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Is the Metropolitan Police institutionally corrupt?

Riot cops violently evict homeless people in east London

Around 100 police officers raided and evicted people who sought safety in an occupied, “unofficial” homeless shelter, in Tower Hamlets, east London, on Thursday.

Police in riot gear forced people onto Cable Street, adjacent to the Autonomous Winter Shelter (AWS). The former convent had been providing a home to around 40 people since November last year.

As the cops issued a dispersal notice to the protesters and former residents, cops chased and threw to the ground some who tried to escape. The dispersal notice extended to local people who watched and joined the protest, they were told to move away or go inside.

Police injured at least one person as they seized him. They were later dearrested as protesters stood by the police van.

https://socialistworker.co.uk/news/riot-cops-violently-evict-homeless-people-in-east-london/
 
I guess it depends on whether it's considered a proportionate response. It certainly looks like a heavy handed way to deal with a bunch of people who will now be back to sleeping rough.

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The Evening Standard story states the Tower Hamlets mayor asked the police to back off and was ignored.

It's not clear from the story whether this was initiated by the police or the owner of the building.

Met Police officers handed them a Section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment Offenders Act 2012 which makes it illegal to squat in a residential building last month.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/lon...archist-london-homeless-shelter-b1084967.html
 
There's a good write-up on Novara Media from a few days ago before the eviction. It sounds like the owners of the building (The Sisters of Mercy!) wanted them out at all costs. Lucrative central London property I guess.

I understand the police feel compelled to act but 100 riot police to turf out a couple of dozen people back onto the streets seems over the top.

https://novaramedia.com/2023/05/30/...omeless-until-they-arrived-on-their-doorstep/
 
paulfromcamden said:
There's a good write-up on Novara Media from a few days ago before the eviction. It sounds like the owners of the building (The Sisters of Mercy!) wanted them out at all costs. Lucrative central London property I guess.

I understand the police feel compelled to act but 100 riot police to turf out a couple of dozen people back onto the streets seems over the top.

https://novaramedia.com/2023/05/30/...omeless-until-they-arrived-on-their-doorstep/
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I'm not sure what the problem is here.
As well as the more typical vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the Sisters of Mercy also takes a fourth, less typical vow: service to those in need. The group certainly has the resources to serve the needy: the UK branch of the organisation had over £74m in reserves at the end of 2022, as well as almost £62m in assets.
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It seems to me that The Sisters of Mercy are simply fulfilling their fourth vow by evicting the squatters. There must be many multi-millionaires desperately in need of more assets to add to their property portfolios.

Seriously, that's a great article. We desperately need more reporting like this that gives a "ground-level" view of life at the margins (which, if the wealthy and powerful get their way, is where most of us are headed). It reminded me of Jack Schenker's excellent book, Now We Have Your Attention, which I highly recommend, if you haven't already read it.
 
droodzilla said:
I'm not sure what the problem is here.

It seems to me that The Sisters of Mercy are simply fulfilling their fourth vow by evicting the squatters. There must be many multi-millionaires desperately in need of more assets to add to their property portfolios.

Seriously, that's a great article. We desperately need more reporting like this that gives a "ground-level" view of life at the margins (which, if the wealthy and powerful get their way, is where most of us are headed). It reminded me of Jack Schenker's excellent book, Now We Have Your Attention, which I highly recommend, if you haven't already read it.
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For as the bible says, ‘Give not unto the poor, for it only encourages them’.

(Credit to Radio 4’s Dickens spoof Bleak Expectations).
 
Dave***t said:
For as the bible says, ‘Give not unto the poor, for it only encourages them’.

(Credit to Radio 4’s Dickens spoof Bleak Expectations).
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I’m reminded of that scene in Winstanley where he confronts the priests. They gainsay each other in quoting biblical passages; Winstanley those passages championing the poor and dispossessed, the priests those reinforcing authority and private property.
 
paulfromcamden said:
It's not clear from the story whether this was initiated by the police or the owner of the building.
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Police would hardly intervene without the owner of the building asking them to, would they ?

If inhabitants were indeed homeless: reaction of the police scandalous. If they were students who could live elsewhere: evacuation open to debate, depending on the way it was done. What also matters is how long the situation has been going on until the intervention.

For a number of years I was in charge of a flat owned by my mother. One of the tenants didn’t pay his rent for years, and the one after him had something to complain every other week, in spite of the absolute discount price he paid as a rent. Those who haven’t gone through this cannot know what a nightmare it is having to perpetually solve problems with people living in walls you own. It goes right to your bones. That said, I would probably show some clemency if all the occupants were indeed homeless and would find themselves sleeping rough again. But that’s not always easy to know.
 
Cheese said:
Police would hardly intervene without the owner of the building asking them to, would they ?

If inhabitants were indeed homeless: reaction of the police scandalous. If they were students who could live elsewhere: evacuation open to debate, depending on the way it was done. What also matters is how long the situation has been going on until the intervention.
Click to expand...

Recommend the Novara Media article I found after my initial post that gives some background.
 
Time is running out if the police and the government are to restore public trust in policing, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary has warned.

In his annual report, Andy Cooke said police forces were experiencing "one of their biggest crises in living memory".

"Atrocious" crimes committed by serving police officers had fuelled distrust, while too few criminals were being caught, he added.

Mr Cooke has called for new powers to enforce improvements.

Forces had taken too long to respond to recommendations in the 2016 State of Policing report relating to officers abusing their positions for sexual purposes, he said.

"Two forces did from the start what they should have done," Mr Cooke said. "That should have been 43 forces.

"In those seven years, we have seen some truly horrendous acts by officers.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65845463
 
Teen on e-bike dies after being followed by police in Salford

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said traffic officers had followed the 15-year-old until their police vehicle's path was blocked by bollards.
The boy then rode on and collided with a stationary ambulance with crew inside, North West Ambulance said.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65850704
 
Finnegan said:
Despite the title of the thread, it has evolved into a wider document of the crisis in policing.
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I'm no defendeer of the 'Met' and I'm appalled by the behaviour of some officers and forces country wide.

However, the two recent incidents involving teenage fatalities on 'e-Bikes' point, in my view, towards a separate issue, which has more to do with Policing 'catching up', (no pun intended) with the increasing use of eBikes, eScooters and even 'Mobility Scooters' on public roads and pavements, than necessarily with issues of Police misconduct.

Video of the first issue shows two lads, riding '2 Up' an an eBike which looks to me like it's doing well over 15 mph. That's some feat, '2Up', from a bike which is supposed by Law to be a solo conveyance and limited to 15mph max. It also looks like the Police are following a reasonable distance behind. Add in that the police were prevented from following further as the two lads turned through bollards and I believe round a corner, before colliding with a bus.

Whether, how closely and how 'aggressively' Police were following the lad in Salford is unclear, but he too had gone through bollards such that any further Police pursuit, if indeed there was a pursuit, was only possible on foot.
Clearly, it's very difficult to know the exact circumstances of either incident, what provoked the 'pursuit/following' etc., although clearly being '2Up' is dangerous.

When I was young, it wasn't at all unusual for Police to 'pull' youngsters on bikes (me included) and give them a stiff talking to about the 'wisdom' and legality of riding '2Up', or on the pavement/sidewalk, or without adequate lights, brakes etc. That may have been the motivation. Who knows?

Where I live, we have a local idiot who is frequently seen riding at ridiculous speeds on an eBike which is clearly 'deregulated' or somesuch to go way beyond 15mph. It's not just his speed though. It's his appallingly dangerous and inconsiderate riding, which will almost certainly end in tears. Hopefully for him rather than some innocent third party. There's also an increasing rash of clowns on eScooters, who basically ride the way they would walk, on sidewalks and over crossings, lights etc.. but much much faster and, except where there are Local Authority Rental Schemes', illegally. More hazard.
Finally, there appears to be little or no regulation of the use of 'powerchairs'. Clearly these are a very liberating devices for those with mobility issues and it's entirely possible that I'll end up needing one at some point, but significant numbers of users show little or no regard either for pedestrians, or indeed motorists..as they charge about 'willy nilly', on pavements, roads, in shops etc.
 
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