After the G20 mess, I'm exercised about the police failing to identify themselves properly while in uniform.
I took this picture of officers failing just so a few weeks ago. This week, I dropped it in to the local police station to ask what was going on, and to complain.
I've just heard back from the inspector there.
Inspector Mark Thomson offered this explanation:
- the officers were performing a stop and search under section 44 of the terrorism act. I don't think this is especially relevant, but they did file the stop and search forms, and had stopped "three Bangladeshi men in a car" (I suspect they mean three British men of Bangladeshi origin, but that's a different annoyance.)
- the officers "must be" wearing their numbers on their outfits because according to someone from the appropriate unit they "always do"
- the reason the numbers would not be visible is because while on an anti-terror operation they would also have been wearing an anti-ballistic vest over the top. The vest has shoulders wider than the suit underneath, which covers up the numbers.
He said he expected they would fix the kit, but it would take time. I'm fairly happy with the answer for "how did this happen" but not at all happy with "what will happen to the officers". I expect that these officers were very probably not setting out to misbehave. The inspector did not seem to get the point that having a seemingly legitimate manner in which numbers are obscured creates cover for a minority of officers who will misbehave, and hide their identities.
I suppose I should have asked for their identification numbers.
No comments. Add one.