"Nothing to hide, nothing to fear?" This could happen to you.

[Amanda Martin]

It was around midnight when my partner, Julian,  was driving up Berrington Street on his way home after a hard day's carpentry at our Rotherwas workshop, and was stopped by a patrol car. It surprised him: there was nothing wrong with the car and he was well within the speed limit. Two officers approached. The first was officious and discourteous, greeting him with "What's your name?" and asking for vehicle documents.  Those who know Julian will know that he is always calm and composed  and he told me that this was the manner with which he suggested to the officers that before giving his name,  they could give him theirs, along with an explanation for why he had been stopped; he told me that he would have been more than happy to provide details had he been given an explanation and treated with some civility.  The lead officer told Julian that he had full power to stop him and that it was unnecessary for him to give a reason. He did eventually give his name but when Julian reached forward for a pen and paper the officer leaned in, handcuffed him,  ordered him out of the car  and took him to Bath Street police station, ignoring Julian's concerns about leaving our dog in the car in Berrington Street where he remained, initially without an open window and surrounded by drunks and addicts, for around four hours without water. 

At the police station Julian said he saw, for himself, what the ugly underbelly of our police force looks like. On arrival, he was interviewed by the abusive, foul mouthed custody sergeant who responded to Julian's attempt to express concern about the way he was being treated with "I don't give a ****" and he told me he witnessed this same response to others; a lad in the waiting room who was sobbing, distressed and in need of support  was told to keep quiet or he would be put into a cell and would stay there all night. 

 

Julian's possessions were confiscated and bagged up and he was asked to validate the list with a signature.  He declined to do so as he had no clear idea of how much money he had arrived with or what other possessions he had been carrying.   This, and his other observations that the way he was being dealt with was abusive and unprofessional, appeared to infuriate and frustrate the custody sergeant who directed that he be taken to a cell for a strip search for being unco-operative.  The arresting officer was, in fact,  asked by the custody sergeant to give a reason why Julian had been stopped and replied that he had been "out of place" and had had a misted windscreen, in spite of Julian already having driven from Rotherwas with the heater on when he was stopped.  Julian attempted to interject and was told aggressively to be quiet and "stay out of it. "

 

Still handcuffed,  Julian was escorted to a cell where his belt and shoes were then removed. He told me he was careful to offer no resistance because of the threatening dynamic and the sense that one or more officers were looking for an excuse to assault him.  After being shown in, Julian was interviewed by the custody sergeant and three other officers including the two who had stopped him.  He describes the atmosphere as "menacing" and the custody sergeant as "out of control" and deploying classic bullying behaviour to compel him to use submissive language.   He told me he was surrounded by the four booted, black clad officers with weapons fully on show and the sergeant clearly in charge. The other officers looked less certain but were taking their lead from him,  although the officer who had originally accompanied the arresting officer was civil and Julian felt he was uncomfortable with the situation.   At the sergeant's direction, the officers began to make a display of gloving-up with jokes and sarcasm accompanying threats to do the strip search. There was nothing in the cell except a mat and no other equipment except the gloves.  At no point did he suggest that he would resist the search but was still telling them calmly that they  were abusing their powers and that their behaviour was unprofessional and unacceptable. The response was:   "How do you want to do this: the hard way or the easy way?".  Julian is quietly articulate and this clearly annoyed them.  He said he felt the sergeant  was wanting him to step over the line.  The intimidation continued as they indicated that he should remove his clothes an article of clothing at a time.  There was no record of offending, no offence to investigate and no purpose to the exercise: the threatened strip search was clearly intended as a punishment for his earlier lack of compliance.  The objective seemed to be to humiliate Julian by compelling him to repeat words or answer as the sergeant directed. By the time he was standing in his vest, trousers and socks, the sergeant had decided that he had shown sufficient compliance to satisfy the purpose of what can only be described as a "beasting".  

 

After the strip search incident, Julian was taken back to the desk and subjected to further questioning including:  "Would you describe yourself as White British?" Julian responded that he would not. He said the sergeant replied "Let me give you a clue; I would describe myself as White British". Julian said that he replied "Well that is up to you" which annoyed the sergeant further.  Other questions included:  "Do you take drugs?"; "Do you consider yourself an addict?"  "Do you have any mental disorders?"  Julian did not decline to answer the questions but also continued to protest at his treatment.

 

Julian had, since his arrival,  been remonstrating with officers about the abandonment of our dog and he continued to do so after he had been put back into the cell.   He pointed out that leaving a dog in a locked unventilated car was itself an offence and at some point, an officer went to Berrington St to open a window, making him vulnerable to theft from passers by, many of whom were drunk, anti-social and out of control.  

 

Julian remain in the cell for around three hours during which he asked for, but was not given, a chance to call me.  Despite having no criminal record and having committed no offence, he was offered a caution. Rejecting the admission of guilt implied in this, he declined and was photographed, DNA sampled charged, refused a chance to see a senior officer to make a complaint and then escorted out and left to walk back to Berrington Street at 4.00am where  the dog was still in the car.  In spite of an officer having visited me with a partial account of events, no mention of the dog was made and it did not occur to me that he would have been abandoned at the site of Julian's arrest. 

Julian will appear before Hereford Magistrates on 23rd April charged with obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty; 

 

This has been a wake up call for both of us. I'm starting to realise just how naive and complacent the white middle classes can be about these things.  Just asking questions or questioning the right to elicit information can lead you into confrontation with authority and, in this scenario, power is undoubtedly being abused through a lack of proper training, a lack of monitoring, a reluctance to reject unsuitable candidates and a determination by the courts to back prosecutions however spurious and unreasonable. These weren't officers acting professionally in the course of their duty: these were men  using the props of public office to abuse power and dominate. Julian may have done nothing wrong but his non compliance was a challenge and it didn't go unpunished. 

I doubt if Julian's treatment is an isolated case and we would like it fully investigated,  ideally culminating in a full apology, charges dropped,  the expulsion of the custody sergeant involved from West Mercia Police and disciplinary action with follow up training for the other officers involved.  I am inviting others in Hereford with independent accounts that can be corroborated, to come forward. 

Meanwhile,  out canvassing yesterday, I got chatting to a former police officer who told me he'd left the police because prominent, influential men were avoiding prosecution for serious offences due to their Freemasonry connections. 

I think we have some work to do here.  

 

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[Denise Lloyd]

Freemasons!

[dippyhippy]

Hells Bells.

 

This is an extraordinary, and frightening sequence of events.

 

I am glad that Julian did not just meekly accept the caution, and would hope that the full version of events from that night will be heard when the court date arrives.

 

Bullying at high level does occur across Hereford, you only need to have a look at the Council Bullying thread to realise quite how endemic it is becoming, and with a culture of cover up and deny, to thwart attempts to bring those responsible to book.

 

The suspicious part of my nature also thinks...... this is very close to the local elections, it couldn't possibly be an attempt to smear those closest to you, but then...... no. That couldn't possibly happen. Could it????

 

Please keep us posted on any updates.

[Colin James]

I was subjected to these bully boy tactics some years ago and I complained to professional standards in Worcester, which is what I would urge you to do, outlining the timeline of events.  I received a formal apology in my case but your circumstances are slightly different. 

[megilleland]

Dear Amanda sorry to hear about your friends experience at the hands of the local constabulary. Your paragraph hits the nail on the head:

 

"This has been a wake up call for both of us. I'm starting to realise just how naive and complacent the white middle classes can be about these things.  Just asking questions or questioning the right to elicit information can lead you into confrontation with authority and, in this scenario, power is undoubtedly being abused through a lack of proper training, a lack of monitoring, a reluctance to reject unsuitable candidates and a determination by the courts to back prosecutions however spurious and unreasonable. These weren't officers acting professionally in the course of their duty: these were men using the props of public office to abuse power and dominate. Julian may have done nothing wrong but his non compliance was a challenge and it didn't go unpunished". 

 

Following the running down of our local bobbies on the beat who had local knowledge to react to and act properly, the country is moving to a more para-military, national police force (see post 86), instigated by the EU, Conservatives and Theresa May as Home Secretary. A lot of functions carried out locally by the police are now being out sourced to private organisations as have the prisons, where many people are held under duress, for raising issues that the establishment do not want us to hear about ie Melanie Shaw in Nottinghamshire and Robert Green, gagged for life for raising issues concerning child abuse. Yes we are moving into worrying times and the ability to do something to check this is running out. The agenda is that the corporations will be deciding how we live and not our elected politicians.

 

I am sure you are well aware of how to make a complaint concerning this matter, but for the benefit of others who may in time suffer the same indignity this is from the West Mercia website:

 

How to make a complaint

If you want to complain about the way you have been treated, ask to speak to a police officer who is an inspector or a higher rank.

 

After being released, you can also make a complaint at any police station or through our online complaint form, to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) or through a solicitor or your Member of Parliament (MP) on your behalf.

 

If your complaint is about an injury you have sustained while you were being arrested or while you were at the station, the custody officer will arrange for you to be examined by a doctor or nurse.

 

You mention freemasonry and it is interesting to see that The Independent highlighted this issue way back in June 2000 - "Police defy force with Masonic lodge" and that Hereford and Worcester police forces were mentioned in the article. The West Mercia Lodge 9719 can be found here.

 

 

 

[bobby47]

I'm not in the least bit surprised to read this horror story. Not one little tiny bit. First and foremost Amanda I'm guessing that at some stage after you'd composed your piece and pressed the 'submit' button you may have thought, 'is this the right thing to do. Am I making things worse'. The answer is of course you've done the right thing and you are only making things more difficult for the bully who's done this thing to you and your man.

There is nothing wrong in ever asking why and by simply asking why should not result in one getting dragged from their car, cuffed and hauled into a Police Station to be met by humiliation, distress and the behaviour you'd expect to see in some far away horror of a Country that places no value on our precious Law.

Here's my help and it's completely good, valid and worthy of your consideration when your man faces this trumped up nonsense of a charge. Firstly, under normal circumstances, when physical aggression is not used by a suspect in a public place or in a private one, the arresting officer must tell the suspect he's being arrested in clear and unambiguous words, Cautioned of course and then restrained by handcuffs.

In this case it seems as though Julian was cuffed and then arrested. This is completely wrong and if the Officers notebooks show that he was cuffed before being verbally told, 'you are nicked', then that's an avenue of argument for you to pursue.

If Julian was arrested for Obstruction. A catch all tool used by the Police to simply buggar your day up, then the Obstruction must be an obstruction that prevents the Constable, or in this case, the bully, from carrying out his or her lawful duty. In a nutshell, it has to be Lawful for the charge of Obstruction to stand, hold water and get through the scrutiny of the Crown Prosecution case.

Now, judging by your piece there is no obstruction to a lawful duty and by simply questioning their actions is not in itself grounds to show that Julian was being obstructive in relation to his misty bloody window. This is an avenue you should pursue and it's very likely that when the CPS peruse the file of evidence a subsequent 'advice' note from them to the arresting officer will highlight this problem area that this bully has helped to create.

In the custody suite where your man met the fool of a custody officer, the entire chain of events are both audio and video recorded and this footage should show your man being treated well, being spoken to well and after the period of documentation, it should show Julian being asked if he wanted to make a phone call, wanted a Solicitor and most importantly, being asked whether or not he wished to read the very boring book titled PACE The Codes Of Practice.

When you make your complaint, and you must, you insist that the matter is investigated and you are not persuaded to allow this affair to be Informally Resolved. And here's the one question you ask that'll never be disclosed to you but they must address. 'Can you tell me whether or not this Officer has an unusually high arrest rate for offences of Obstruct Police, Public Order and other incidents that place him in conflict with members of the public'. You'll never get the answer Amanda and it really doesn't matter.

As for the stripping and searching of your man, unless they are of the opinion that Julian 'may' be in possession of a Class A controlled drug, he's suicidal or he may be a clear and present threat to them, himself or others then they are buggared. Quite simply Julian has been punished and humiliated by those who hold the power.

The good news is Amanda that despite the predicament you and Julian now find yourselves in, you both now have the power. Yes, as silly as it sounds you do. This bully of an Officer now has to sit back and worry. And worry he will. Lots of sleepless nights hoping and praying that you let go, accept his version of the Law and give up.

What you now do is fight back. You take a quick glance at Paul Cardin of Wirral In it Together, take a leaf from his book and dig your teeth into this bully and refuse to let go. Yes! You bite, snarl and wriggle away until you get someone to step forward and say,'what was done was very wrong and we are sorry'.

My warmest regards girl.

[mystery]

might I suggest a call to West Mercia Professional standards,and Hereford Times,and Daily Mail and Mr Longmore,and the chief constable, this is an ever increasing problem with the local Police, they have lost their way big time, just rude and ignorant, Well done for not agreeing to a caution and plead not guilty in court. There should be CCTV evidence in the custody suite,and hopefully in the car that stop you,and even on the police officer who spoke to you, pity you didn't have time to put the mobile phone on record as soon as you were stopped, this is the first thing I would do now if ever stop without them knowing. They are becoming a law unto themselves you only need to see that from in the last 2 years how many Herefordshire Police have been sacked at Misconduct hearing, resigned before misconduct hearing and in last year 2 imprisoned for being sexual predators,and now on Sexual offenders register. My info from talking to one officer is two members of one family have left in a cloud one sacked and one resigned before hearing, what does that say about are local police

[mystery]

did anyone see article in daily Mail other day regarding a member of the police who photographed to police vehicles parking in a restricted bay, whilst not attending an incident. The same place is wife had just got a parking ticket. The Police said he had to give delete the pic when he refused he was then told to hand over phone, when he refused he was then arrested under TERROSIM ACT, taken to police station gone through the same as your partner, when complaint was made was released with an apology and told the police officer didn't understand the TERROISM ACT and how it should be used etc etc. The Daily mail will love your story

[dippyhippy]

There are good police officers out there, I'm guessing the majority.....BUT....if a blind eye is turned to an example such as this, that does not fill the public with much hope that they are a trustworthy and honest organisation, there to protect the innocent.

 

This appalling sequence of events cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged. If the police value their reputation, they need to be seen to be doing whatever is necessary to put an end to the unacceptable behaviour of some of its staff.

 

You can never defend the indefensible, and what happened to Julian sounds like it falls into that category.

[Roger]

The cops can stop any car for no reason and ask the driver his/her name. The driver has to give it. I'm sure Julian would have given it if he'd been asked in a polite manner. If he'd have asked if he was obliged to give it he probably would have if it was explained to him why he had to give it. Seems to me the situation started off on a downward slope as soon as the cops got out of their car.

 

If correct the events in the Police Station seem pretty unpleasant and indefensible. Most of that cell block is covered by internal cameras and there is audio recording as well so if anything untoward happened (especially at the custody desk) it will have been recorded.

 

I would urge Julian to contact the Professional Standards Dept. of the West Mercia Police to make an Official complaint about the whole episode.

 

You don't mention Amanda about whether your partner took advantage of his right to free legal advice at the Police Station. Did he get offered it and decline it? Is he thinking about getting a solicitor now? 

[flamboyant]

I detest reputation management! An investigation is required and if the claims are substantiated then the people responsible should be dismissed perhaps even face prosecution. What will be happening now is 'reputation management' which will get in the way of an unbiased investigation. People should be held to account for their actions regardless of the reputation of any organisation, a totally transparent investigation will serve to enhance reputation and show the public that no organisation is above the law and can only restore the publics confidence in the Police force.

 

The following is an interesting read.

 

Theresa May introduces new restrictions on stop and search powers

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11054788/Theresa-May-introduces-new-restrictions-on-stop-and-search-powers.html

[dippyhippy]

Very interesting article, Flam. Thanks for the link.

 

Interesting to note which police forces have signed up..... and those which haven't.

[Amanda Martin]

"The suspicious part of my nature also thinks...... this is very close to the local elections, it couldn't possibly be an attempt to smear those closest to you, but then...... no. That couldn't possibly happen. Could it????"   

 

Dippy,  it's odd you should say that.  One of my fellow candidates told me the other day that she's had a sequence of odd events: vehicle and other damage in a short period of time.  I made the "horse's head" quip but she wasn't smiling.   J said it was odd.  There was plenty of anti social behaviour going on - mostly alcohol fuelled noise - but the patrol car came from nowhere.  It wasn't following him - it must have been parked.  Stranger things have happened and I can  think of a few guys I haven't been very complimentary about in the media but I'm not seeing a conspiracy - yet.  

Thanks for the encouragement everyone.  Flam: I've read the article and, Roger, you appear to be right about this so it  becomes a case of disproportionate use of the power.   We're in the process of instructing a solicitor and will also make a complaint as advised. 

From the various accounts you've given, there's a picture emerging and we do, indeed, seem to be moving towards a more quasi-military police service concerned with protecting vested and corporate interests.   If I'm elected, I can see this becoming an area of interest to me. It will make a change from hearing me droning on about cycling.  

 

[dippyhippy]

Hi Amanda, it 's awful to think that this could be the case, and I sincerely hope that we are wrong...... but it really does make you wonder.

 

Shout about this from the roof tops, it will only aid your cause.

 

Those that are guilty of this sort of abhorrent behaviour , hope that those on the receiving end will go away quietly, and live in fear that they may be unfairly targeted again.

 

Keep at it, and hopefully you'll get a result.

[mystery]

I to have seen the same sort of things going on with the police when dealing with people, and always have my phone handy to film, and in fact have few times made complaints against police all of which have been founded in MY FAVOUR

[Alex]

Two things here, Julian complains that the dog has been left without ventilation or water yet when an office goes to let ventilation in the vehicle for the dog you complain about that too? You cannot have it both ways. I notice that you have stereo typed everyone who was out this Easter weekend as being drunk, anti-social and out of control, geez, I missed all of that.

 

 

Julian had, since his arrival,  been remonstrating with officers about the abandonment of our dog and he continued to do so after he had been put back into the cell.   He pointed out that leaving a dog in a locked unventilated car was itself an offence and at some point, an officer went to Berrington St to open a window, making him vulnerable to theft from passers by, many of whom were drunk, anti-social and out of control.

 

 

There is no excuse for this police bullying and unfortunately it is usually their word against yours, so be prepared to loose in court too. Welcome to the real world, sad i know, young officers with power sounds familiar, I would shout and ball and write to the papers and not just the local ones. Good luck

[Amanda Martin]

Hi Alex, 

 

I assumed that a dog would have been taken to a police kennel in those circumstances not abandoned at the site of the arrest; with or without ventilation this was disgraceful in my view.   

With regard to your second point, I'm not sure any stereotyping was necessary.   I can't speak for the whole of Hereford but Julian saw the behaviour in front of him - maybe they all happened to be in Berrington Street at that point.  

Interestingly though  it wasn't so much the younger officers who were the problem: it was the older, more dominant and senior sergeant who was setting the tone for the others - like a "red zone" dog destabilising the pack (yes  I am addicted to Cesar Millan).  

 

[dippyhippy]

This subject is certainly attracting a lot of attention..... there are currently 21 people viewing this thread!

[Cambo]

Shocking behaviour from people who are supposed to have the publics trust as well as protect & serve the community but instead are starting to act more like the Gestapo??!!

But it does not surprise me & I'm sure if we the public are not careful this will become more of the norm rather than the exception & the excuse they will use for there behaviour will be because of the terrorist threat that we the greater public represent to ourselves & therefore we must be protected from ourselves!

But the sad thing is we will all believe them until they have eroded away all of our civil liberties to such an extent that we have none left? by which time,when we finally realise wot is going on? it will be too late so as we will have all become just like sheep! ripe for the slaughter but not until they have shorn us all of our fleeces first!!

[Amanda Martin]

Yes, this is the drift.

 

I spent a lot of the Nineties chained to a bulldozer.  The right to protest might have been a pain in the arse of people's routines but it was generally tolerated as a price worth paying for freedom and democracy.   Then came the criminalisation of trespass and a raft of New Labour public order legislation which, as Cambo says,  has legislated away our rights one by one; insidiously and incrementally the bills were passed and all in the name of public protection.  Suddenly  State mission creep wasn't just a concern for civil liberties groups and campaigners; it started to impinge on everyday life by empowering State  agencies to interrupt, monitor and restrict our lives in ways we didn't anticipate.

This is wandering off the point a bit but I won't be the only one to have noticed the prioritising of trivial property and "anti-Establishment" crimes over crimes of violence committed against individuals.  You can abuse your neighbour with virtual impunity but I wonder how long it would take for me to get my collar felt if I decided to stand outside Cargill Meats with an animal welfare placard.  

Our right to protest, to criticise and to enjoy free and lawful movement free of arbitrary harassment from the State is fundamental and must be protected before, as Megilleland has said, the corporations are dictating not only what we buy but what we think and how we can behave.   

 

They say it's an ill wind that blows no-one any good and at least this incident has ignited a wider concern that I hope to pursue if I am elected in May.   

[WirralPC]

As the heat rises, prepare for any eventuality e.g. the CCTV at the nick malfunctioning or the recordings themselves being mislaid.

A tweet to Ian Puddick on Twitter could be a good move.  He's been through all of this and a lot more.

[Roger]

Hi Alex, 

 

I assumed that a dog would have been taken to a police kennel in those circumstances not abandoned at the site of the arrest; with or without ventilation this was disgraceful in my view.

 

I imagine this is a difficult area. The Cops don't look after stray dogs anymore and they have no 'kennel'. So after the arrest the dog was never gonna get a free ride to the Station. I would imagine the hound situation would first be addressed when the person in custody has an opportunity to make free phone call. If it was me making the arrest (not knowing of course if the arrest was all above board or not as I wasn't there) then I would have 'unofficially' tried to sort out the dog situation on the ride back to the station. With phone calls. To get the dog out of the car.

 

I see, from your last comment Amanda, that you spent some time protesting in the 90's .... You are standing as IOC but are you a 'GREENS' type person? 

[Amanda Martin]

Julian has just told me that he was cuffed without being cautioned or told why he was being arrested and even at the station he was not told.   J didn't think to mention this because he didn't realise its relevance and the only reason I knew was that a friend and former officer with the Met emailed me earlier with advice.   It shouldn't be up to members of the public to swot up on the PACE and work out for themselves how they should have been treated.   

[Roger]

Julian has just told me that he was cuffed without being cautioned or told why he was being arrested and even at the station he was not told.   J didn't think to mention this because he didn't realise its relevance and the only reason I knew was that a friend and former officer with the Met emailed me earlier with advice.   It shouldn't be up to members of the public to swot up on the PACE and work out for themselves how they should have been treated.   

 

I don't think advice from people who weren't there is always helpful .... 'cuffed without being cautioned' is something no one knows other than anyone present. I do agree with your wider point that PACE and similar sorts of stuff could be alien to a large number of people .... 

[Amanda Martin]

As the heat rises, prepare for any eventuality e.g. the CCTV at the nick malfunctioning or the recordings themselves being mislaid.

A tweet to Ian Puddick on Twitter could be a good move.  He's been through all of this and a lot more.

Thanks.  Yes we're prepared for this.    Just took a look at Ian Puddick's Twitter page - crikey.  

 

Roger, on the dog point, I think that's exactly what should have happened.  Had the officer who banged on my front door at around 2.00am mentioned that Monty was locked in a car in Berrington Street and had been for more than an hour, I would have had an opportunity to go and collect him.  The fact is they couldn't have cared less and I'm sure that if he had been taken they still wouldn't have cared less.  

 

Am I a "'GREENS' type person?"    I'm not a crystal gazing tree hugger and I don't have a beard but I do believe that the old agenda of "Jobs 'n growth" at any price is stale,  discredited and on borrowed time and that we need to start developing more thoughtfully very soon.  Economic growth basically consists of asset stripping the planet and despoiling it with our waste and being competitive means doing it faster than anyone else.  As a rationalist this makes no sense to me.   I think it's time we grew past our cognitive dissonance about the consequences of our current priorities and started taking environmental issues more seriously instead of scoffing at those who can see the melting iceberg straight ahead and are trying to raise the alarm.   I think we should  be developing more thoughtfully with a new economic model that damages less, wastes less and places more emphasis on quality of life instead of the crude indicator of GDP and I think we should be supporting people like the messianic Polly Higgins who is gaining traction in her campaign to put "Ecocide" on the international criminal statute book.  

 

I'm not anti-capitalism, anti-enterprise, anti-development or anti-change but the consequences of growth as we have it -  ravaged ecosystems, rising temperatures,  destroyed habitats, abused and extinct creatures, dwindling resources, impoverished living spaces, polarised societies,  fractured communities and isolated people -  don't look much like progress to me.  They are, however, the inevitable consequences of the kind of model we still cling on to because we don't have the right priorities.  It's not as if we have a choice about changing how we live.  If we don't come up with some fresh ideas soon, our abused planet will do it for us.  It seems to me that it's the shiny, suited casuists with their ironically named "long term economic plan" who are the really naive ones in this debate.  

 

If I'm elected you won't hear me supporting road schemes, tree felling, banal housing estates or soulless shopping centres and you won't see me voting for the destruction of historic buildings or carousing on the local government gravy train.  Neither do I expect my It's Our County colleagues to think the way I do but do see that the one thing we have in common is a sense of wanting to be part of something uncorrupted and fresh and a desire to bring some decency back into local politics- that was what attracted me.

 

Green type people are surprisingly rational and sensible but of course the Establishment doesn't want you to know that.  

 

 

[SON OF GRIDKNOCKER]

@Amanda: Sincere condolences to both you and Julian over this utterly disgraceful series of events. At this particular time (only 4 weeks to polling day), you can certainly do without this sort of vile intimidation and bullying.

 

I'm with Mystery: a strongly-worded letter to Mercia's Police Commissioner Bill Longmore, with a request for his personal investigation into the incident (and copy the letter to Teresa May and Jesse Norman).

[WirralPC]

I sent Ian Puddick a link to this thread.  He's retweeted it to his 89,000 followers.

[Amanda Martin]

Wirral PC thank you very much - that is much appreciated.   When my feet touch the ground, I will settle down and read his posts.  It takes enormous courage to stand up to the State in this way.  

Grid Knocker, again thank you.  Sometimes these things can be serendipitous.   I already have emails coming in from people who have suffered similar experiences.   What do you do if you are friendless and without the means to make a case?   

[dippyhippy]

Amanda, you ask the question, "What do you do if you are friendless and without the means to make a case?"

 

You simply say and do nothing.

 

Which is why this kind of thing continues, because all too often they can get away with it.

[Ubique]

Amanda , I read your post last night and thought about it during the night - what happened to your Partner was an absolute disgrace and to my mind the more publicity it gets the better .

 

I hope by now you have made an official complaint to the West Mercia Police and the PCC.

 

I am sure that Officers from Hereford Police Station read these Posts and maybe making their own enquiries or in a couple of cases getting their story "straight" .

 

You Partner was so correct to refuse a Police Caution , which as you know is an admittance of guilt . I hope that he has no lasting effects from the way he was treated. He must be prepared for a hard time in Court , I presume that if it does go to Court there will be at least three Officers giving evidence of his words and actions - hopefully his Solicitor will have sight of any CCTV recordings in the Police St.

 

Finally , we all know that there are a very high number of Police Officers doing a very good job in Serving the Public especialy in the larger towns and cities away from West Mercia and not getting any publicity .