nasty thing happened to me seven months ago today, and for most of that time I've been avoiding talking about it, let alone writing about it. To the few friends I have bothered with this, you have my deepest thanks: for your thoughtful suggestions but mainly for patiently listening to me with a sympathetic ear, even when I was far from my normal self.

Just before Christmas last year, late at night in Soho, a number of things happened that were deeply shit. The nastiest bit wasn't any of these:

being jumped in the street by three miscreants, while trying to make my way home with Mary
that the attack was, to me, pretty clearly motivated by three young white thugs seeing a mixed-colour couple, and feeling some caveman-like desire to 'protect' the white woman, who was not in any threat, except inside their tiny little cave-brains.
having my bag nicked, containing nearly every bit of portable electronics that I owned

The really nasty thing that happened was that at a moment where I felt victimised and in need of support and aid, that the Metropolitan Police turned up. That's when the evening went from being unpleasant to a proper fucking cock-up. Somehow they saw three white blokes laughing, and one distressed pale brown bloke, and assumed the singular guy in torn clothing, crying was the culprit.

They pulled me away from my belongings, in which time the bag was nicked. I have since found from the police that they did not even take the names of my attackers. We argued in the street, about both the attack and the theft.

Amongst other things, they misjudged:

what had happened
who was responsible
that I was groggy from being punched very solidly in the head a few times, and not from an excessive amount of booze

At the station, they screwed up further:

They didn't evaluate my health properly, although the custody record showed they did call a doctor, several hours after I got there; none ever came.
They lied to Mary and told her they weren't holding me at that station.
In the morning they washed down the floors outside the cell with some potent cleaning fluid. That triggered a serious asthma attack. I had told them I had asthma, and that I had missed a dose (two by the morning) of my medication. I jabbed at the buzzer, while gasping for air, and after dozens of laboured breaths an officer appeared at the doorway.

Here's how that went:

— What?

— I've just had an asthma attack

— What's the problem?

— Well it has kind of passed, but it's still difficult.

— Can you breathe okay now, though?

— No, not really. Can I get some air, please?

— No. [Closes door]

If they keep that up, they will kill someone.

Since then, I've been asking them to delete my DNA profile and destroy the samples. By their reckoning mine is not an exceptional case. If this isn't exceptional then I'm awfully fucking concerned that it's routine. If I want to challenge that, it would be by judicial review.

So here I sit, having been arrested, held and fined – yet innocent – while the trolls who attacked me are free and clear. My DNA profile sits on a computer system about which I have grave technical concerns.

Soon, Mary and I will be leaving London. It certainly isn't a decision caused by the whole kerfucko of last year, but I'm liking the idea of a clean start in a fresh city that's at least as colourful as London is.

I'm looking forward to lots of things, but amongst them:

not feeling a deep distrust of the state apparatus that I used to feel was broadly honest and trying hard, even with the difficult problems they face
not getting that crawling, creeping feeling that some fucker will assault or abuse me, and as a brown man looking to a disproportionately white police force, with it's own serious problems with racism internally, my best hope is that the police don't turn up.
being able to stop trying to catch the Met in every stupid, little infraction, every time I see one of their officers.

That last one really wastes a lot of my brain-power. Frankly, it isn't hard to see them in little traffic cock-ups or, worryingly, carrying on with no numbers on; you just have to keep your eyes open. Yes, they misbehave in small ways. Yes, we should link and tag things like them hiding their numbers; not because they're necessarily fucking about when they do it, but that they create the cover for the (hopefully) tiny number of abusive, misbehaving officers.

The move to Toronto is a big leap. We don't need to move, and I'll keep loving the London I fell in love with over a decade ago and keep praying that the good that London has in spades will slowly drive out the short-sighted, the selfish and the bigoted. But Toronto is a city that does colourful like practically nowhere else. In short, when it comes to the move, I'm hopeful, something I've had in far too short supply for the last seven months.

< #policehide followup | Love London >

Tagged: Rants, Fuckwittage, Security, Social, Police

Posted at 05:21 EDT, 18^th July 2009.

Last changed at 09:55 EDT, 18^th July 2009.

11 Comments

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Richard on 18^th July 2009

So sorry to hear about this, Ashok. Terribly fucked up for sure. :(

Paddy on 18^th July 2009

Wow Ash. Somehow I managed to totally miss this news of yours and this is the first I've heard of it. I'm so sorry to hear this happened to you. I'm saddened, appalled and embarrassed as an Englishman but unfortunately I'm not actually entirely shocked or surprised, which is such a sad indication of the state of the nation at the moment. I hope that this incident is something that doesn't leave too large a scar with you and isn't something you have to carry for too long.

Ashok Argent-Katwala^[ashok] on 19^th July 2009

Thanks

Richard, Paddy: thanks for your kind concern.

I'm thankfully unscarred and I'm writing about this now because I'm finally just about moving on from it. I've had next to no joy talking to the police about the incident, and my last chat with them the inspector just said that the officers claim I didn't mention any attack. That's a bald lie, but if a group of officers all claim it then it's their word against mine & Mary's and there is hardly any useful procedure for resolving that.

In many ways, it could have been worse. The eejits could have been carrying something sharp and pointy. I'm pleased I was left intact, if bruised.

Oh, and as for the electronics, I heartily recommend eSure, who covered all the kit under our home contents insurance. They were sympathetic, smart, swift and generous with none of the quibbling I would have expected from an insurance firm.

angel on 19^th July 2009

I am so terribly sorry to read this :(

Nic on 19^th July 2009

I am deeply shocked to read of this. When I first read the words "Fuck the Poilce" my heart sank; not you too was my attitude. As I read on I was appaled. No one deserves to be treated like that.

We too have had an incident where police lied about their actions. They then failed to reply to our letters. Our incident had no racial connitations, just the police making a mistake and then lying their way out of it. At least only our property was damaged; not our health.

Policing is by consent. Right now that consent is being eroded. What is left then is not worth thinking about.

Good luck with you future plans.

Ashok Argent-Katwala^[ashok] on 23^rd July 2009

I did try and find a different opening but that's basically it: fuck 'em, I'm moving past this. I wish they were more representative, more fair, more open and critically more honest when they do make some sort of error. It is one thing to misjudge something under difficult circumstances; it is quite another to then defend that error with statements that are outright lies ('he was wearing a bulky jacket', 'he jumped the barrier', 'he ignored a shouted warning'; 'protestors impeded medics', 'a barrage of bottles').

I think you are dead right, Nic, that policing is by consent. I think Peel put it best, as one of his nine principles (emphasis mine):

Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence

For years I have been, I think, a good citizen. I would pre-emptively call the local station when I saw something dodgy and try and help with policing. Since December, not so much. I still believe in a society of laws, upheld by all of us and especially those we task to do it full-time. It's hard, though, when I felt outright rage whenever I saw any symbol of the Met around town. That's not a healthy state of mind, and I'm pleased it is passing.

It did give some real insight into how easily our society could become unpoliceable. What's the critical proportion where you simply lose the information you need to get anything done?

Sarah/Saffy on 18^th January 2010

That is truly awful :(

I'm so sorry

I hope the move has worked out well though :)

bill webber on 1^st October 2010

mr

M8 I am so sorry to hear that first these low lifes have robbed and beaten you up and second that the filth have not done what they should have done instead of mistreating you. Can I just say my opinion of the coppers is somthing I dare not write on here cos I fucking well hate the scum bag bastards and would not piss on them if they were on fire burning like hell covered in napalm. They are corrupt and as soon as the UK government accepts it the better. The UK police are the filth of society I place them nonces in the same catagory as pedos and rapists. Damm I hate the scum bag filthy bastard pigs, anyway goodluck and I hope you have recovered, you are not alone with your opinions and I am white by the way. Take care Bro. Bill

a on 23^rd November 2010

robin hood

My family were fucked over by council planners. It's not difficult to make these cunts look stupid, and so the chief constable phoned me to tell me to lay off his mate the CE of the council. Is it legal for the chief constable to behave like the starzi?

Gondros on 18^th March 2011

Prof lol

I am very against police in the uk.They are the terrorists/criminals. Gentlemen people are going to have to: Stand United and fight these factions Cops, MI5, MI6, so on. In some way or another dont yous think? Time and time again people are allowing themselves to being pushed around like a puppy by the police, in fear of being imprisoned. For interfering in police business whilst some cunt is getting persecuted. Fuck em god damn it.

Ashok Argent-Katwala^[ashok] on 2^nd April 2011

I'd like to see better oversight, a proper complaints procedure where the police don't investigate themselves, a representative force and a proportionate response in general.

I feel we're generally lacking all of those to one extent or other at present.

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